Reviews list for Voivod - Dimension Hatröss (1988)

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.

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!