VOIVOD To Release Five-Song EP In March; New Full-Length Album To Follow

Canadian metal innovators VOIVOD are planning to release a five-song EP around March 2016, to be followed by a new full-length album later in the year.

VOIVOD singer Denis "Snake" Bélanger told Metal Wani's Owais "Vitek" Nabi in a new interview that "part" of the new EP has already been recorded, with the band approving mixes while on the road in Europe.

Regarding the musical direction of the new VOIVOD material, Snake said [hear audio below): "It's a bit different, I would say. But VOIVOD has always been doing different things each time. But it has its own signature with the new bass player, Rocky [Dominique Laroche]. He brought new elements to it, I think. It's different than [2013's] 'Target Earth' [album], but it's still VOIVOD."

Snake also talked about the passing of VOIVOD's original guitarist Denis "Piggy" D'Amour and the eventual addition of Daniel "Chewy" Mongrain prior to the making of "Target Earth". He said: "Of course, the loss of Piggy was a terrible thing. We couldn't do, really, anything for two or three years; we didn't know what would be the future of the band. And we finally found a guy [Chewy] that could play VOIVOD [music]. And it's sort of a mixture of circumstances that happened. It's, like, 'Okay, maybe there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe if we pick up this guy who learned, actually…' The first thing [Chewy] learned [to play] was VOIVOD. The first show he saw was VOIVOD. And the [day after] he saw VOIVOD, he bought a guitar and started playing Piggy's riffs. So, for us, Chewy was the best option."

Snake praised Mongrain's contribution to "Target Earth", saying that he was "quite surprised" with the material that the guitarist penned for the album. He explained: "It's one thing to play VOIVOD's songs, already written songs, but to create new songs…"

He continued: "I think what [Chewy] wanted to do [on 'Target Earth'] was just compose music that VOIVOD fans want to hear. And so he did. And Piggy's spirit is really there. You can tell that it's surrounding the whole picture. The essence is there. But [Chewy] has his own thing as well. He's a different human being."

VOIVOD has just finished touring Europe as part of the heavyweight "Deathcrusher 2015" tour alongside CARCASS, OBITUARY, NAPALM DEATH and HEROD.

VOIVOD has announced the first leg of its next U.S. tour, starting in February 2016, with support from VEKTOR and EIGHT BELLS.

To coincide with the "Deathcrusher" tour, VOIVOD has just released a split seven-inch EP with NAPALM DEATH featuring the new VOIVOD track "Forever Mountain" as well as NAPALM DEATH's exclusive track "Phonetics For The Stupefied". This special vinyl-only release, which follows up VOIVOD's split seven-inch EP with AT THE GATES from earlier this year, is limited to 2,500 copies in the following versions/colors:

* Black: 1200 copies (CM Distro Europe / USA)
* Solid White: 300 copies (CM Mailorder USA)
* Transparent Red: 700 copies (CM USA)
* Neon Yellow: 300 copies (only available from the bands at the "Deathcrusher" tour)

The split seven-inch comes with classy artwork (both bands have an A side with own artwork) created by VOIVOD drummer Michel "Away" Langevin and can be ordered here.

"Target Earth" was released in January 2013 via VOIVOD's own company, Iron Gang Factory, and Century Media.