Voivod - Morgöth Tales Review

This album “Morgöth Tales” is even more complex that I have antecipated by the two initial tracks. In fact, tha album goes from a Motörhead inspired mood to an experiemental drive to outerspace, if you know what I mean. Bottomline, the album invites us to go from early Voivod days when they were some kind of Speed Metal band with lots of Punk features to what they the Technical Progressive Thrash Metal band they are now. I admit that the album had me astonished in the very good way. Sorry, their last album 2022’s “Synchro Anarchy” was the opposite. In other words, “Morgöth Tales” is a kind of living self-homage to commemorate their 40th career anniversary. Each one of the ten tracks of the album kind of represents a band era except for the very early beginning of 1984’s “War and Pain” from which, by the way, I still have such a livid memory. I mean, not really the album, but the review. The reviewer compared the sound of the album with a broken rotten carburator, you know those from even older cars today. Well, needless to say that I have willingly avoided the band from then on. To be really truthful, it was not because of the review, but I didn’t like the band back then.

Voivod have been on the road since 1982 and many changes have run into the band since. The band has changed from its musical directions to its members – drummer drummer Michel “Away” Langevin is the only consistent member. Even the band’s thematic has been chaging around time. They revolve around politics, post-apocalyptic literature and science fiction.

The album commences with “Condemned to the Gallows” which sounds near Motörhead mostly due to the overdriven guitars and vocals. It’s the track that strongly addresses to Voivod’s old times. From them on the band starts to add more and more of their modern elements. It’s curious that in “Thrashing Rage” it’s the bass that recurs on different lines based on Jazz. In “Killing Technology,” for instance, it’s the guitars which commence to use dissonances and some out of tune chords. When the band reaches “Pre-Ignition” their modern style has totally risen from the ashes. Interestingly, even though Voivod love to use dissonances the band sometimes abdicates from the distortions delivering clean guitars to the fan. In other songs the band introducts ethereal and science fiction sound effects having “Nuage Fractal” as track that combines all of this. Not only dissonances, but in the album tittle track “Morgöth Tales” Voivod combine different cadences and tempos on the guitars while maintaining standard vocals and bass. Letting one instrument musically fly away while others maintain the peace is another characteristic of the band. “Morgöth Tales” may be the track still is very loyal to the band’s modern grip. The variety of tempos and cadences and experimental sonancies in the track is absoluty astonishing.

All tracks are a 2023 version of the band’s classics except for the album tittle “Morgöth Tales.” From where I’m standing, this is an album will please modern and old school Voivod fans as it posits itself as a musical trip to the bands changes during the years.

Voivod “Morgöth Tales” was released on July 21st via Century Media Records.

Track Listing:

Condemned to the Gallows (2023 Version) [Originally on Metal Massacre V Compilation, 1984]
Thrashing Rage (2023 Version) [Originally on “Rrröööaaarrr”, 1986]
Killing Technology (2023 Version) [Originally on “Killing Technology”, 1987]

Macrosolutions to Megaproblems (2023 Version) [Originally on“Dimension Hatröss”, 1988]
Pre-Ignition (2023 Version) [Originally on “Nothingface”, 1989]
Nuage Fractal (2023 Version) [Originally on “Angel Rat”, 1991]