VOIVOD Guitarist DENIS 'PIGGY' D'AMOUR Dead Of Colon Cancer - Aug. 27, 2005
VOIVOD guitarist Denis "Piggy" D'Amour passed away Friday night (August 26) at approximately 11:45 p.m. due to complications from advanced colon cancer — so advanced that the disease had spread to his liver. D'Amour slipped into a coma Thursday night and died less than 24 hours later in the palliative care unit of a Montreal hospital, surrounded by family and friends. He was 45 years old.

Quebec City newspaper Le Soleil reported yesterday that D'Amour — who was diagnosed with colon cancer earlier in the summer — first entered the hospital for a routine operation, but several complications led his doctors to suspect more problems. Then the grim verdict was revealed: the cancer, already too advanced, was inoperable.

Only two months ago, D'Amour was in the studio working on the 14th album from the Canadian thrash-metal pioneers VOIVOD. More than two dozen tracks are believed to have been demoed for the CD, for which the group recently inked a deal with The End Records. However, the band were forced to put studio work on hold while bassist Jason Newsted (ex-METALLICA) was treated for tendonitis.

In a recent interview with Billboard.com, Newsted spoke about the material slated to appear on the group's next CD. "It's the most complete demos I've ever been involved in," he said. "[VOIVOD singer] Snake has already chosen his effects — exact timing of milliseconds for delay. We've had a long time to develop the demos, so there's about 23 or 25 songs that are absolutely listenable right now."

Newsted was a huge fan of VOIVOD before he was invited to join and he remains a great admirer to this day. "They created something a long, long time ago that may have been emulated many, many times since — but nobody can do it like the original," he offered.

Prior to his hospitalization, D'Amour laid down guitar tracks for a reunion CD from the legendary AUT'CHOSE, a '70s band from Montreal. That album is expected to surface next summer.

VOIVOD To Complete New Album As A Tribute To Fallen Guitarist - Aug. 29, 2005
VOIVOD drummer Michel "Away" Langevin has told Montreal's La Presse that the group are planning on releasing an album of new material written prior to the passing of VOIVOD guitarist Denis "Piggy" D'Amour. "Denis asked us to utilize the tracks he had recorded [during the pre-production process for the new CD]," Langevin said. "He wanted us to complete the album as a tribute to him."

Only two months ago, D'Amour was in the studio working on VOIVOD's 14th album. More than two dozen tracks are believed to have been demoed for the CD, for which the group recently inked a deal with The End Records. However, the band were forced to put studio work on hold while bassist Jason Newsted (ex-METALLICA) was treated for tendonitis.

In a recent interview with Billboard.com, Newsted spoke about the material slated to appear on the group's next CD. "It's the most complete demos I've ever been involved in," he said. "[VOIVOD singer] Snake has already chosen his effects — exact timing of milliseconds for delay. We've had a long time to develop the demos, so there's about 23 or 25 songs that are absolutely listenable right now."

VOIVOD To Return To Studio This Month To Complete 'Definitive' New Album - Sep. 1, 2005
VOIVOD singer Denis "Snake" Belanger has told the Quebec newspaper Le Soleil that the band will return to the recording studio in late September to resume work on their 14th album, tentatively due in early 2006 via The End Records.

Only hours before he slipped into a coma last week due to complications from colon cancer, VOIVOD guitarist Denis "Piggy" D'Amour gave the group's drummer, Michel "Away" Langevin, instructions to go to the guitarist's personal computer and lift the final guitar tracks Piggy had been working on for the upcoming CD. "He had to know that his days were numbered. And he wanted to make sure that the album would get done even after he was gone," stated Piggy's friend Lucien Francœur.

According to Snake, the upcoming album will be "the definitive VOIVOD" effort. "I am sure that Piggy would trust us to complete the project as a tribute to him," he said.

In a recent interview with Billboard.com, VOIVOD bassist Jason Newsted (ex-METALLICA) spoke about the material slated to appear on the group's next CD. "It's the most complete demos I've ever been involved in," he said. "[VOIVOD singer] Snake has already chosen his effects — exact timing of milliseconds for delay. We've had a long time to develop the demos, so there's about 23 or 25 songs that are absolutely listenable right now."

VOIVOD will be issuing their first DVD in October covering the band's original lineup period (1983-1991). Scheduled for release on October 25 via Music Video Distributors, "DVOD-1" features all the '80s videos, plus rare live and studio performances of classic VOIVOD songs. The band are also tentatively planning on releasing two more DVDs during the coming months. "DVOD-2" will contain footage shot during the Eric Forrest era of the band, while "DVOD-3" will cover the band's most recent lineup, including Newsted (a.k.a. Jasonic).

This past spring, D'Amour laid down guitar tracks for a reunion CD from the legendary AUT'CHOSE, a '70s band from Montreal. That album, "Chansons D'épouvante", was released in May via Disques Artic.

As previously reported, D'Amour died late Friday (Aug. 26) in a Montreal hospital from complications of advanced colon cancer. The 45-year-old guitarist had been diagnosed this summer and that the disease had spread to his liver, rendering the condition inoperable. Last Thursday, D'Amour slipped into a coma and never regained consciousness. He was surrounded by family and friends at the time of his death.

Piggy's funeral will be held today (Sept. 1) in Jonquière, Quebec.

Bassist Jason "Jasonic" Newsted (ex-METALLICA) has finished laying down tracks for the upcoming studio album from Canadian metal legends VOIVOD. Vocalist Denis "Snake" Belanger and drummer Michel "Away" Lanegvin are expected to enter the studio in December with producer Glen Robinson (ANNIHILATOR, NASHVILLE PUSSY) to complete the recordings, which are tentatively due in early 2006 via The End Records.

Nov. 4, 2005
According to MTV.com, VOIVOD — whose guitarist Denis "Piggy" D'Amour died in August from complications of advanced colon cancer — will release four new albums that feature Piggy, confirms the band's label, The End Records. The first disc will feature the songs VOIVOD were working on at the time of Piggy's death and will be finished in December with producer Glen Robinson (ANNIHILATOR, NASHVILLE PUSSY), mixed in January and released next year. Piggy recorded all of his parts for the record on his laptop with ProTools. While working with that material, drummer Michel "Away" Langevin discovered another three albums' worth of finished songs that the surviving bandmembers will work with over the coming years.

VOIVOD Drummer: We Will Make An Album 'PIGGY Would Be Proud Of' - Nov. 11, 2005

VOIVOD drummer Michel "Away" Langevin has issued the following update to fans regarding their upcoming album and other projects for 2006:

"Dear Voivodians, we will do our best to make a great record that Piggy would be proud of as we worked very hard for the past two years on the new songs. Jasonic has already put down his bass tracks and Glen Robinson [producer; ANNIHILATOR, NASHVILLE PUSSY] and I will edit Piggy's guitar tracks in December. We will track my drum parts and Snake's vocals in Montreal in January. Then we'll mix it, get it mastered and released as soon as possible via The End Records in USA, Nuclear Blast in Europe and Hypnotic-Linus/Universal in Canada.

"In other news, I am still working on my long overdue art book, coming out on Troubleman Unlimited in 2006. Also coming out next year, 'DVOD-2', our second DVD which will be covering the '90s line-up with Eric Forrest. Thanks for your patience!

"P.S. If you get a chance to see the movie 'Metal: A Headbanger's History', it is great and has a short interview with Piggy in it. We saw the Montreal premiere a few weeks ago at the invitation of Sam and Scott, the filmmakers, and they introduced the movie by dedicating it to Piggy, which was very cool of them."

D'Amour died Aug. 26 in a Montreal hospital from complications of advanced colon cancer. The surviving VOIVOD members are expected to release four new albums that feature Piggy. D'Amour recorded all of his parts for the upcoming record on his laptop with ProTools. While working with that material, drummer Langevin discovered another three albums' worth of finished songs that the surviving bandmembers will work with over the coming years.

O-dot wrote:Did you pick up that DVD yet?

VOIVOD Begin Mixing New Album - Jan. 20, 2006
Legendary Canadian experimental metallers VOIVOD have begun mixing their much-anticipated new album with producer Glen Robinson (VOIVOD's "Nothingface", TEA PARTY, GWAR) at Multisons studio in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Frontman Denis "Snake" Belanger has checked in with the following update:

"I went to the studio today for a couple of hours. Glen had already built up the basic mix. It's a really good start. Of course it's always a question of hearing everything and sometimes less is more. I was really concentrated on the vocals especially on doing the effects. When Away [Michel Langevin, drums] got in, he seemed more focused on the drums. He found the drums and vocals were kind of buried. Glen realized then that the bass was very loud. After adjusting the bass, the whole thing was together when I left. It is very touchy but I think we got such a wall of sound, I don't see too much of a problem ahead.

"This is so great...I mean while I'm listening and I let my mind go, I’m thinking...This is phenomenal! Especially the guitars. I really feel like we are transcending death...Breaking the laws of physics...no boundaries...Voivod, the survivor!"