Although hard rock and heavy metal existed in Canada before the emergence of Jonquière genre dodgers Voivod, the loudest expulsions of northerly rage still generally belonged to disgruntled ice hockey fans and angry moose. While prog legends Rush had already made a name for themselves and acts like Exciter and Anvil were slowly gaining the attention of metal fans across the world, Voivod were about to take Canadian noise to an entirely new level.
Forty years after the release of the live demo, Anachronism, the Montreal miscreants release Morgöth Tales (Century Media), a diverse and chronologically sequenced collection of re-recordings with the added bonus of a brand new track. A combination of the old favourites and deeper cuts, there’s something here for fans of every era of a band who, for decades, evolved and reinvented themselves with every subsequent release.
Opening with a rip-roaring modern take on the Motörhead meets Venom worship of ‘Condemned To The Gallows’, there really is no better way to kick things off than with the track that started it all on Metal Blade’s 1984 Metal Massacre V compilation album. Lifted from 1986’s Rrröööaaarrr (Noise), ‘Thrashing Rage’ has been tightened up and cleaned around the edges, the song now less of an out of control locomotive going full tilt under constant threat of terminal derailment and more of a streamlined Formula 1 racing car running at peak performance.
The title track from 1987’s Killing Technology (Noise) is up next, the new version losing nothing of its original potency just like the perfectly executed ‘Macrosolutions To Megaproblems’ from 1988 classic Dimension Hatröss (also Noise). Journeying into more proggy spheres, this current incarnation of the band hit their stride beautifully with the sensational three-track run of ‘Pre-Ignition’ from 1989’s Nothingface, ‘Nuage Fractal’ from the painfully underrated Angel Rat, and the fantastic ‘Fix My Heart’ from The Outer Limits (Mechanic/MCA).
One of the record’s more surprising cuts comes in the shape of ‘Rise’ from 1997’s Phobos (Hypnotic), the band even calling on the talents of Eric Forrest (aka E-Force), the singer who stepped up to temporarily replace frontman Denis “Snake” Belanger in the mid-nineties. 2003’s ‘Rebel Robot’ features another, albeit rather more famous, guest star as former ‘Vod and Metallica bass player Jason Newsted (aka Jasonic) takes over bass duties before the album concludes with the newly penned title track, a magnificent closer which manages to incorporate nods to many different eras of the band in just five short minutes.
Mirroring the band’s original trajectory, each subsequent track sounds increasingly impressive as they recapture the old spirit with some new tricks. Snake‘s voice has fared remarkably well over the years, his clean tones still sharp and precise while his throaty barks remain sponsored by manufacturers of industrial-grade sandpaper. Daniel “Chewy” Mongrain continues to more than do justice to deceased axeman Denis “Piggy” D’Amour, the guitarist’s performance of a devoted love letter to his much-missed predecessor. Dominic “Rocky” Laroche pummels his bass with fluidity and precision while drummer and artist Michel “Away” Langevin plays once again to the peak of his not altogether inconsiderable talents.
It’s an almost impossible task for seasoned musicians to recreate the snotty belligerence of decades ago. While re-recordings of old material tend to exceed the originals in terms of production and performance, they are often forced to sacrifice youthful exuberance for musical maturity. And while that might be the case during the first couple of tracks, it certainly doesn’t last long, ensuring Morgöth Tales stands as a triumphant cosmic trip down Korgüll‘s memory lane.
Buy the album here:
https://voivodband.lnk.to/MorgothTalesID
8 / 10
GARY ALCOCK