Voivod is a Canadian thrash metal band from Jonquière, Saguenay, Quebec. Formed in 1982, the group includes Denis "Piggy" D'Amour (guitar), Jean-Yves "Blacky" Thériault ( bass), Denis "Snake" Bélanger (voice), and Michel "Away" Langevin (drums).
Voivod is a vampire-android knight of the post-nuclear era. Inspired by a Transylvanian legend, this antihero came straight out of the imagination of Away, the drummer, author and illustrator of the band. The character Voivod evolves and metamorphoses from one album to another until the album Voivod in 2003. On the other hand, he will return at the request of Blacky for the album Target Earth (2013).
Voivod was formed in 1982 in Jonquière, in the city of Saguenay, Quebec, Canada, by Denis "Piggy" D'Amour (guitar). In 1983, he was joined by singer Denis "Snake" . In 1983, the band joined Exciter on tour. In the middle of the year, the group released its first demo, Anachronism, recorded during one of their concerts. At the beginning of 1984, the To the Death demo is released, which includes original compositions. The following demo, Morgoth Invasion is, for author Ian Christe, one of the most important of the metal scene of the 1980s>. At this time, Voivod is already known underground.
Even before the band toured with Celtic Frost, Possessed, Destruction and Nasty Savage at the World War III festival in Montreal, around November 1985; it is Maurice Richard who, shortly after having taken the management of Helter Skelter, also takes Voivod under his wing. It is even thanks to their manager that they win a first big contract at the Spectrum in Montreal. The concerts follow each other and the energy of the group persists. On April 4, 1985, Voivod came out of the country for the first time and ignited the New York scene. It was their first performance outside the country. Shortly after, the band signs a recording contract with the German label Noise Records. In 1986, the band released its second album Rrröööaaarrr. They will then play with Celtic Frost and Running Wild. In an interview with Killing Technology in 1987, Michel Langevin described the band's style for the first time as "space metal" . Also in 1987, the group released a single called Cockroaches. The title is inspired by the fact that cockroaches are the only species to survive a nuclear war. The idea for the song comes from Michel Langevin, because of the large number of cockroaches in the group's apartment in Montreal.
