Influenced equally by the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and the Reagan-era Cold War, their early, post-apocalyptic music later evolved into outright science fiction.
Voivod was one of the first thrash bands out of Canada to gain
popularity outside of their home country. Voivod reached the peak of
their popularity with the 1989 release Nothingface which featured a cover version of Pink Floyd's "Astronomy Domine" (from The Piper at the Gates of Dawn). They later covered another Pink Floyd song, "The Nile Song" (from More), on their 1993 release The Outer Limits.
Much of the band's sound comes from guitarist Piggy's usage of
dissonant chords, usually played in the high register of the guitar,
used extensively on Nothingface. Albums like Dimension Hatröss are dominated by dissonant chords, unexpected time signatures and guitarist Piggy's liberal use of unconventional minor chords.
Two of the four founding members (bassist Jean-Yves Thériault and vocalist Denis Bélanger) left Voivod in the early 1990s. The band recorded three albums as a trio in the late 1990s with new member Eric Forrest handling both vocals and bass guitar. Forrest was badly injured in a car accident in Germany in 1998, and that incarnation of Voivod never regained the momentum they lost during his rehabilitation. After Eric Forrest
left the band, his insurance company attempted to sue the band for the
injuries he sustained in the crash, as he was in the care of the band
at the time. Voivod briefly disbanded in 2001 before Bélanger returned
to the band. The last incarnation of Voivod featured three of the four
founding members: Denis Bélanger (aka Snake, vocals), Denis D'Amour (Piggy, guitars), and Michel Langevin (Away, drums) along with Jason Newsted (Jasonic, of Flotsam and Jetsam and Metallica) on bass guitar. Guitarist Denis D'Amour died at the age of 45 on August 26, 2005 due to complications from colon cancer. Their most recent record is Katorz,
released in July 2006. The album is based around riffs found on the
laptop of guitarist Denis D'Amour. Just prior to his death, he left
instructions for his fellow bandmates on how to use them.
Langevin confirmed that Voivod was planning to work on their twelfth studio album in late 2007, which will contain tracks recorded with D'Amour before his death. Langevin also launched a new 'kraut rock-esque' band in 2007, Kosmos, who issued a self-titled debut via the End Records in September.