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VOIVOD Parts Ways With Bassist JEAN-YVES ‘BLACKY’ THERIAULT

Manos Spanos
**UPDATE**: VOIVOD has released the following statement regarding bassist Blacky's latest departure from the group: "It saddens us to announce that VOIVOD will no longer be performing live with Blacky. Jean-Yves has decided to leave the band for his own personal reasons. We wish him all the best. VOIVOD will carry on." The original article follows below. Canadian metal innovators VOIVOD have once again parted ways with bassist Jean-Yves Theriault (a.k.a. Blacky). No further details are currently available. Blacky has confirmed that he will not perform with VOIVOD at the band's next live appearance, which is scheduled for this Saturday, July 12 at Festival Jonquière En Musique in Jonquière, Quebec, Canada. Theriault played his first show with VOIVOD in 17 years in June 2008 in front of 22,500 fans as part of the Heavy MTL festival at Parc Jean-Drapeau in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He spent the last few years touring with the band in addition to performing on VOIVOD's latest studio album, "Target Earth", which came out on January 22, 2013 via the group's own company, Iron Gang Factory, and Century Media. Blacky originally left VOIVOD in 1991 for personal reasons, and went on to co-found The Holy Body Tattoo Dance Society, a now-defunct award-winning Canadian contemporary dance company, which existed from 1992 to 1999. He composed, produced and engineered the scores for "White Riot", "L'Orage", "Poetry & Apocalypse", and "Our Brief Eternity". In a 2003 interview Metal Update, VOIVOD drummer Michel Langevin (a.k.a. Away) vowed that Blacky would never rejoin the band, explaining: "Unfortunately, we don't really get along with Blacky. He is the one who will never be back in the fold. I know that it would please the hardcore fans and everything, but it just won't happen. The circumstances of his departure were really hurtful. It has a lot to do with childhood friendship and broken trust. I don't think we can patch it up, actually. It's too bad. It really got to the bottom of the barrel with the 'Angel Rat' recordings. We were not too sure about the final result of the album, but our approach was just, 'Okay, let's keep going and next time we'll do better,' you know? But it didn't happen like that with Blacky, and the way he left the band was really, really awful. But it's something that we never discuss in the press and it's an obscure part of the VOIVOD story. It's just that the breakup was so sour." During Blacky's time away from VOIVOD, the band recorded and performed with Eric Forrest and Jason Newsted (METALLICA, FLOTSAM AND JETSAM).
03 min read

VOIVOD Snubbed By Canada’s JUNO AWARDS

Manos Spanos
In a decision that seems reminiscent of the 1989 JETHRO TULL/METALICA controversy of the 31st Grammy Awards, Quebecois prog metal pioneers VOIVOD have been left out of the running for a "Metal/Hard Music" award at the 2014 Juno Awards (the Canadian equivalent of the Grammy Awards). Instead, a power-pop band from Ontario called THE FLATLINERS received a nomination. VOIVOD, formed in the early 1980s in Quebec, is not only considered by most metalheads to be Canada's preeminent metal band, but is adored worldwide by rabid fans and critics alike. In 2013, they released their sixteenth album, "Target Earth", on Century Media, which scored an impressive 84/100 on aggregate critique site Metacritic. The album, fully eligible for a Juno nomination, has been left out of the race, and, in what seems to be an error or mistake, THE FLATLINERS was nominated in the "Metal/Hard" category for the 2013 album "Dead Language". Enter David Hall, former Juno "Metal/Hard" judge and owner of Handshake Inc., an independent film and video production company, and record label that specializes in metal music. "When I first read the nominations for the 'Metal/Hard' category, I was, like, 'Who the f*ck are THE FLATLINERS," said Hall from his London, Ontario office, "and more importantly, where the f*ck are VOIVOD?" The other nominees, all metal bands, are KEN MODE, GORGUTS, ANCIIENTS and PROTEST THE HERO. In an effort to draw attention to this error, David Hall has created a petition through Care2, a petition web site. The petition is called "Voivod are Metal, The Flatliners are Not: Fix this Mistake Junos." Hall is hoping to receive one thousand signatures, which he will share with board of directors of the Junos. Hall had this to say regarding the petition: "I have nothing against THE FLATLINERS — I'm sure they are a wonderful band and I wish them no ill will — but they are simply not a metal band. "I hope that through this petition I can help raise awareness about what an awesome metal band VOIVOD are, and perhaps make the Junos aware that a serious error was made." The petition can be found here.
02 min read

VOIVOD Releases ‘Kluskap O’ Kom’ 7″ Single

Manos Spanos
Canadian metal innovators VOIVOD have released a new EP, "Kluskap O' Kom". The seven-inch single contains the studio album version of the title track as well as a live version of the same cut. Check out exclusive colors and packages at CM Distro. "Kluskap O' Kom" comes off VOIVOD's latest album, "Target Earth", which sold around 1,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD was issued on January 22 via the band's own company, Iron Gang Factory, and Century Media. VOIVOD's previous album, "Infini", opened with around 840 units back in July 2009. "Target Earth" was recorded in early 2012 at Pierre Rémillard's (OBLIVEON, CRYPTOPSY, KRISIUN, MISERY INDEX) Wild Studio in a small town called St-Zénon in Quebec, Canada and was mixed by Sanford Parker (PELICAN, NACHTMYSTIUM). The follow-up to 2009's "Infini" contains the band's first music to be written with guitarist Dan Mongrain (MARTYR) following the passing of original axeman Denis "Piggy" D'Amour in 2005. The original art was once again drawn by drummer Michel "Away" Langevin and features color schemes from each one of the band's previous albums.
01 min read

VOIVOD: ‘Target Earth’ Video Released

Manos Spanos
"Target Earth", the video for the title track of the new album from Canadian progressive metal pioneers VOIVOD, can be seen below. The clip, created by Italian filmmaker and multimedia artist Nicola Piovesan, recreates in 3D motion graphics the visions and artwork of VOIVODdrummer Michel "Away" Langevin. Comments Langevin: "I met Nicola Piovesan at the VOIVOD/UNKINDshow in Helsinki on October 31, 2012. We had a discussion about my 3D graphics for the album 'Negatron' and Nicola mentioned the possibility of him doing a 3D motion video for our new album, 'Target Earth'. After viewing his fantastic video for 'The Core' by the band ON|OFF|MAN, we knew he was the right person to capture the cyber world of VOIVOD. To us, the result is simply
03 min read

VOIVOD Joined By JASON NEWSTED, PHILIP ANSELMO On Stage At France’s HELLFEST: Pro-Shot Video

Manos Spanos
Canadian metal innovators VOIVOD were joined by their former bassistJason Newsted and DOWN/ex-PANTERA frontman Philip Anselmo during their June 23 concert at Hellfest in Clisson, France to perform the songs "Voivod" and "Astronomy Domine" (PINK FLOYD cover), respectively. Professionally filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below. Newsted joined VOIVOD in 2002 and served as producer for the metal legends' self-titled album in 2003 on the Chophouse Records label (in association with Surfdog Records). Longtime friends and pioneers of metal music, Newsted and originalVOIVOD vocalist Snake (a.k.a. Denis Belanger), guitarist Piggy (a.k.a.Denis D'Amour), and drummer Away (a.k.a. Michel Langevin) first began working together at Newsted's Chophouse studio in 1995, intent on keeping the music alive between busy touring schedules. However, withNewsted's departure from METALLICA in January 2001, he was free to join VOIVOD as a full-fledged member and would remain involved with the group until 2008.
01 min read

VOIVOD: Teaser For ‘Target Earth’ Video

Manos Spanos
A teaser for "Target Earth", the video for the title track of the new album from Canadian progressive metal pioneers VOIVOD, can be seen below. The clip, created by Italian filmmaker and multimedia artist Nicola Piovesan, recreates in 3D motion graphics the visions and artwork ofVOIVOD drummer Michel "Away" Langevin. Check out stills from the video at this location. Nicola Piovesan (aka: chaosmonger) is an Italian filmmaker and multimedia artist living in Finland. He was born in April 1979 in Venice and moved to Bologna in 1999 where he graduated in cinema in 2004.Piovesan started making videos in 2001, and they have been screened in about 70 festivals worldwide to-date, winning more than 30 awards.
02 min read