Maximum Metal Rating Legend

On 2013's 'Target Earth', we were finally introduced to Chewy--the guitarist that is somehow a reincarnation of the late, great Piggy. It's almost scary how identical their playing styles (riffs and solo's) are, but it's a good thing because 'Target Earth' was an impressive album that showed a slight return to their thrash roots and spacey themes. The Voivod of old were back for sure. For me, anything after that would be highly anticipated. 'The Wake' is an absolute beast of an album. If I had to quickly sum it up, I would say that it sounds like a mix between 'Target Earth' and 'Nothingface', with a few surprises thrown in.

Album opener, "Obsolete Beings" features some excellent vocals from Snake and a great riff throughout the song with one of the best Chewy solo's we've heard yet. One of my favorite tracks, "Iconspiracy" is one of the thrashiest tracks they've had in years and there is a section of the song that almost sounds like it could be taken from a Cradle of Filth album. "Spherical Perspective" is another standout track that showcases the bass talents of Rocky. "Always Moving" is an odd track for this album as it has almost an 'Angel Rat' feel but the main riff is freaking killer, and Away nails the drums on this track as well. The final song is the 12+ minute "Sonic Mycelium" that seems like a mash-up of a few riffs from earlier tracks and then ends with a couple of minutes with discordant, screeching violins. This is a really creepy, but well-done track.

Overall, 'The Wake' has already made it into my top 3 favorite Voivod albums (along with 1987's 'Killing Technology' and 1998's 'Dimension Hatross'). From the vocals, instrumentation, songwriting and overall production, this is just an overall really well put together album and one that is memorable and the songs will stand the test of time. I highly recommend this to metal fans--whether you know Voivod or not!

Recommended for fans of: Every era of Voivod