VOIVOD: DIMENSION HATROSS

Voivod is a highly original French-Canadian, progressive, futuristic cyber-metal band. Their material throughout the 1980's was very guitar heavy and thrash metal oriented infused with psychedelia and highly experimental guitar work and rhythms. They got some of their strange sound by playing riffs from 1970's prog rock bands backwards, and their agonizing first album "War and Pain" demonstrates this. My favorite album of theirs from the 1980's is their masterpiece "Dimension Hatross"(1988). It is one of the heaviest, well written, addictive yet disorienting metal albums I have ever heard. The dissonant, psychedelic, and machine-like guitar playing of Piggy is inhuman. The relentless drumming of Away and the aggressive and distorted bass playing of Blacky add fuel to Piggy's guitar work. Snake's vocals are chillingly cold and cybernetic yet tuneful. The lyrics are creative and very science fiction oriented. "Dimension Hatross" is about a cyborg from outer space, The Voivod, who creates a micro-galaxy of his own design. As the album progresses you see some of the events that unfold in this galaxy and the problems that arise from being the creator of your own universe.

"Dimension Hatross" is an album that I have never grown tired of. Listening to it today, it still sounds at least 100 years ahead of it's time. In late 1989, Voivod would release "Nothingface", a highly melodic and polished prog-rock masterpiece, and would venture into a phase of more accessible sounding yet still adventurous and excellent music...but that is for another day. From their cyber-thrash days of the 1980's, "Dimension Hatross" is their best release. Highly recommended.

Here's "Tribal Convictions" and Psychic Vacuum".

CORONER'S "NO MORE COLOR"

Coroner are a highly innovative progressive thrash/speed metal band that peaked in the late '80's/early '90's. Their sound is vicious and heavy, with blazing tempos, bizarre chords and tunings, and desperate, lost in a vortex vocals. Their music gives you the feeling of being lost in a cold, mechanical world that is spinning out of control. Their influence is far reaching. It is especially heard in the music of industrial metal bands Ministry and Skrew. Their best album is "No More Color". It is a stark, pleading piece of desperation and hopelessness. From beginning to end it punishes you, with songs such as "No Need to Be Human" and "Tunnel of Pain". You will not walk away from this album in a better mood, but you will want to come back for more again and again.

Coroner was one of those bands that pushed metal outside of it's limits, almost into the realm of art-rock. They were too strange to make it big in the thriving metal scene of their time. They sustained themselves throughout their career on a small but loyal cult following.

Give "No More Color" a try. You won't be disappointed.

Here's "Read My Scars" and "Die By My Hand" from "No More Color".

Read My Scars - Coroner

Die by My Hand - Coroner