Three albums into the rebirth of Voivod after the untimely death of Denis ‘Piggy’ D’Amour, it is safe to say that the band is truly in their prime. I honestly think their current work is every bit as good as the likes of ‘Dimension Hatröss’ and ‘Nothingface’ and the brand new ‘Synchro Anarchy’ is further evidence. While it is not quite as adventurous as its 2018 predecessor ‘The Wake’, ‘Synchro Anarchy’ again focuses on Voivod’s biggest strengths: big dissonant chords, surprising transitions and an overall sci-fi feel. A rare example of a band from the thrash metal scene getting better once they get more comfortable with their sound.

For those unfamiliar with Voivod: the band is usually described as progressive thrash metal, but I have always felt that description is lacking. Rhythmically, Voivod has been too laid-back to seriously be considered a thrash metal band for decades now, though the simpler end of their riff work is still clearly rooted in the genre. As for the “progressive” tag, it should be noted that the progressive rock influence is much more prominent in Voivod’s music than anything resembling what is generally known as progressive metal. The music always has a bit of a post-punkish feel and with the arrival of guitarist Dan ‘Chewy’ Mongrain in 2008, notable fusion influences have crept into the band’s arrangements as well.

Much like D’Amour before him, Mongrain has a heavily compressed, angular guitar sound that would not really have worked with a different metal band, or even the same band with two guitarists. Especially when he plays elongated chords, there is a spacious effect going on that is truly unique to Voivod’s sound. It also helps that he rarely plays in unison with bassist Dominique ‘Rocky’ Laroche. Even singer Denis ‘Snake’ Bélanger tends to dance around the guitar lines rather than the songs having a standard chord and melody structure. This will keep you on your toes as a listener, leaving you with an enhanced attention span in the process.

Although Voivod is and will always be an acquired taste, they are a band that does one thing really well and if that is a thing you are into, every song on ‘Synchro Anarchy’ is convincing. Personally, I have really enjoyed the relatively aggressive, pulsating ‘Quest For Nothing’ and the heightened spacey prog rock antics of ‘Mind Clock’. Literally every other song could have been a favorite of mine, however, and it is that sort of consistency that is rare enough in a time when the music industry increasingly focuses on singles and other short releases rather than a traditional album format, which I happen to love.

‘Synchro Anarchy’ is simply another Voivod album. Cynical readers could see that as a non-recommendation, but I mean that as positively as possible. Yes, ‘The Wake’ made a slightly better impression on me, but if I’m in the mood for proggy, thrash-inspired sci-fi metal – which I am fairly frequently – ‘Synchro Anarchy’ is exactly the type of thing I am looking for. The material is a bit more concise than that on ‘The Wake’, but I have the feeling that is exactly the type of experience the Canadians were aiming for. I cannot recommend Voivod’s recent work enough.

Recommended tracks: ‘Quest For Nothing’, ‘Mind Clock’, ‘Synchro Anarchy’