Michel "Away" Langevin Interview

Voivod drummer Michel “Away” Langevin has a new band called Kosmos. Their self-titled album is a mostly instrumental and described as “prog-rock-avant-garde-kraut-post-punk.” Away fills us in on his new band, and also what Voivod is up to, including a bunch of reissues, a new album, and a possible farewell tour.

Chad Bowar: What’s the latest with Voivod? Have you began putting together an album with the rest of Piggy’s songs?
Michel "Away" Langevin: Yes, we have 13 songs left that we will be recording in the fall. We are waiting for Jason’s (Newsted) injury to heal 100 percent. He injured his shoulder and had to have surgery. So in the fall we’re going to be recording the final stuff. It’s still out of the sessions we did in 2004, so it’s pretty reminiscent of Katorz.

In the meantime I’m very busy reissuing the Noise catalog that is now on Century: Rrröööaaarrr, Killing Technology and Dimension Hatröss. They are going to be remastered and re-released with a bonus DVD of the Voivod archives from the ‘80s. We had the Iron Gang back then, a mail order where we would sell cassettes and stuff like that. Quite often people sent me VHS tapes and cassettes of shows we played and photos. . For Rrröööaaarrr I found the first show in the U.S. with Venom in 1985 on VHS and also a very early show in January 1984 in Quebec and also a high school show in ’84. I just wrapped it up and I’m working on Killing Technology and Dimension Hatröss. Later on next year we’re going to work on Nothingface, Angel Rat and The Outer Limits.

Will we see Voivod on tour again?
Once we are done with the next album in early 2008 we hope to do some kind of farewell tour to pay tribute to Piggy’s music. Andreas Kisser (Sepultura) already agreed to help us if we need to play Katorz and the next album live. That’s something we’ve been hoping to achieve. There’s nothing confirmed, but we hope to do some sort of tribute to Piggy live eventually.

Read the complete Michel "Away" Langevin Interview

(photo courtesy The End Records)