...SIŁA I PIĘKNO MUZYKI TKWIĄ W JEJ RÓŻNORODNOŚCI.



..::OPIS::..

Bardzo dobra płyta. Niby nie ma tu wiele proga, ale chyba ten gatunek muzyczny nie był w zamyśle twórców najważniejszy. Po krótkim intro składającym się z fal radiowych mamy na zmianę szybkie i wolne metalowe granie, ale w stylu, w którym grał tylko Voivod. Bardzo ciekawa atmosfera pasuje na tym krążku, klimat wybitnie pasuje do okładki. Od zawsze moim ulubionym utworem z tej płyty był The Prow. Pewnie dlatego, że najbardziej przebojowy:) Ale Panorama, Clouds In My House, Angel Rat czy Golem wcale nie są gorsze. W ogóle cała płyta trzyma jeden równy poziom. To co mnie zachwycało zawsze na tym albumie to refreny w piosenkach. Jakoś takie nietypowe, choc bardzo logicznie wynikające z kompozycji. Tutaj świetnym przykładem byłby Clouds In My House, który jest oparty na topornym riffie, a w refrenie mamy bardzo ciekawą melodię, taką niepokojącą. Do tego utworu był tez teledysk, jeśli ktoś wcześniej nie słyszał, to polecam znaleźć na youtube. Bardzo dobra, równa płyta. Nie majstersztyk, ale solidne 4,5.

Rafał Ziemba


Nie wiem jak Wam, ale mi zawsze ciężko było nadążyć za Voivod i jeszcze trudniej wgryźć się w ich sztukę. Tym bardziej, że jak już człowiek oswoił się z jedną płytą, to na następnej czekała go zupełna zmiana. Wydany w 1991 roku „Angel Rat” jest albumem znacznie mniej technicznym niż „Nothingface” i takim lżejszym, przystępniejszym. Mimo to jak zawsze zagadkowym i wielowarstwowym.

Przede wszystkim piosenki są prostsze, czasem nawet nieco popowe, głównie ze względu na śpiew. Taki „Twin Dummy” sprawia wrażenie telewizyjnego przeboju z lat osiemdziesiątych i daleko mu do thrash metalowej zadziorności. Więcej energii znajdziemy w najbardziej przebojowych „Panorama”, „The Prow” czy "The Outcast", lecz cechą charakterystyczną całej płyty jest raczej dużo progresji, rockowej psychodeli i odpływów w niezbadanych kierunkach, jak w numerze tytułowym czy „Nuace Fractal”. Wszystko zdaje się jednak być takie ulotne i eteryczne jak rozpływający się w chmurach „Clouds In My House”. Dlatego, żeby wyłapać głębie tych utworów nie wystarczy pobieżne przesłuchanie. Voivod otwiera się powoli i daje się odkrywać wiele razy zanim ujawni wszystkie swoje atuty.

Mimo tego, że w muzyce można wiele usłyszeć to same kawałki jakoś nie do końca do mnie przemawiają. Są jakieś takie oddalone, jakby zaśpiewane na pół gwizdka. Cała płyta sprawia wrażenie ospałej. Wrażenie zapewne osiągnięte celowo, ale słuchając często wydaje mi się, że czegoś tutaj brakuje. Nie przez cały czas, ale w dużych fragmentach. No, ale to już pewnie kwestia gustu. Może „Angel Rat” nie jest szczytowym osiągnięciem Voivod, ale i tak na pewno są osoby, które go kochają.

Wujas


Funny how one of the most streamlined Voivod albums is also considered their deepest foray into prog-rock. Also funny how so many people hated this album when it was released in 1991, but now admit liking it. That's okay.some of the best albums are the ones that take a long time to sink in. I loved 'Angel Rat' from the beginning, but was still shocked at the direction they took, especially considering the last we'd heard from them was the cold tech-fest of 'Nothingface'. Where that album was incredibly ambitious, painstakingly thought-out and sonically antiseptic, 'Angel Rat' exudes a natural, earthy flow. Helped by the tight yet expansive production job of master Terry Brown (yes, THAT Terry Brown), 'Angel Rat' is a triumph.
Gone are the difficult rhythms, the cybernetic coldness replaced by wide, warm vistas of guitar, subtle beds of keyboards and Away's maturation as a drummer of pure feel and deep-pocket groove. Opening track "Panorama" reflects these traits, a straightforward plunge into cerebral rock. Masterfully crafted, its deceptively simple arrangement is bulked up considerably by the infectious rhythmic drive and Snake's (finally) human vocal approach. "Clouds In My House" brings the prog in, with a gorgeous backdrop of shadowy keyboards laying down its foundation. Rhythms are driving and smooth, with a wonderful tone to Blacky's bass. At this point it becomes quite clear that no other metal band had ever progressed so far in so short a time. To think that the churning noise of 'Rrroooaaarrr' was only 6 short years before 'Angel Rat', and that all 4 members made this evolution together.you see how 'Angel Rat' is a very special album in the band's discography.

"The Prow" is next. Capable of conjuring deep emotional reaction, this deceptively simple song is spiced with a shimmering mid-section and a compelling nautical vibe. Purely passionate performances from all members. There's a lot to say about its superbly crafted 3:30 running time, but let me only point out Away's hi-hat/snare syncopation--a joy to listen to every time. (An underrated master of his instrument.) From here the album scatters in a variety of directions, from more straightforward moments like "Best Regards", "Twin Dummy" and "The Outcast" (all of them having their own character) to spacious epics (in scope, not in elapsed time) like "Angel Rat" and "Freedoom". Piggy's guitar work is compact and relativity conservative, but when he shines, he's a neon star exploding. Check out his deceptively simple "lead" at the end of "Best Regards": one caterwauling note-bend that finally dissolves into space. Intuition on the level of David Gilmour. Blacky's bass is a crisp punch during this entire sequence. This song is one of his best moments; it's sad this was to be his final album with the band.

Though they're fairly short (3:35 and 4:37, respectively), "Angel Rat" and "Freedoom" are the prog highlights on the album. The title track is sympathetic and edgy, making smart use of dynamics and getting the most out of their studio and producer. "Freedoom" is a cosmic chill-out that ends up exploding in an "Astronomy Domine" fashion in its climax. And then there's the sad tale of "Golem" (dominated by Blacky's simple-but-effective bass lines) and the science-fact lesson of "Nuage Fractal", both deep-album tracks that keep the album moving with considerable momentum. Things come to an end with the urgent "None Of The Above", which swings the folk-tale musings and science-fiction delving back to the real world. A driving, rhythmic, pulsing song, the album ends almost like it began.

'Angel Rat' is Voivod's ultimate triumph. It shows a band that has learned much from the experimental and complex material of albums previous. It is masterfully written and suberly performed, a clutch of songs maintaining the spirit of discovery and progression they've always strived towards, with emphasis on studio creation, songcraft and aural escapism. Everything the band had been working toward comes to fruition on 'Angel Rat'. It was a commercial failure upon release, but seems to be enjoying a resurrection as an "ahead-of-its-time" prog-metal classic these days. Long may it fly out of the cut- out bins.

slipperman


This is the first Voivod album that I have discovered and I must say that I am blown away with this spaced up metal release! It's very hard to describe their type of music in some words, but "Angel Rat" is strongly Rush oriented, one reason could be that Terry Brown had recorded it. The opening song "panorama" is very accesible for this band, most of their songs are very complicated to understand at the first listening, but with this song they had broken this rule! The whole album sounds like Rush on speed, but don't forget the voice Denis Belanger, which is just state of art! Well, I still enjoy the whole album when I hear it, but there is one song that sets a bit apart from the others, that's the title track. Unbelievable atmospheric, spaced-up, melodic prog song. In the beginning days of Voivod, their name stand for alien-themed, punk-styled thrash metal, since "Killing Technology" the things turned into more psychedelic kind of hard rock/metal ('til "Nothingface" all was a little bit Pink Floyd influenced, for example they also coverd a song from PF on Nothingface), but "Angelrat" was the most melodic and accesible work to date by this band and showed their faible for Rush progressive sounds, mixed together with fast heavy metal power. Those, who think this sounds interestening, should watch out for "Angel Rat" and Voivod in general. I highly recommend this album as a fan of metal & progressive rock!

Marc Baum



..::TRACK-LIST::..

1. Shortwave Intro 0:25
2. Panorama 3:10
3. Clouds In My House 4:47
4. The Prow 3:30
5. Best Regards 3:52
6. Twin Dummy 2:52
7. Angel Rat 3:35
8. Golem 4:33
9. The Outcast 3:17
10. Nuage Fractal 3:43
11. Freedoom 4:37
12. None Of The Above 4:08



..::OBSADA::..

Denis Bélanger - vocals
Denis D'Amour - guitar, keyboards
Michel Langevin - drums, cover concept
Jean-Yves Thériault - bass guitar, keyboards

Additional musicians:
Ray Coburn - keyboards
Ivan Doroschuk - additional keyboards on track 9




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Q8nQF1pDiM



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