Author: Rok Klemše
Artist: Voivod
Label: Century Media
Release date: year_month
Running time: 30:25
Rating: 4.5/5
After Piggy’s death, plenty of people wrote off the Canadian oddballs Voivod for good, but with their first record without Piggy’s stamp on it (Katorz and Infini came out after his death too, but they used his recordings), Target Earth (2013), the legendary Quebecers came back stronger than anyone expected and shut every doubter up. Dan »Chewy« Mongrain melted into the band like all the surrounding matter into a black hole. Through his playing he channels Piggy’s spirit perfectly, yet he’s got enough of his own thing going on to have already left an indelible mark on Voivod. Not even in their wildest dreams could Voivod have wished for a better successor to Piggy.
Chewy confirms it once again on this thirty-minute EP, which brings two brand-new Voivod UFOs, two songs you may already know (We Are Connected was featured on the split with At the Gates, and Forever Mountain on the split with Napalm Death), plus a cover of the Hawkwind classic Silver Machine. Post Society brings one more novelty, too – after Blacky’s renewed departure, Dominique »Rocky« Laroche has stepped into his shoes, and he announces his arrival with a majestic intro to the title track that recalls the days of the album Rrröööaaarrr. Rocky’s rumbling bass isn’t Blacky’s »blower bass«, but it has a strong identity of its own, and his lively, dynamic, bluesy lines are the connective tissue holding all five tracks of the EP together.
This time around, Voivod flirt most openly with their mid-period progressive era, with albums like Nothingface and The Outer Limits, all of it woven together, of course, with their unique approach to thrash/speed metal. Chewy shines again, serving up an even more colorful palette of melodic passages, quirky and atonal lines, cosmic riffs and breathtaking solos, which with their jazz/fusion nature shoot things off into outer space, especially in the closing stretches of Post Society and Fall (with its abruptly cut-off, neurotic ending!). On top of that, Chewy here and there pays obvious and respectful tribute to his predecessor (mimicking the guitar part from Sub Effect toward the end of Fall). Wherever in the galaxy Piggy may be right now, he must be grinning from ear to ear. Fall might even be the EP’s standout track, because Voivod have never sounded this calm, melancholy and serene, Snake included. At least in the first half of the song, since the Canadians quickly launch things into the astral spheres with a bunch of unexpected twists and turns.
Post Society closes with a cover of the Hawkwind classic, which Voivod masterfully elevate, and it sounds above all like a farewell epitaph and a touching goodbye to Lemmy, definitely one of Voivod’s key influences. Even Snake beautifully imitates the trademark rasp of young Lemmy’s vocals. So Post Society isn’t just a pit stop on Voivod’s glorious journey, but a release that easily stands shoulder to shoulder with the band’s greatest achievements. A band that, after thirty years, is still unreachable in its unique virtuosity and is once again setting astronomical expectations for the upcoming studio album.
Lineup
Away – drums
Snake – vocals
Chewy – guitar
Rocky – bass
Track list
1. Post Society
2. Forever Mountain
3. Fall
4. We Are Connected
5. Silver Machine
