Year: 2022
Total Time: 47:59
Label: Century Media

If somebody asked what I think of “Avant Garde” metal, very few bands would come directly to my mind: Celtic Frost, Mr Bungle, Igorrr, Mayhem and of course Voivod. And from the aforementioned bands even fewer albums would stand out as representatives of what is truly experimental and pioneering. But with Voivod I’d find an exception. Their unique sound and approach have defined many metal sub-genres during the 80’s and the 90’s while the band never seized to experiment with its sound even when that wasn’t considered “cool” by the audience and the critics.

Throughout their long forty-year history, the Canadian (now) four-piece may have varied drastically its lines, but never strayed away from their initial artistic concept. Michel “Away” Langevin, was always behind the drums and stands proud as the responsible artist producing Voivod’s artworks and their general futuristic imagery and storyline. Denis “Snake” Bélanger was holding the mic throughout the band’s iconic first decade and still does today while the riffmaster Denis “Piggy” D’Amour who sadly passed away in 2005 left a very heavy legacy to an equally gifted musician, Daniel “Chewy” Mongrain, who now holds one axe for the band; the other (the bass one), is held by Dominic “Rocky” Laroche since 2014.

Back in 2013 “Target Earth” was the first VOIVOD album with Chewy on the guitars. And it was also the beginning of a “come back” to the techier/thrashier sound of the band. The album was very well received by the fans and in 2018 “The Wake” exceeded every expectation. The fans were thrilled and it was pouring awards all over the place. It seemed that the old wolves finally got what they deserved; the recognition and the praise were there and eventually it’s better late than never. For me, being a follower since the early 90’s, it was a most welcome surprise. I can now say that “The Wake” stands between my favorite Voivod albums ever. At the same time, I was thinking that the band was reaching a ceiling of creativity and that their next album would be a lesser effort; and I was ok with that.

How completely wrong was I!

“Synchro Anarchy” had four singles released before it hit the shelves in February 2022 and it was the one better than the other. “Planet Eaters”, “Paranormalium”, “Synchro Anarchy” and “Sleeves Off” prepared the world of what was about to come, but was anyone really ready to receive the whole awesomeness of the album? Nine tracks and 48 minutes of music that climb up a strange Jacob’s ladder through varied levels of bizarreness. The sound of Chewy’s guitars has body, it’s low gain but it breathes full of life and energy. The riffing is never static, it evolves and moves and uses every aspect of the sound to …grow. The bass guitar complements the guitars being at the same time a different kind of monster on its own right and the drumming stands original and dynamic from start to finish.

I remember seeing Voivod in Paris during their Wake tour, it was in a small boat in the Sein with a club inside named “Le Petit Bain”; It was Snake’s birthday but it was the fans who received a present. The band played a great show and the Snake was there performing his lines better than ever. He may be singing in a lower register than back in the day, but now there is added dimension and gravity and also clarity and articulation to his vocals. The thrash/progressive/punk mixture that defines the sound of VOIVOD has a lot to do with Snake’s voice and in “Synchro Anarchy” these qualities are present and I’d say perfected.

In the albums dissonant majestic labyrinth one can find punkier moments than in its predecessor. At the same time, I wouldn’t say that it lacks of technicality; I believe that there are songs even more complex than the ones in The Wake but there are the introspective and doomier moments that caught my attention, such as the beautiful “Mind Clock”. In general, the songwriting is of a very high quality and the lyrics even though they’re written in the same futuristic style as always, I’d say that they are more connected with the everyday life experience and less allegoric than before.

Is this VOIVOD’s second golden era? I think it is and I also think that with Synchro Anarchy the band reached a new level of maturity and creativity. The album is a must have and I hope that very soon It will be possible for the band to tour again and for us the fans to experience some special moments in a concert.

Rating: 8.5/10
Editor: Yiannis Tziallas
Related Link: VOIVOD – Official Page