So, what exactly do you do after travelling across the universe, the multiverse, the macroverse, and the microverse? When you’ve explored the furthest reaches of space, survived a nuclear war, and the subsequent apocalypse? Well, if you’re Canadian Progressive Thrash Metal pioneers Voivod, you produce a galactic symphony.
Recorded live with the Quebec Symphony Orchestra on June 4, 2025, at the Grand Théâtre in Quebec City, Canada, Symphonique (Century Media Records) is a seventy-plus-minute performance that takes Voivod’s futuristic Metal and energises it even further with a classical music makeover.
Photo credit: Catherine Deslauriers
Opening with “Experiment” from the 1988 classic Dimension Hatröss, the song begins with cinematic woodwind, strings and brass which build to a discordant crescendo before the main riff kicks in. Denis (Snake) Bélanger‘s voice is rasping and ragged, while the added orchestrations make certain sections urgent and dramatic. “Holographic Thinking” from 2022’s Synchro Anarchy sounds suitably futuristic and dystopian, while “The Unknown Knows” from 1989’s Nothingface becomes huge with a brass-and-timpani intro. The woodwind instruments make things feel a little busy in places, as does the slightly faster-than-usual tempo, but the most effective parts are its chilled moments.
Lifted from The Wake, “The End Of Dormancy” sounds tremendous with its additional orchestration; a great choice of song that echoes Gustav Holst‘s “Mars, The Bringer Of War” during its strong middle section. Second, Nothingface cut “Into My Hypercube” is another wise choice that responds well to the extra instrumentation, while “Forgotten In Space” from the 1987 classic Killing Technology has always sounded like a post-apocalyptic sci-fi soundtrack anyway. Especially the passages which sound like the Brian May (no, not that one) score to Mad Max 2.
“Cosmic Drama” uses strings and woodwind to great effect before the song kicks in with maximum, well… drama. “Pre-Ignition” is another selection which works extremely well, but while “Nuclear War” from the band’s 1984 debut War And Pain is easily that album’s optimal candidate for symphonic treatment, it doesn’t quite reach the heights of others. “Fall” from the 2016 Post Society EP is the polar opposite, however. Sweeping strings give the song a late-seventies vibe while the orchestra supports rather than dominates. You really couldn’t pick two better closing numbers than “Tribal Convictions” and Pink Floyd cover “Astronomy Domine,” and both sound exactly as you hope they would with their symphonic enhancements.
It’s not all about the orchestra, though, and the band themselves sound fantastic. The rhythm section of drummer Michel (Away) Langevin and bassist Dominic (Rocky) Laroche drives each song forward while Daniel (Chewy) Mongrain throws out riff after classic riff and pulls off some sensational solo work amidst the classical chaos. The production delivers that authentic live performance feel, and while the Metal-meets-orchestra path might not be a new one, Voivod absolutely make it their own.
Buy the album here:
https://voivodband.lnk.to/Symphonique-LiveID
8 / 10
GARY ALCOCK
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