Nothingface

Voivod | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 25, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Noise Records
• ASIN: B00000AFHI
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #218,133 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Old-School Cybermetal, October 31, 2001

By 

Worgelm "The Grumpy" (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nothingface (Audio CD)

An odd and strangely satisfying amalgam of Rush, Pink Floyd, King Crimson and Metallica, my opinion of_Nothingface_ has not budged an inch since I first bought it over ten years ago - it is like no other metal album you will ever hear. Voivod were pounding out literate, hi-tech excursions into the beyond before Fear Factory ever got near a drum machine. _Nothingface_, like its more primal predecessor _Dimension Hatross_, is song cycle about the continuing adventures of everyone's favorite sentient subatomic particle - the VoiVod. Although decidely more polished and progressive than any previous Voivod release, you don't need your physics book though to groove to the eerie, pummeling take on "Astronomy Domine" - a song which, if I am to believe every on of my friends who have lent a brave ear to it, is quite possibly the mother of all Pink Floyd covers (with a killer video to boot). The opening track "The Unknown Knows", feeling very much like a musical rocket launch, prepares you for all that you are about to experience - constantly shifting dynamics, sudden tempo changes, epic and strange atonal riffs that seem like they are beamed straight from the heart of Planet Fripp - and ending most unexpectedly with a wink and a nudge and a gaily lilting accordion.

If the music weren't so friggin' fantastic I would dock a star for the lackluster re-issue by Noise/Combat, which has questionably ditched the artwork created by drummer Away for each of the songs, as well as the cryptic, circular lyrics, leaving you even more in the dark as to what the hell is going on. If you can locate the original (out of print) MCA release of this album you will be better off. Still, this was a stone-cold masterpiece then, and hasn't lost a bit of its luster since.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the most original "metal" album ever released, May 1, 1999

By 

Glenn Snelwar, Gordian Knot (gsnelwar@prodigy... (Tampa, Fl.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nothingface (Audio CD)

Voivod is a band known for evolving their sound with each successive release. When NOTHINGFACE was released in 1989, it was at a time in the bands career when they were pushing the limits of the metal genre that they were awkwardly associated with. Every song on this release is filled with original ideas unique to each player, creating a twisted version of progressive metal which paralells what King Crimson was trying to do to bend the rules of early 70's music. Voivod was at the height of their experimentation with this release, coming after other bold releases, Dimension Hatross and Killing Technology. There is no easy way to describe this music - dark and dissonant, angular, tight parts all fit into a pulsing, writhing intensity of sound that does not let up. Every time I listen to this disc I am completely amazed at how original and creative these four musicians are, and how well they played off each other to create this ethereal masterpiece that, I do not beieve, can be touched by any other band, not even the new incarnation of the band (they are still creating some terrific music, albeit less progressive and ground-breaking). It is a shame that this release did not receive the attention it should have at the time. NOTHINGFACE, DIMENSION HATROSS and KILLING TECHNOLOGY should be essential for anyone interested in heavy, complex, inspiring innovative metal (and I use that term loosely).

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Space metal with universal appeal, February 13, 2004

By 

Jeremy Ulrey "Bangyrmfhead" (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nothingface (Audio CD)

No one would ever have predicted back in 1984 that the band who stormed onto the scene with "War and Pain" would end up five years later dropping the twisted cybermetal of "Nothingface". Charting their musical progression through the median three albums, it seems obvious in retrospect, but despite the fully realized work that is "Dimension Hatross" it's "Nothingface" that is Voivod's true masterpiece.

"The Unknown Knows" and "Nothingface" jump out of the starting gates with a heavier direction than much of the album will maintain. Doubtless Voivod were breaking in fans of "Dimension Hatross" gently, as both songs follow in that general path. However, the third track, a cover of Pink Floyd's "Astronomy Domine", fully introduces the zoned out, trance-like dirge that will permeate the rest of the album. Frankly, this is one of the best cover versions I've ever heard, despite being ultra-faithful to the original (a process I usually detest). The drums in particular are absolutely fantastic - we're not talking double kick drum rolls or any other form of technical virtuosity, but the soft/loud buildups and the way Michel Langevin works around the melody is awe inspiring and makes this an utter pleasure to listen to.

Of the remaining funereal "ballads", "Missing Sequences" and "Into My Hypercube" are both astounding, whereas standout rockers include "Pre-Ignition" and "X-Ray Mirror". The lyrics all consist of paranoid, futuristic Kafka-meets-Orwell parables about loss of identity and invasion of privacy. For the most part they're fairly impenetrable, but the band have helpfully (?) provided abstract, impressionistic computer art for each song.

Although Voivod have a series of great albums that boast different approaches and succeed in conflicting manners, "Nothingface" is both the best and most accessible album they've released to date.