Quite possibly the final word on the iconoclastic legend that is Voivod. And what better author to tackle the rich history of this influential Canadian band than Jeff Wagner, whose 2010 Mean Deviations book thoroughly mapped out the terrain of avant-garde metal from its roots in 1960s progressive rock through the most edge-pushing artists of today. Deviations has gone on to become a classic of contemporary heavy metal / underground music history with its exhaustive examination of the most boundary-breaking artists and movements within heavy music, and Wagner's erudite grasp of music history and the plasticity of heavy metal is second to none. Now with Always Moving, Wagner targets one of the most important bands within the metal spectrum with a detailed and carefully drawn documentation of Voivod's roots in the Montreal speed metal scene and their evolution into the premiere cybernetic "prog-thrash" outfit of our time. It's a hefty tome at over five hundred pages and leaves no stone unturned in its chronicle of Voivod's long and illustrious career, and is incredibly revealing even for lifelong fanatics of the band like myself. If you love Voivod as much as I do, this book is essential reading.

Opening with a telling lyrical quote from prog rockers Van Der Graaf Generator, Always Moving: The Strange Multiverse Of Voivod starts its story with a personal introduction from the author that pinpoints Wagner's own obsession with Voivod, and moves chronologically through the band's long career. Filled with quotes from underground luminaries like Mikael Akerfaldt (Opeth), author Ian Christe, Carl-Michael Eide (Ved Buens Ende, Virus, etc.), King Fowley (Deceased), Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters), John Haughm (Agalloch), Luc Lemay (Gorguts), Jason Newstead (Metallica) and a host of former band members, co-conspirators, producers, and industry types, the book operates as much of an oral history as it does a rigorous piece of music journalism. It moves from the members discussing their earliest influences (both musical, literary, geographic and otherwise) and motivators to their early-80s demo era in the Quebecois scene, their roots in hardcore punk and the nascent crossover movement, diving deep into the creation of their debut album War And Pain. Each subsequent album gets its own lengthy chapter, exploring the background and creation of early classics Rrroooaaarrr, Killing Technology, and Dimension Hatross; their work with Noise Records for those early albums is discussed at length, as is the later dealings with major labels; the tribulations of touring as a young band, and their studio experiences. 1989's masterwork Nothingface gets a similar deep dive, and the wonderfully eccentric early 1990s albums Angel Rat and The Outer Limits get the deepest examination I've ever read on them. A separate chapter approaches the later 90s output like Negatron, Phobos and even the Coma demos from 2000, delving into what might be the most misunderstood and underappreciated period of their career. Their self-titled 2003 album with Jason Newstead looks at what was arguably a period of re-discovery for the band, followed by a poignant chapter on the 2005 loss of guiartist Denis "Piggy" D'amour. This is one of the key moments of the book, and re-examines just how crucial his role was in the band’s sound and vision.

After the loss of D'Amour, the albums Katorz and Infini are explored, and the difficulty of moving on without their vital founding member. This section provides fascinating context for the posthumous albums, a period of the band's existence that has been long overlooked. It then covers the details of how guitarist Daniel "Chewy" Mongrain joined the band (there's a great piece in here penned buy Mongrain on his experience picking up where Piggy had left off), and the subsequent re-invigoration of the band in the late 2000s. After a kind of hiatus, the story picks back up with the 2013 "comeback" album Target Earth, not without its challenges (including an acrimonious lineup change), and moves through this latter-day post-Piggy era marked by such excellent albums as Post Society, The Wake, Synchro Anarchy, and the retrospective Morgoth Tales. The book wraps up with a look at the 2025 work that Voivod did with a full symphonic orchestra, marking an exciting new phase of their career, and closes with a lengthy look back at Voivod's impact from a variety of voices, hammering home the incredible influence and artistic impact that this band has had on generations of musicians and listeners.

The end of Always Moving includes a detailed discography of the extended Voivod catalog, detailing the band's myriad EPs, live albums, compilations, fan-club cassettes, promos, and other essential stuff for hardcore collectors; a glossary of side-projects from the band members; an appendix of curated lists from band members and others; Voivod-ian language; and a brief list of bands that drew much of their influence from Voivod's work. Like I said, this book is exhaustive. As an aside, one of my favorite aspects of the book are the quotes from "Piggy" D'amour, whose voice appears throughout the book from earlier interviews prior to his death - his presence is felt throughout Always Moving, adding to its import and thoroughness. On top of that, it's filled with Away's iconic artwork, astounding show flyers, rare band photographs, ancient album reviews, demo / cassette covers, full color pics, and fascinating sidebars. Nicely bound and illustrated softcover with end flaps, with the aforementioned twelve pages of centerpiece color photos, this really is the book on Voivod and their incredible career as one of the most forward-thinking bands in metal.