Retro Raunch Revisit

These French Canadians from Quebec are a band that you either simply get or just don't. Whether illuminating or alienating, they've undergone plenty of changes in their very impressive, expansive, exploratory & ever-evolving 4 decades of astral otherworldly experimentation. This anarchic & apocalyptic debut started out as pure unrelenting nuclear thrash with a frantic explosive delivery steeped in blazing speed and singer Snake's unique howling distorted vocals (NOBODY has a voice that is anywhere near close to his). From these humble beginnings of a less than refined sound (courtesy of sloppy bad production) would result in some straight up later masterpieces to some disappointingly flatly received mellower releases that looked as if the band had really fallen off in their stripped down efforts -- perhaps succumbing to label pressure to write more accessible songs and appeal to a broader audience. But their real full emergence was in perfected sci-fi-ish ventures into peculiar, deconstructive cyber prog metal of brainy subject matter that explored themes of technology run amok and artificial intelligence; with the music invariably backed by spot-on-point, drifting atmospheric mechanical complexity in their galloping percussion as well as unconventional & unusual dissonant chord changes and time signatures. Even at this late stage in their career of futuristic fierceness (having seen a welcome return back to form), they are the epitome of always having done their own thing. Down from day one, they continue to stand as true leaders in their visionary approach. Happy 40th Anniversary. R.I.P. Denis 'Piggy' D'Amour.