VOIVOD - Denis "Snake" Bélanger

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\r\nMetalzone.gr: On The other end of our line is Snake from Voivod. Welcome in Metalzone.
\r\nSnake: How are you?
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: Let’s begin from your upcoming release. We expect Infini within June can you tell us a few things about that?
\r\nSnake: I’m not sure when it’s out in Europe. It’s June 20 or something. These are the ultimate efforts from Piggy and probably the last album with Piggy for Voivod. There’s a lot of emotion in to it. This is like a turning point for Voivod. With all that’s happened and we managed to release album, and Piggy passed away almost 5 years ago, it’s pretty amazing that somehow we’re still alive, a lot of emotion into this album. That’s why we named it Infiny, the French word which means both infinity and unfinished. It’s the appropriate word for expressing how we feel. It’s like this is going on forever but it’s unfinished. Like the circle of life that repeats itself.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: Do you feel it’s a turning point for the band this release. The next album is probably not going to have any contributions of Piggy. Do you think it’s going to be a different sound?
\r\nSnake: Well we’ll see in the future because right now we are more focused on touring and this album and regarding what’s going to happen after that. We work with Blackie and Dan back in the band. Danny is really a good guitarist, he’s been inspired by Voivod he grew up with Voivod, Piggy was his mentor, and we might try with Dan for composing stuff, in the near future. I just hope it’s going to fit with Voivod. I would like to continue but this is the last stuff with Piggy and we might have to find a solution for the future.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: How is the co operation with the new members?
\r\nSnake: Oh it’s great. Blackie is back as I said and you know he never changed. Still the same guy and he was a close friend with Dan and he actually brought Dan somehow and is really amazing. He is so good. Especially with Piggy missing and he knows exactly how to reproduce Piggy’s sound. Sometimes I have goose bumps when we play together because it feels like this is Piggy. And he is a good guy too. He has the same kind of personality that Piggy had. Smiling and soft kind of person. But when he’s on stage he’s wild!!!! It’s a good vibe actually with Blackie and Dan.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: As you mentioned before you’re focusing on touring and you’re coming to Greece for RockWave Festival. Tell us about your upcoming touring plans.
\r\nSnake: Oh the touring plan we’re going to do Sweden in June and Downingtown England after that we’re going to do France Hellfest festival, Germany, Italy, Czech  Republic a big stretch there and we’re going to finish Europe with Athens. Hopefully we’ll spend a few days there because Athens for me is something I want to see. Hopefully we’ll have a few days to see around. And I am really excited I can’t wait to go.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: Tell me about the set list are you going to include any old classics?
\r\nSnake: There will be a lot from Nothing face and Killing Technology and a few from Dimension (Hatross), we‘re going to do a few new songs, and try to cover depending how long is the set. We can play an hour but sometimes with festivals we got limited time. This makes it hard to give the whole aura of the band, sometimes it’s like 45 minutes. There are some songs we cannot ….
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: leave out…
\r\nSnake: We try to cover the best in the career of Voivod
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: Being in the subject, in 2009 do you go back to albums like War and Pain and Roar which were in my opinion a huge contribution to death technical thrash to the 80s scene. How do they sound today to your ears?
\r\nSnake: Well I think when we play now old songs it’s almost like a re adaptation. We went from thrash metal and punk almost and we became an avant-garde complex music during  Killing Technology , Dimension Hatröss, Nothingface and sometimes when we built up a set we like to mix things up and think this going to fit with that, and they’re a thousand miles away from each other, you know? But we always manage. Personally I think vocally I don’t sound like the first album. An sometimes I have to re adjust my voice for different type of songs and try to do my best for it cause… It’s in yourself, you create those songs and the way it comes out, it’s always something kind of new. You’ve done it all live it’s always new in your head. We have to sort of re adapt everything…
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: Recreate?
\r\nSnake : Recreate exactly! Recreate the vibe that there was in the entire album, at a certain time. I try to do my best for it.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: In albums like Nothingface or Angel Rat you took a step further, you changed your style even more. Have you received criticism for being so innovative?
\r\nSnake: Well yes, depending on the listeners. Sometimes people like the Rat more than Nothingface, and sometimes the opposite, I think every album, every piece of work that we’ve done has it’s own originality and some times people or, the die hard fans that want to have War And Pain again and again, but that’s not going to happen. Those albums are complex music with good quality sound and some other kids want to hear War cause it’s harsh raw and it’s brutal. So yeah we’ve been criticized. Some times being an avant-garde band is always a challenge to do music and not repeat ourselves, try something new… It’s a risky thing but we rather be risky than boring. Obviously you’re not going to please everybody. That’s for sure. We understood that at the very beginning so we try to do our best to please ourselves and …
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: Being around for so many years it seems like you did the right thing.
\r\nSnake: I think yes, not a whole lot of options. We’re from a small town Quebec Canada, and just coming out of the woods was already a f…ing miracle. Being know worldwide was something we always wished and succeed but of course there are always parts that you think well I should have done that, we should have do things different. On the other hand, regrets are no good you have to keep going and not really looking back at what happened and focus on what’s coming up
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: Thank you very much for your time.
\r\nSnake: Thank you!\r\n

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\r\nInterview Elena Mihailidou\r\n

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