VOIVOD — Killing Technology (review)

Album · 1987 · Technical Thrash Metal

4/5 · 2017-06-21
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The elixir that Voivod concocted in the late eighties might be rejected by some for being distasteful, too caustic, too alkali to swallow. For others, however, Voivod's three releases between 1987 and '89 are an intoxicating brew. Hailing from Quebec, a bastion of progressive music in the seventies, and being fans of hardcore punk and heavy metal, Voivod created their own unique sound in heavy metal. While bands were becoming darker, heavier, faster, more technical or more polished and slick, Voivod smartly sat upon their own vision of sound and dropped "Killing Technology" in 1987, a very surprising follow up to their speed/trash sophomore album, "RRROOOAAARRR".

From the first song, the title track, the band flies right in the face of metal expectations with a high-toned, garage band guitar sound and speedy riffing that resembles a chicken clucking. Though there are heavy chords and passages to be found on the album, guitarist Piggy (Denis D'Amour RIP) often chooses to go for a higher-tone guitar sound rather than blast us away with doom and thunder. Given that much of the song themes are about science fiction, this metallic sound sits very well. In fact much of the music is easier to imagine being played inside a cramped and unkempt, scavener/pirate type space vessel than seeing the band perform back here on the good green earth.

Denis "Snake" Bélanger delivers the vocals of a hardcore punk singer in a speed metal environment but there's a human side that is screaming through the mechanical environment of the ship's interior pictured on the cover. He packs such energy in his delivery and simultaneously infuses that human punk theatric in his barks and bellows. I really find his vocal work entertaining.

The song lyrics often sound like a B-grade sci-fi movie. I guess it can't be helped as the band members are all francophones and doing their best to write songs in English. But then again, maybe that B-grade sci-fi impression is what they were going for. It does give the album a charm and appeal.

One of the incredible things about this album though is the prog element. When I heard this in 1987, I had no idea about progressive rock. I knew only metal. But these songs were doing so many things differently and some of the weird chord changes, time signatures, tempo changes and what not captured my attention even if I didn't understand it. It sure doesn't sound like what you'd normally expect when you think of prog metal from the eighties or from any time for that matter. Voivod are unique to be sure.

I love the bass! Jean-Yves "Blacky" Thériault always gets his bass feature on at least two songs during this period of Voivod's career and you can hear it abruptly jump in on "Tornado" and "This Is Not An Exercise" and open "Overreaction". The drumming is overproduced and the production unpolished, but again it works to the benefit of the atmosphere.

Favourite songs of mine are "Order of the Blackguards", "This Is Not An Exercise", the title track, "Ravenous Medicine", and "Forgotten In Space", each of which have something in them I love to hear even 30 years later. The vocals, the themes, the outlandish guitar chords and riffs, the bass, the drumming, they all make this a memorable album for me. I'd personally rank this a full five stars but it's true that not all the songs are out-and-out winners and so I'll temper my excitement and give it four.