VOIVOD Wins JUNO Award In ‘Metal/Hard Music Album Of The Year’ Category

GoodTimes magazine
Sept 1988

When people bring up the subject of the future of metal, Voi vod’s name keeps popping up. They’re in a league completely of their own making, staying away from the “in metal sound,” and keeping clear of subject matter that everyone else is exploiting. For those unfamiliar with the group, their premise revolves around a creature called the Voi Vod, and through lyrical compositions that revolve around the Vod, this group makes some serious social statements—heavier than any band around.

Away, drummer/artist/lyricist of the group, took some time off their rehearsal schedule to talk about the group’s roots and where this avant-garde unit is going to be heading to. Currently working on a new album, their subject matter will be dealing with a new adventure for the Voi Vod. “This album will be dealing with an escape, and easy solution. The Voi Vod will be going back Into his own brain, sort of like going back to when I was young. You see, today people feel that the safest way for them to live is to live only for themselves. Since this new album is from a pessimist’s point of view, I decided to take that fatalist idea and build upon it.”

Away stresses that he is not preaching a sermon, but reacting to
the circumstances around taking their own position, much like Megadeth. Away continues, “We are subjected to problems that are so big that we can’t come up with an easy answer or solution. We describe the situations, and our goal is to make people think about what can be done to make things better. We are not a revolution against what we’re surrounded with, just reacting to those circumstances. Some people called us Fascists, which is completely wrong. We’re not from the left at all, we’re from the right. The problem comes from the fact that we’re not a political band. We may be interpreted as such because we talk about the general problems of the planet, but I’m not into the politics at all.

A heavy theme indeed, which will be accompanied by the obligatory killer Voi Vod musical mayhem. Their sound is so heavy, it could make mercury out of water. Their main influence, Motorhead, seems to have given birth to one of the meanest sounds ever known to man. Away elaborates: “I was 16 when I saw Motorhead on tour for the No Sleep Till Hamersmith LP, and it was the most intense show I ever saw in my life. The big thing was that it was such a natural feeling. From there I wanted to only listen and play Motorhead. After hearing them, nothing else could compare.” So what about their sound? “It’s just a combination of all our various influences from Motorhead to King Crimson to Sonic Youth and other dark sounding bands. It’s not conscious, it just comes out.”

Away’s personal experience and influence comes from an unlikely source—television. “The first thing that sparked me was my disappointment with T.V. I saw that it could be the best tool, but after a couple of years I realized that 95% of the shows have no message or meaning. When I discovered rock and roll, I felt that this was a media that I could pursue my Ideas in without being censored. I had the Voi Vod concept in my drawings, and I felt that it would be easy to transfer to the musical side as well. Since it fit well with what the guys were thinking, I guess you could say the rest is history.”

Voi Vod will be touring from November through December, starting and ending in New York. Piggy, the group’s guitarist, will be joining the band on tour, and will not be undergoing surgery as first thought. Away sets the rumors straight: “He had this tumor, but now the medication he’s been taking is working out surprisingly well. The doctor claims that this is the first time someone didn’t reject the pills, so now there won’t be a need for the operation. Piggy himself says that he never was in such good shape. He lost a big of weight and looks much healthier. That whole ordeal put a big focus on the group, but thankfully everything worked out for the better.”

As soon as their tour schedule for the area is known, you’ll be the first to read about it. Their reputation as one of the groups to look for in the 90’s is starting to materialize slowly, but surely. In a musical genre of wanna-be bands, Voi Vod holds their own as they always have. Bands will come and go, but count on seeing these guys last a while longer.