Released nearly two years after the transitional
Killing Technology,
Dimension Hatroess is the first album where
Voivod's experimental metal is explored from beginning to end. Shedding the cliched lyrics that the band relied on for their first two releases, they're thankfully replaced by much more thought-provoking lyrics. The group has also grown as musicians -- guitarist
Denis d'Amour is one of metal's finest, the rhythm section of
Michel Langevin on drums and
Jean-Yves Theriault on bass is tighter than ever, and vocalist
Denis Belanger sings more conventionally (no more shrieking). The band's sudden songwriting maturity becomes evident from the opening track, "Experiment," when futuristic imagery collides head on with heavy sounds. "Macrosolutions to Megaproblems" contains impressive, busy interplay between the bandmembers, while "Tribal Convictions" is a simpler,
Sabbath-like number that opens with some primitive drumming courtesy of
Langevin (who also designed the album's cover).
Dimension Hatroess is
Voivod's first fully realized album and sets the stage for their best ever, 1989's major-label debut,
Nothingface. ~ Greg Prato
