VOIVOD/BAT

Of all the great 80’s underground metal bands, VOIVOD has eluded me the longest in the live setting. I first became aware of them in the very early 80’s, when I heard "Condemned To The Gallows” on one of the Metal Massacre compilation albums. It took me all the way to 2026 to finally see the band live. Was it worth the wait?

I’ll tell you later, but first we need to attend to the opening bands. Virginia trio BAT I was well aware of and have seen before. But the first band of the evening FLYING FUZZ were an unknown to me and probably to most of the audience as well. VOIVOD fans are known to be a picky lot so the pressure on these guys had to be considerable.

They wound up playing an interesting set and the crowd warmed up to them. Speaking of which, the club was more than half full, which is great for an opening band. The FUZZoids were also the youngest band as well.

Their first track struck me as being like an upbeat punk song…not what I was expecting. The second track was more like peppy stoner rock and the vocals were clean as they were throughout. The bass player was one of those guys who was too cool to play facing the crowd, which is always horseshit. That was a minor complaint as these guys were otherwise quite professional and their lead guitarist really smoked. 

After these first two tracks, FLYING FUZZ started to get noticeably heavier and much more doomy, almost in the vein of SAINT VITUS. By their last song, I was really starting to get into them and I was listing back and forth like a galleon taking on water (Lord Randall will understand that reference for sure). In the end, the crowd dug these guys quite a bit and their half hour set came off very enjoyable.

BAT was more of a known quantity. I enjoyed their diesel-drenched heavy metal rock n roll when I saw them play at a previous Blades of Steel. The three man outfit featuring Ryan Waste from MUNICIPAL WASTE is a recent signee to Nuclear Blast Records and I’m looking forward to their upcoming album on that label.

BAT wears their influences on their sleeves…early VENOM, MOTÖRHEAD, EXCITER, THE RODS…and their set was full of the raw energy and prehistoric vibes of those power trios. They look the part, too, and could have easily slipped into any 1984 metal club. They hit the ground running with “Code Rude” and from their blitzkrieged their way through a rugged set.

I appreciated their to the point and no bullshit approach. They didn’t spend a lot of time telling stories or fiddling with their instruments, they just pounded out fast and filthy tracks like “Wings of Chains”, “Streetbanger” and the song with one of the best titles in history, “Long Live The Lewd”. Hah! For that title alone I give them thumbs up.

They should have a new album out on Nuclear Blast pretty soon, but I don’t recall them announcing any track from it tonight. Instead, they were content to play tried and true neck-wreckers like “Cruel Discipline” and “BAT”. I don’t know if most of the crowd was that familiar with their music, but they reacted in a positive way and they were a smart choice as the opening band.

Well, the long wait of years was finally over and a flurry of space noises announced the arrival of VOIVOD to the Crucible stage. The tribulations this band has endured over the years have been legendary and frontman Snake is lucky to be alive. Not so lucky was their one of a kind guitarist Piggy, who has been gone for many years. I would have bet money that the band had no chance of replacing that innovative musician, but somehow VOIVOD managed to do it. Chewy Mongrain is one hell of an amazing player who easily duplicates PIggy’s style yet adds his own flair as well. 

First track out of the gate was “Experiment” from “Dimension Hatross”, which I confess is far from my favorite VOIVOD album. It was evident right off the bat that these guys are tighter than a cat’s ass. Drummer Away is an absolute machine…not blast beating to an insane degree like some guys, but never ever missing a beat and playing in perfect lockstep with bassist Rocky, who delivers deep grooves himself. But it’s really Snake who dominates the stage. To say this guy is a unique presence is a gross understatement. Obviously well along in years now, he hit the stage shaking spastically and jerking around like a puppet. But the huge grin on his face revealed his enjoyment in playing live. In fact, the whole band seemed happy to be there.

On very casual inspection, one could say Snake is far from a great vocalist. But pay attention and you’ll find out how good he really is. VOIVOD’s peculiar sci-fi lyrics make for some difficult mouthfuls, but Snake handled them all with aplomb. Whether it’s the hyperthrash insanity of “Korgull The Exterminator” or the smoother tones of “The Unknown Knows”, he was able to adapt. So while he moves on stage like your drunken uncle, the truth is you are in the hands of a master vocalist. One who still enjoys being on stage after all these years.

The setlist was full of lots of old favorites mixed with some oddities. The raging “Tornado” from “Killing Technology” was definitely a high point, but I’ve always loved the very first VOIVOD album so it was most welcome for them to rip into “War And Pain” and “Voivod”(complete with dragging chain soundeffects). They went back even further than the first album to play “Condemned To The Gallows” from their very first demo…talk about back to the roots!

One of the more unusual song choices was “Nanoman” from the album “Negatron”...one of the albums that Snake did not appear on. Before playing the track, Snake told us that former singer Eric Forrest was battling cancer and had a Gofundme set up, As for the song itself, it was really catchy and one of the highlights of the night.

Although older tracks comprised the bulk of the set, more recent songs were not neglected. “Mechanical Mind” from “Target Earth” fit smoothly alongside classic tunes and they surprised by doing “Obsolete Beings” from their rather neglected album “The Wake”. The more “psychedelic” VOIVOD came across a lot heavier than I would have imagined. This was proven by a rough and ready version of “The Unknown Knows” from “Nothingface”. When the ominous “Outer Limits” chords kicked in to start this track, a big grin crossed my face. Their devotion to that great oldschool TV show equals my own!

Last “official” cut of the set was the ancient “Condemned to the Gallows”, which harkened back to the wild and chaotic days of their youth. The sizable crowd was not going to let Snake and the boys go yet…they were brought back to the stage for an encore which showcased both their proggy side…their great cover of PINK FLOYD’s “Astronomy Domine”...and their violent, thrashy side…the eponymous “Voivod”. After the noisy climax of the latter, Snake told the crowd to stick around and meet them at the merch table.

So that was my first live experience with VOIVOD! It only took about 40 years for me to get around to it. Was it worth it? You better believe it! Thanks to the Wizard of Watertown, Randy Kastner, for putting this one together. This is Randy’s last year in the promoting business and it was certainly a highlight!