Arguably the best of the
Denis Belanger
-era
Voivod
albums,
Nothingface
is highly recommended to just about any aficionado of twisted, original
heavy metal
or
prog rock
. Although the album's roots are in
progressive rock
, the group knows when to lay off the virtuosic overkill and play it straight. A superb, tripped-out cover of
Pink Floyd
's early
psychedelic
masterpiece
"Astronomy Domine"
is the album's highlight, and its video aired numerous times on the early-'90s
MTV
show
Headbanger's Ball
, introducing many to the band for the first time. Vocal melodicism is stressed heavily on
, with
Belanger
's vocals pushing such tracks as
"Missing Sequences"
and the title track, as do guitarist
Denis d'Amour
's jazzoid-
metal
guitar riffs. The group's lyrics may be hard to decipher for some (relying heavily on themes of science fiction that often paint unsettling pictures), but ultimately help complement what the group is doing musically.
also turned out to be their most commercially successful album, making an appearance on the
Billboard
charts.
Jason Newsted
of
Metallica
has praised
as one of his favorite
bands on numerous occasions, and after hearing
, it's easy to understand why. ~ Greg Prato