Extraterrestrial-interdimensional-French Canadian travellers Voivod return to Manchester once again to celebrate 40 Years of Morgoth Tales, joining them were Manchester doom metal outfit Damnation’s Hammer and Leeds-based spacey tech death/thrashers Cryptic Shift.
Damnation’s Hammer was first and there were some problems with the set, perhaps it was due to a short soundcheck which also led to a late start. From a musical standpoint, Damnation’s Hammer are a solid band with a lot of Black Sabbath influence. The slower, more atmospheric moments made for some of the best moments of the set.
Damnation’s Hammer had an ominous presence and the grim cosmic horror aspects fit the theme of the night really well as everyone playing had an overarching perspective on an infinite, inconceivable universe that is dark and full of terrors. The low growl of “that is not dead which eternal lie, in strange aeons even death may die” was particularly chilling. There’s definitely something interesting and worth investigating further and hopefully their shows with Sacred Reich in August will be an improvement.
Leeds-based thrashers Cryptic Shift went next and they’re very much a throwback band. Their sound is highly influenced by early 90s death metal, the guitar solos are reminiscent of Trey Azagthoth from Morbid Angel and the songwriting feels like it takes notes from Death when they started writing progressive death metal.
‘Planetary Hypnosis’ feels like what The Faceless would have written if they had come out in the early 90s but with more of an emphasis on melody and atmosphere than technical proficiency, although there was still plenty of that on display. For those who want a less problematic version of Vektor or a more abrasive Voivod, Cryptic Shift should be on your radar. Despite only releasing one full-length album, they’re going to become a big deal in the prog metal scene.
Voivod finally took to the stage as they blasted through ‘Thrashing Rage’, a song that felt like a bridging point between Hawkwind and Motorhead with all the weirdness that only Voivod could bring. Some of the best material in Voivod’s back catalogue comes from the modern albums, Obsolete Beings has this youthful growl working in tandem with a bizarre vocal performance from Snake, who could be one of the most unique frontmen in Thrash. Snake prowled around the stars while randomly flailing and making some genuinely harrowing faces, some of which resembled Tor Johnson in Plan 9 From Outer Space, hopefully, Snake will take that as the compliment it was intended to be.
The jazzy groove of ‘Synchro Anarchy’ is really infectious and showcases a tight rhythm section, the oddball jazz-inspired drumming mixed in with the prominent twangy bass riffing and the dissonant guitar work are Voivod trademarks that have helped establish them as a household name among fans of weirdo metal over the past 40 years. The most interesting parts of the set were Snake’s musings on each song throughout the set, they gave a historical context to each track and gave a closer insight into what Voivod has become over the years with its occasionally shifting lineup.
Voivod’s set is meticulously designed for die-hard fans with incredibly deep cuts like ‘Rise’ and ‘Rebel Robot’ making appearances on the setlist as well as tracks that have very rarely, if ever, been played live like the punk/funk groove of Nuage Fractal and the set closer ‘Fix My Heart’ which has been beloved by Voivod fans and been requested for years and it was well worth the wait. ‘Macrosolutions to Megaproblems’ was an absolute highlight, it’s a perfect concoction of every whacky trick in their arsenal and it also showcases the biggest reason why they didn’t become massive; they’re too weird to sell out arenas, too rare to play basement shows.
Voivod are fully aware of their prog appeal taking precedence over the thrash aspect which Snake commented on before playing ‘Pre Ignition’, a song that I can only describe as anxiety-inducing. The constant shifting tones and sharp stabbing guitar work from Chewy, who fits the band like a glove, make it an acquired taste that takes some time to get used to but ends up being a really rewarding experience.
While it’s clear from all the branding and the anecdotes that it’s a deep cuts tour, there’s still some disappointment in not hearing legendary tracks like ‘Nothingface’, ‘Tribal Convictions’ and their cover of Pink Floyd’s ‘Astronomy Domine’ which may actually be better than the original (fight me). Despite some of the omissions, it’s amazing to see a band have such longevity and the ability to pull from such a deep and interesting back catalogue to make a setlist that can still impress newcomers and satisfy the old guard.
Voivod are no strangers to the UK with sightings occurring as early as the mid-80s. With any luck, they will return from whatever obscure location they reside in this massive and confusing universe we claim to reside in despite understanding very little of. For the uninitiated, tonight was an eye-opening experience but it’s entirely subjective whether or not you could look at it without losing your mind…
