Voivod – Post Society EP

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Voivod‘s Target Earth was an astounding album. Despite being their first album without the from late guitarist Denis “Piggy” D’Amour, it was able to stand toe-to-toe with the best albums from their incredible catalogue. It was, in my opinion, their best record since 1988’s Dimension Hatröss, keeping the polished and solid construction of their latter day output, but injecting it with some of the thrash metal fury of their 80’s material. I was hoping that their studio output going forward would continue in that vein, and was thus elated to find that Post Society, the band’s latest EP, does exactly that.

The EP starts incredibly strong with the title track sounding like it could have been on Dimension Hatröss: an off-kilter, WAY-out-there percussive speed metal symphony. Denis “Snake” Bélanger even sounds like he did on those recordings. This is very easily my favourite Voivod song in a long time, somehow managing to put everything I love most about the band into one track.

As a whole, Post Society is quite aggressive, with a punk edge that, while not savage and unhinged like the band’s earliest material, is definitely reminiscent of their kitchen-sink approach to songwriting that always marked the best of their material. The production here is also superb; while one of Target Earth‘s few weak points was it’s chunky, clattery, brick-walled production, there’s a lot more separation and sparseness to be found here. The songs are more able to breathe and are allowed to sound both crisp and raw in the process.

Closing out the release is a timely cover of Hawkwind‘s “Silver Machine”, which is obviously appropriate on so many levels. If there is any band on the planet that truly holds Voivod‘s primordial DNA, it’s obviously the late Lemmy‘s killer, pioneering space-rock outfit. It’s quite honestly the perfect tribute and the perfect cover, fitting into the Voivod sound perfectly, not feeling even slightly out of place. Mr. Kilmister would absolutely approve.

All the gear and knobs are functioning perfectly on the latest spaceworthy vehicle from Quebec’s finest. I’m actually in awe of how wonderful this little EP is, surpassing its awesome predecessor in almost every way. I’ve long been proud that arguably the most unique force in metal is Canadian-born, and though there have been times when I have been less than interested with whatever they’ve been releasing, they never fail to reel me back in with stunning, aggressive work like this. Long live Voivod!

IN A NUTSHELL
Voivod proves once again that they are among the best of the best in heavy music.
POSITIVES
Crisp, clear, breathing production that outstrips their last studio effort; Aggressive, even thrashy material reminiscent of their best work; Snake sounds phenomenal.
NEGATIVES
It's only an EP; "We Are Connected", while in no way a weak song, doesn't quite measure up to the rest of the material.
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