Techno-thrash with everchanging moods, it's musically challenging. ~ John Book

Voivod's second release, Rrr”””aaarrr, is a step backward for the band when compared to its predecessor, War and Pain. Whereas their debut was similar to early Metallica, their follow-up sounds like the band was under the influence of early Slayer, with faster tempos and vocal growls. Lyrically, the band goes into dangerously silly and embarrassing territory (a sample lyric from "Fuck Off & Die": "And if you're a f*cker, and don't believe it, f*ck off and die!"). Other flaky song titles are "Slaughter in a Grave," "Ripping Headaches," and "Thrashing Rage." Guitarist Denis d'Amour (aka "Piggy") would one day become one of the most criminally overlooked metal guitarists (combining jazz chords in a progressive metal context), but on this album he plays it very conservatively, which is unfortunate. After listening to Rrr”””aaarrr, it's pretty mind-blowing that Voivod would one day be one of the most original metal bands around, since there's very little originality or imagination on this one. If you're a newcomer to the band, check out their albums from 1988 onward. This is certainly not one of their better albums, and not a good place to start. ~ Greg Prato