I know these days less people are into Voivod or into Michel “away” Langevin’s art, just because their lack of knowledge. Have you ever tried to figure out how many bands and how many metal artists are now days influenced by these people’s work? Probably no, that’s why a bunch of “professional” metal labels are selling you stuff marked as “The revelation of metallic genre” when, in fact, a lot of these bands are just silly copies. It’s the same story with the designers and illustrators around this genre.
Anyway, I don’t want to start a discussion about “I like that, you don’t like that” shit, so please, stay away of the “fan” mentality when you are talking with me regarding metal music. I’m in my world, you are in yours, let’s keep our borders, ok?
I just want to say to buy the fucking book, cause the Voivod drummer, Away is a graphic artist, one of the biggest of all times, and yes dude, he has a book out. It looks damn killer and it’s real madness for any fan of his work. You can find also some unreleased incredible stuff inside…and also, the story of the all mighty Voivod.
You can buy it from here:
http://voivodbook.com/
Here are some words about Away:
Jello Biafra, The Dead Kennedys
“Long before the poster art renaissance, Juxtapoz and world wide
networks of Pushead clones, there was Voivod. No two albums sound
alike, and the art, lyrics and vision all connect as the alternate
universe inside the mind of master drummer/visionary, Away, a.k.a.
Michel Langevin. All the more amazing is how this whole sci-fi update
of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis and beyond was hatched almost totally in the
vacuum of a childhood in a remote coal mining town in the frigid outer
Lands of Northern Quebec. I’ve even saved the letters he used to write
me as works of art, because that same calligraphy we all know from the
Voivod lyric sheets is actually from his regular handwriting!”
Philip H Anselmo (and the H stands for Hatross),
Pantera, Superjoint Ritual, Down
“Drummer extraordinaire known as Away, of the masters of
intergalactic Warcore Voivod, is the band’s artistic visionary, and his
brand of art compliments and refines itself with each LP in perfect
accordance with the band’s different themes and musical growth. From
chaotic, battle-ready skull-faced warriors, to his technically
intimidating mecha-space stations ruling a star-dotted world of his own
invention, his foreboding odd carichures wonder across landscaping on
another planet, in another galaxy. Somehow his artwork depicted the
music you were hearing- and the feeling it gave you while staring at
Away’s album cover artwork- like an extraterrestrial concoction
exploding in your head and hurtling you through space in an escape pod,
heading to another spider- spinning sandy dimension that only Away and
Voivod could invent.”
Mille, Kreator
“Michel is one of the most unique artists I’ve ever met. He’s
created his own dimension with his vision. I only have total respect
for Away”