Canadian sci-fi metal innovators VOIVOD will release a new EP, “Ultraman”, on November 4 via Century Media Records. The effort features a highly original tribute to the “Ultraman” TV series theme as well as previously unreleased bonus live cuts, available both as a 12-inch vinyl EP or as a digital EP.
“Ultraman” EP vinyl track listing (running time: 20:21):
Side A (08:45):
01. Ultraman – Opening Theme (Japanese & French [URUTORAMANNO UTA]) (01:30)
02. Ultraman – Victory Theme (URUTORAMAN BGM) (00:39)
03. Ultraman – Closing Theme (English [URUTORAMANNO UTA]) (00:47)
04. Ultraman – Opening Theme (Japanese [URUTORAMANNO UTA]) (01:30)
05. Ultraman – Victory Theme (URUTORAMAN BGM) (00:39)
06. Ultraman – Closing Theme (Japanese [URUTORAMANNO UTA]) (00:47)
07. Ultraman – Opening Theme (Instrumental [URUTORAMANNO UTA]) (01:30)
08. Ultraman – Victory Theme (URUTORAMAN BGM) (00:39)
09. Ultraman – Closing Theme (Instrumental [URUTORAMANNO UTA]) (00:47)
Side B (11:36):
01. Overreaction (Return To Morgöth – Live 2018) (05:26)
02. Voïvod (Return To Morgöth – Live 2018) (06:09)
Ultraman – EP / Digital (14:31) track listing:
01. Ultraman – Opening Theme (Japanese & French [URUTORAMANNO UTA]) (01:30)
02. Ultraman – Victory Theme (URUTORAMAN BGM (00:39)
03. Ultraman – Closing Theme (English [URUTORAMANNO UTA]) (00:47)
04. Overreaction (Return To Morgöth – Live 2018) (05:26)
05. Voïvod (Return To Morgöth – Live 2018) (06:09)
VOIVOD drummer Michel “Away” Langevin states: “As a kid I often dreamed of finding a Beta Capsule, so I could transform into Ultraman, keep the city from being destroyed by a giant fire spitting monster and hopefully save Akiko Fuji in the process. I’m pretty sure many people had the same dream… We sure did in VOÏVOD, and that’s why we decided to cover the main and battle TV themes for this EP. The recordings were done during the ‘Synchro Anarchy’ sessions and Chewy sings the Japanese parts. For the B side, we tracked down the lost encore from the 35th-anniversary show, ‘Return To Morgöth – Live 2018’. Enjoy!”
The “Ultraman” EP will be released in perfect timing for VOIVOD‘s return to European stages as special guests for Swedish progressive metal/rock group OPETH on their “Evolution XXX” tour in November.
VOIVOD‘s 15th studio album, “Synchro Anarchy” was released in February via Century Media Records. The follow-up to 2018’s “The Wake” was produced by Francis Perron at RadicArt Studio and features cover artwork created by Langevin.
Regarding the release of “Synchro Anarchy”, VOIVOD vocalist and lyricist Denis “Snake” Bélanger said: “It is one of a kind, a very unique and distinctive album. It was made with all the passion we have for music under particular conditions. Driven by a nuclear brainstorm between the four of us in a state of emergency. Written, recorded, and delivered, and not necessarily in that order, we managed to do it all in a few months.”
Langevin previously stated about “Synchro Anarchy”: “The new album represents countless hours of writing, demoing, recording, mixing and so on. The band and Francis Perron at RadicArt Studio gave their very best to make it happen under unusual circumstances, which led us to call it ‘Synchro Anarchy’. We feel that the sound and music are 100% VOIVOD, and we hope everyone will enjoy it as much as we had fun making it.”
VOIVOD released a new live album, “Lost Machine – Live”, in November 2020 via Century Media Records. The disc was recorded in Québec City during the worldwide touring cycle for “The Wake”.
In the summer of 2020, VOIVOD released a new three-track 12-inch vinyl and digital EP titled “The End Of Dormancy” via Century Media Records. The EP is centered around a special “Metal Section” version of the title track (off VOIVOD‘s latest album, “The Wake”) with added trumpets, saxophone and trombones. The complementary songs on this release are exclusive live versions of “The End Of Dormancy (Metal Section)” and the group’s classic “The Unknown Knows”, recorded at Montreal Jazz Fest 2019.
Photo credit: Catherine Deslauriers