Hi everybody, I survive Japan, our invasion was successful, no serious injuries and lots of sushi. We have wanted to play here for so long, this is a dream come true, we will definitely come back if we can. Japan is a great place, the people are amazing and the fans are unbelievably loyal. The venue crew was probably the best crew ever. Everybody in the band is so stoked. The two shows were recorded so that means there will be a DVD release of VV in Japan in the future.
ARIGATO JAPAN!!!
Not so many years ago I would not have dreamed that I would be playing metal again, let alone playing with Michel and Denis, and playing the music of Voivod. But it is happening, so I think it is important to explain how I came to be doing the thing that I never thought, after seventeen years, I would ever do again.
First of all I would like to thank Michel, Denis and Dan. They have been so great in this process. It is so fantastic to have the chance to work with them. We have been very excited to play shows together. But it also has been very hard at times – mostly for Michel and Denis, going though the process of dealing with the fact that Piggy is gone. I feel very lucky to be close to them again, and to have this chance to play music together.
When Piggy died I thought it would be the end of the Voivod saga. Piggy was the most important person in the band. None of us could have ever imagined that it would be possible to be a group without Denis D’Amour. He was the cornerstone of Voivod. I can still remember when I lived in Jonquiere and I would hear about this amazing guitarist who could play his entire record collection. He was a legend, even back then. From the first day I met him, I realized that he was the real deal. When I saw him play he became my guitar hero.
This brings me back to the reason why I’m playing with Voivod today. Michel called me a few months ago. He wanted to know if I would be interested in playing a couple of shows with him, Snake and Dan Mongrain as Voivod. I did not hesitate, I said yes, for sure. The reason was simple. I wanted it. I felt the need to play again, nostalgia for the old days, for something I had not done in a very long time.
The other, more important reason is that I wanted to play for Piggy. I wanted to celebrate his legacy in the best way possible, and that was to play his music again, playing it the way we used to back in the 80’s. This was also the best way for me to say thank you for everything that he brought to me, his teaching, his friendship, his brotherhood. I truly believe that is what Piggy would have wanted us to do. I may be naïve but I hope that all of the hardcore supporters of Voivod would understand and agree with this, that this is the best way to pay ultimate respect for someone that brought so much into our lives. Even during the final stages of his cancer he managed to find the energy and the courage to write more music. When I first heard about it I was astonished by his dedication to his career, but thinking about it some more, I was not surprised. This man was living for his music, and he wanted his music to outlive him. He wrote enough music and arrangements so that it would be possible for the band to finish his work without him. It is hard to believe that there will be yet another chapter to this incredible story but I’m very proud to be part of it. Piggy lived his life for the music and the music now lives for him.
Long live Piggy, long live Voivod! To the Death!!
VOIVOD To Headline Finland's JALOMETALLI Festival
Voivod at Thrash Domination
September 20th & 21st in Kawasaki, Japan
With Forbidden and Testament
Voivod supporting Judas Priest
August 12th at the Bell Center, Montréal
Heavy MTL
June 22nd, Montréal
Monsters of Rock Festival
July 26th, Calgary, Alberta
Original Bassist BLACKY, MARTYR Guitarist To Perform With VOIVOD In Canada - Apr. 30, 2008
Canada's pioneering metal band VOIVOD, whose last performance took place on July 30, 2003 in Florida during that summer's Ozzfest tour, will make its trimphant return to the stage on June 22, 2008 as part of the Heavy MTL festival in Montreal.
The group has issued the following update regarding its upcoming activities:
"A lot has happened since the band's last live appearance. The band had taken time off to begin writing what would become the album 'Katorz'. In April 2005 while the new album was in progress, guitarist Denis 'Piggy' D'Amour became ill before recording began and sadly died of colon cancer. It took awhile to recover from the sudden passing of Denis before Michel 'Away' Langevin, Denis 'Snake' Belanger and Jason 'Jasonic' Newsted could begin to assemble the songs from the demos and create 'Katorz'. Discussions of a tribute show and possible guitar players for it followed, yet it just did not seem right to perform without Denis, but time does help heal wounds and this summer VOIVOD feel it is time to perform the music Denis helped create once more.
"On June 22, VOIVOD will perform in Montreal as part of the Heavy MTL festival and July 26, 2008 in Calgary for the Monsters Of Rock festival with original bass player Jean-Yves Theriault ('Blacky') for the first time in 17 years. Dan Mongrain from the Quebec band MARTYR, a good friend of the band, will play guitar. Songs from the early catalogue will be the focus for these short festival sets.