Voivod – Synchro Anarchy
7/10
As we write February 2022 in our calendar the time has come for the masters of the weird, Canadas own progressive kings (sorry, Rush-fans…), Voivod to put yet some strange tunes “on tape” for our bewilderness and amusement!
Yet another nightmarish cover, painted by drummer ”Away” to accompany the odd rhythms and sequences significant to one of the most innovative and unique, although not necessary best, groups in Metal, and since there is a thin line between genius and insanity, a new Voivod album is always an interesting and somewhat frightening affair.
The fact that their last effort, ”The Wake” turned out to be a really good album, the expectations on their 14th full length, since their debut in 1984, 2022’s ”Synchro Anarchy” obviously also is set quite high!
Not being the greatest fan of progressive music, I besides high expectations, nurse a bit of skepticism towards Voivod’s rather strange brew of tunes. The reason being their weirdness easily can go overboard and provoke a headache rather than create feelings of joy and pleasure but to my delight, it seems that Voivod have made the right choice and follows up their last, might I call it success, with an album in the same vein!
Even if it’s a bit long for its own good, ”Synchro Anarchy” offers a well compound mixture of both freaky vagaries, strange (almost not) fitting tunes and quite enjoyable melodies, never loosing that important ”flow” that makes the difference between ill-fitting and boring riff stapling and an actual enjoyable song!
Although not quite as catchy (if that can be said about Voivod) as the precursor, containing maybe only one ”kind of” hit-orientated song, that being the sort of calm ”Planet Eaters”, ”Synchro Anarchy” is a rather even album. Maybe it’s lacking the real heights but it keeps a throughout high level, never getting dull and boring, and the crystal clear sound, making every instrument pleasantly audible, really lifts the songs and compositions.
My only kind of objection is that I once in a while can’t help to wonder if Voivod writes their tunes with the intention of being strange and different merely for the sake of it, or if this actually is the kind of tunes that naturally comes out of the minds of Snake, Away, Rocky and Chewy? In the end that doesn’t matter though, since a god song is a god song, and regardless the intention, ”Synchro Anarchy” has nine of them, not bad at all!
https://open.spotify.com/album/2JZN65DjGzT65ondXiQDHI?si=5nOfYAsjQZC-umD61c7XEA
Artist: Voivod
Title: Synchro Anarchy
Rating: 7/10
Label: Century Media Records
Playing time: 47:54
Date of release: 2022-02-11
Place of orgin: Canada
Standout track: Planet Eaters
