Voivod

Revisiting the live album concept just over a decade after their inaugural foray, Voivod Lives, proclaimed that this long-standing French-Canadian outfit couldn't be killed, progressive techno-thrashers Voivod issue sophomore concert album Warriors of Ice. Captured in their pseudo-hometown of Montreal, circa 2009, after current guitarist Dan "Chewy" Mongrain was knighted as the only possible successor to deceased founding axe man Denis "Piggy" D'Amour, there's a tangible air of tense excitement surrounding this particular evening. Warriors of Ice is an exciting adventure in experiencing yet another milestone in the Voivod saga. Hearing highlights of their canon performed superbly, including "Voivod," "Ripping Headaches," "Panorama," "Tornado" and "Nuclear War," one almost forgets that this isn't the exact same band that penned and recorded those tunes. Still, with the bold tenacity and fervent relaying of each note, we don't care. There's an invigorated attitude and intent that ensure something as generally banal as a live affair isn't wasteful. It's another pinpointed climax spanning the gap between the past, present and future of one of the genre's most important, yet underrated, heroes.