Voivod - Dimension Hatröss (1988)^{Release ID: 1155}

It sure does take a long time to get your head around a Voivod album. There is so much going on, with creative musicianship flowing seemingly full tilt. Killing Technology didn't quite grab me the way I was hoping it would. I found segments to be fascinating but then quite a few other parts didn't really click. I still find this to be the case with Dimension Hatross. The reason I give this album 4 stars though is due to their being fewer of these awkward moments and more of the intriguing, awesomeness.

It's obvious that these crazy Canadian's set themselves no boundaries when writing music and the word progressive can comfortably be thrust next to the words thrash metal. They mix a weird sci fi element with a more punkish atmosphere to create something completely unique. Snake's vocals are improved also with far less hardcore aggression and a whole lot more clean melody. It's a bit off putting at first but it works perfectly once you're used to it.

Overall, I'd have to say that Dimension Hatross is a good album, but I still can't say that I love the album from start to finish. I'm not sure that's the point though. There is so much adventurous, genre defying activity throughout that it's hard to appreciate it all for what it is. Maybe with more listens it will become even clearer. I'm sure the same can be said for Killing Technology. With time I may come to love that one too!

Voivod is one of those bands that makes a "distinct nature" out of fucking with your preconcieved notions of metal, and they rule at that in various ways.  They're like Melvins and Boris in the sense that they can effectively do whatever they want in their field, and then expand into other territories because you can't stop them.  During their heyday, they released a streing of albums that people keep bickering over their picks for the quintessential Voivod album, a la Beatles.  That's how you know you've got an essential metal band.  There are even defenders of Angel Rat, and when your string stretches five albums, you are essentially a Beatles band for your genre.

The one Voivod album I go back to most often is Dimension Hatross.  As Madonna is the 80's Lady Gaga, these guys are the 80's Vektor.  They pioneered the idea of sci-fi sounds and themes in metal with this highly technical yet highly punkish album, carefully molding the complexities of machinery with the industrial repetition of punk and crossover thrash.  Hell, Snake's got one of THE most punk voices in the world of thrash, and these guys aren't even a crossover band (I kinda wish they were, though, what with another layer being perfect for them).  Now this album doesn't really have the emotional stretches of my favorite metal album, a fellow thrasher album known as Ride the Lightning, but god does this album fuck with your head.  It remains extremely catchy throughout and more intriguing than even the best prog allows for because of it.

There is ONE GRIPE I have with this album.  Like I said, this doesn't have the emotional outstretch of Ride the Lightning.  We've had thrashers, metal bangers and ballads on that album, and when you boil down to it, this album is largely a technical exercise in the same way that Symphony X's Divine Wings of Tragedy and Liu Zhenyang's Paramainomeni is.  Having said that, this is probably the best of the three albums I listed.  The thing is, the thrash, prog, avant-garde and punk are all ingredients for each song, which means the album stays the same.  I think a band that inventive could've taken an extra step forward without screwing with the consistency.

Nevertheless, with how impressive and innovative the technicality is, especially when you have some of the most incredible combinations of timing, melodies and riffs the genre has to offer, I have to consider that this is a more minor gripe than it would typically be on my scale.  If I'm fully honest, the album still doesn't feel as bloated as Master of Puppets does, so I'd say it's in the same league.

Whenever there's experimentation, their results are often mixed reactions from many critics. The negative reception is due to those changes being suddenly different from the sound they're used to, whereas bands like Voivod take things slowly when gradually changing their sound for a fresh complex result. And on that same year, Metallica also released a more progressive thrash metal album before making their abrupt switch to the heavy/alternative metal that was received negatively...

I guess you can call Dimension Hatröss a progressive thrash metal album, but only a few traces of thrash remain, those traces being just the fast thrashy tempos. Those tempos are dominated by all its changes every few measures.

The experimentation begins in "Experiment" after its turbulent intro. But it's not until "Tribal Convictions" when those rapid tempo changes come in after the second verse where Snake (Denis Bélanger) does some sneering like a snake. Another clear example of different tempo changes is "Chaosmöngers", having over 5 time signatures, far more than just two or three you find in non-progressive metal albums. Its chorus and bridge is a bit punk-inspired in both the music and vocals.

The 4 and a half minute long "Technocratic Manipulators" demonstrates highly creative originality, packing powerful metal punches. Why did I mention its length? Because it can be progressive without turning into a 20-minute epic! After a calm dark ambient intro with a few bass touches, the crossover-ish dynamics erupt with speedy riff rhythms and signature snarling vocals. Near the two-minute mark, the song makes a weird evolution into old-school Hawkwind-like spacey guitar rhythms. Many styles and influences all in dexterous textures in only under 5 minutes. A truly awesome feat! "Macrosolutions to Megaproblems" is another favorite with a memorable rock-ish chorus.

"Brain Scan" has some things worth mentioning including a jazzy chorus with complex drumming. You've read right...jazz! More of those jazz influences come from the otherworldly diminished chords of Piggy (Denis D'Amour) (RIP). "Psychic Vacuum" has many bizarre tempo changes, with each verse having a different tempo from one another. Same with "Cosmic Drama" which has an unusual sneering chorus. The bonus cover of the classic "Batman Theme" has fun wild soloing, especially in its beginning.

Dimension Hatröss is the beginning of Voivod's transitional period out of their thrash metal era with Celtic Frost to their alt-prog metal era with Faith No More. Their progressive sound would be fully solidified in their next album Nothingface. Their thrash was in the past, but their progressive metal would come in that's out of this world!

Favorites: "Chaosmöngers", "Technocratic Manipulators", "Macrosolutions to Megaproblems", "Brain Scan", "Batman Theme" (bonus track)