Key Takeaways

• Voivod’s members share their favorite progressive albums, showcasing their diverse influences.
• The upcoming album Symphonique features a collaboration with the Quebec Symphony Orchestra.
• Each member highlights how their chosen albums shaped their musical journey.
• Voivod continues to push the boundaries of heavy metal with progressive elements.

Each member of Voivod, Canada’s premiere quirky thrash/prog metal band, has chosen their favorite prog album of all time!

Progressive rock and progressive metal come in a variety of forms, from the ’70s pioneers penning side-long epics to the resplendent Dream Theater. And then there’s some bands, such as Voivod, who package progressive elements into their own unique and warped brand of heavy metal. That leads to the group’s next adventurous turn in the form of Symphonique, the live 73-minute collaboration between Voivod and the Quebec Symphony Orchestra that’s out June 5 on Century Media.

Michael “Away” Langin says, “This live album with the Quebec Symphony Orchestra is a longtime dream turned reality. Thankfully, we will experience it again in 2027 with the Orchestre Symphonique du Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean, right in the region where Voivod formed back in 1983. We wish to take this show across the globe with local orchestras one day, but in the meantime, I hope you will enjoy this epic release. It’s the closest we’ve ever come to sounding like a dystopian sci-fi movie soundtrack, another dream of ours!”

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Guitarist Daniel “Chewy” Mongrain says of this version of “End of Dormancy” (adapted from 2018’s The Wake), “This one is very special to me. I wrote the riffs imagining Roman naval battles with a full orchestra, like the movies from the ’50s and ’60s. It has a very dramatic vibe. Little did I know that what we synthesized for a four-piece band would eventually explode into its primary, original imagined form. It’s one of the most orchestral pieces on the album, and I remember vividly the crowd’s reaction after the grand finale; it was one of these rare life’s perfect moments. I’m very grateful for that incredible experience.”

Voivod, “The End of Dormancy” (Symphonique)

Sure, prog is only one component of the multi-faceted Voivod, but it’s a style that embraces pushing boundaries, expanding sonic horizons and challenging yourselves as musicians.

So, we just had to know more about where this side of the group comes from and what prog records have proven to be most impactful on the collective Voivod psyche.

Each Member of Voivod Names Their Favorite Prog Album

Chewy: Rush, 2112

A go-to for me is always Rush 2112. I think it’s a great example and inspiration for bands to pursue their creative impulse and to not care about labels or outside pressures to sound a certain way. It’s coherent and very well organized musically and, lyrically, it conveys integrity and makes you travel stimulating your imagination and intellect in an optimistic way.

Plus, it’s Canadian — haha!

Rocky: Pink Floyd, Animals

This 10th studio album marks a transition in Pink Floyd’s musical style. My good friend Steph Therrien (RIP) introduced me to this masterpiece. It’s one of the albums I’ve listened to the most. Every time I listen to it, I’m transported back to when I was young, playing the 12-string guitar and we had our whole lives ahead of us.

I recently released an instrumental album The Strain from my side project, frenDZ. You can hear a lot of Pink Floyd influences on it, particularly Animals.

Away: Van der Graaf Generator: H to He, Who Am the Only One

H to He, Who Am the Only One is the third album by my favorite prog rock band Van der Graaf Generator, released in 1970. The title references the scientific process of nuclear fusion (hydrogen to helium) and the album’s central theme is human isolation in the vastness of the cosmos. The record is a real masterwork, blending dark rock with jazz and classical influences. Always my favorite LP when I’m in a dystopian mood.

Snake: Supertramp, Crime of the Century

I’ve never been a big prog fan, but this album introduced me to more elaborate music structures when I was a teenager. Extremely catchy, with great voices and singing. Great music parts and melodies. Even today after millions of times played on the radio, I still think it was really well done with good production.

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