Canadian progressive metal legends Voivod have announced they’ll release a new EP this summer.
The three-track recording is titled The End Of Dormancy and it'll launch through Century Media Records on July 10.
The EP is centred around a new version of The Wake track The End Of Dormancy, which has been titled The End Of Dormancy (Metal Section). It has an brass section comprising of saxophone, trombone and trumpet.
A video of the song can be watched below.
The other two tracks on the EP will be live versions of the new song and The Unknown Knows, which were recorded at the Montreal Jazz Fest 2019.
Guitarist Daniel ‘Chewy’ Mongrain explains: “I initially wrote the opening riff on tour, outside, behind a club in Germany on a sunny day and recorded right away. It had that quartal harmony over a pedal point that to me evoke soundtracks of classic Roman movies when you hear the brass.
“It has a military and solemn vibe to it. When in 2019 we had the honour to be invited to play the Montreal International Jazz Festival, we all thought we could do something special in the context.
“I had the idea to do a brass arrangement and add in an extra open improvised sax solo section which doesn't exist in the studio version. I started to write and was able to finish the arrangement in time for the rehearsal but it was so much work that I could only do one song.”
Chewy adds: “I’m so proud and happy to play in Voivod, as we can try this kind of madness and everybody in the band gets excited and motivated to do new things. It’s so fulfilling. I hope this feeling transpires into the music and that the signal gets to the receiver’s frequency!”
Vocalist Denis ‘Snake’ Belanger adds: “I must say that we had some hesitations regarding the timing of release for this very special video clip. The shoot took place in November 2019 and the scenario is pure science-fiction, but we were concerned the imagery might be insensitive in these pandemic times. In the end, we decided to proceed as planned.
“Speaking of sci-fi, the documentary The Creeping Garden had a big influence on me and was a great source of inspirations for the concept. A must watch. The slime moulds are amazing creatures and will use ingeniosity to survive. And so are humans... we'll get through this!”
The End Of Dormancy EP is now available to pre-order in various vinyl options.
