I doubt it will surprise anyone if there is an absolute plethora of live albums getting released in 2021 due to the very obvious music stopping in 2020. Nobody ever really envisaged the death of gigs and the very best-case scenario is that it will have been a full year before they return in any sense of normality since Covid disrupted all our lives. Unfortunately, I reckon it will be considerably longer and if we see shows re-emerging by Summer next year, we will be very lucky. I have an unwritten rule (ok, well it was unwritten) that a band should not release a live album more than once every 10 years (unless they are Psychic TV of course who well and truly threw that rulebook out the window) and apart from some small label released ones this is the first ‘official’ one from the Canadians since Voivod Lives back in 2000. That one bridged a long gap between studio albums Phobos and Voivod but The Lost Machine is with us since last album ‘The Wake’ is still relatively fresh in our memories.
This is a home match as such and sees the band playing at the Quebec City Summer Fest on July 13, 2019. The interesting thing about that is getting some of the well-known songs sung in French which is a shift and might cause a little confusion whilst fans start singing along in the comfort of their own living room. The crowd is in fine voice but here it is all about the music and the second Rocky’s blower bass sound reverberates and rattles the ribcage on opener ‘Post Society’ you know the heft of the sound and production on this is going to be full-on.
If you like Voivod the chances are you too have seen them many times over the years and know exactly what to expect from this hour and a quarter show. Nothing will replace the visual aspects of a band right in front of you and the charismatic front-man Snake waving and weaving around the stage looking delirious as he takes us through the four decades of material. Nothing will replace the atmosphere of being at a live show and all the comradery. On the other hand, the drinks should definitely be a lot cheaper and you won’t be hemmed in with other sweaty individuals hardly able to move for fear of losing your spot for the duration.
I can’t say I am a huge fan of the live album (or reviewing them), personally I would rather be at a show or bung on a studio album of choice. That said this one delivers exactly what one would hope for and expect in the way of tracks, dipping right back in time to 1988 and the sci-fi frenzy of ‘Psychic Vacuum’ and hurtling into the near future with ‘Obsolete Beings’ from the recent album. ‘The Prow’ gets an airing from the somewhat misunderstood Angel Rat but on the whole as the title suggests it is the recent material that the emphasis is on although an occasional Technological Killing ‘Overreaction’ is flung in for good measure.
There’s not a huge amount of time for in-between chat but the quartet seem in their element and pretty much on fire. The encore is particularly of note but you have encountered it on tour in better times I am sure and don’t need me to tell you that. We go very Punk Floyd for a sterling trip out of Astronomy Domine taking us well and truly to the Outer Limits and crash back down to self-referential number Voivod naturally dedicated to Piggy and one of those done in French. I have no idea who joins in as guest belting out the title of this one and how planned it all was but she does a great job and the show ends on a very high point, showing us just what we have been missing. Here’s to a return to live music; I think it’s fair to say everyone is hungering for it.
(8/10 Pete Woods)
Leave a Reply