In a new interview with music writer Joel Gausten, Voivod drummer Michel “Away” Langevin discusses a number of topics including the band's upcoming Post Society EP, the departure of former bassist Jean-Yves “Blacky” Thériault, and the key to the group's longevity. Additionally, he offers insight into how Motorhead influenced their sound and career. The band pay tribute to Lemmy on Post Society with a cover of “Silver Machine” by his pre-Motörhead band Hawkwind. An excerpt from the chat appears below:

Gausten: One of the highlights of Post Society for me is your cover of “Silver Machine,” which I know was recorded and announced before Lemmy's passing. Obviously, you guys toured with Motörhead, and you covered Motörhead in the early days. What was that band's greatest impact on you as a musician?

Away: "It's definitely the band that had the most impact on Voivod. We were fans of Discharge and Venom and all that, but Motörhead was really the focus of Voivod in the sense that I totally copied 'Philthy Animal' Taylor, and Snake's vocals are really influenced by Lemmy's vocals. Of course, Piggy was a huge fan of 'Fast' Eddie; actually, Piggy's first nickname was 'Fast Piggy' (laughs). Motörhead was really the example for us. It was just heavier than everything, especially at the end of the '70s and very early '80s. It was the basis for everyone who wanted to be heavy. All of a sudden, everyone wanted to be heavier than Motörhead, then all of a sudden, everybody wanted to be heavier than Slayer and so on and so on. It turned into blastbeats (laughs)!"

Gausten: How were you first introduced to Hawkwind?

Away: "Again, this is all stuff that Piggy was aware of in the '70s. We were two or three years younger than him, and he really introduced us to weird progressive rock and German krautrock and all that. Hawkwind has definitely always been one of my favorites, along with Gong. When we did the last sessions for the new EP, we heard a lot about cancellations of shows on the Motörhead 40th Anniversary Tour. We started to worry about Lemmy. While in the studio, we decided to do 'Silver Machine.' We did it really quick; we learned it in the studio, winged it and tried our best. But it was definitely to pay homage to Lemmy. Of course, we were not expecting him to pass away; we just felt it was time to pay tribute to him."

The complete interview is available at this location.   

Voivod are streaming the title track of their upcoming Post Society EP. This special release will be available in Digipak CD format as well as Digital Download on February 26th via Century Media Records.

Michel “Away” Langevin checked in to comment about the song, which is streaming below: “Another apocalyptic song from the RadicArt sessions. I think “Post Society” is a good indication of where we are heading for musically. Ingredients from all the Voivod eras with a futuristic touch. I can't wait to play it live!”

The Post Society EP, with artwork by Voivod drummer Michel “Away” Langevin, contains five studio tracks, including the previously vinyl-only new Voivod songs from the split 7” EP’s with label-mates At The Gates and Napalm Death, two brand new songs and a Hawkwind cover (“Silver Machine”) total playing time of 30 minutes. Pre-order at this location.

Post Society EP tracklisting:

“Post Society”
“Forever Mountain”
“Fall”
“We Are Connected”
“Silver Machine”

“Post Society”:

Michel “Away” Langevin checked in to comment on the release: “More songs from out in the woods! In between tours, we are steadily finding our way through recording the next album at RadicArt studio. Many riffs were composed on the bus but until the North American tour with Vektor in 2016, we will spend most of wintertime in Montreal writing another batch of material. Meanwhile, we hope you will enjoy this EP of good old thrash-prog-punk-metal or whatever people want to call Voïvod nowadays :)”

Voivod’s previously announced first leg of their next US tour in February/March 2016 with support by Vektor, as well as Eight Bells from February 6th - 287h and Black Fast from February 28th - March 5th, has recently been expanded for a few dates.

Here is the updated schedule:

February
6 - Providence, RI - Fete Ballroom
7 - New York, NY - Gramercy Theatre
8 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts
9 - Morgantown, WV - Mainstage
10 - Pittsburgh, PA - Altar Bar
11 - Asbury Park, NJ - Stone Pony
12 - Lancaster, PA - Chameleon Club
13 - Washington, DC - Black Cat
14 - Richmond, VA - Strange Matter
16 - Raleigh, NC - Kings
18 - Charlotte, NC - Neighborhood Theatre
19 - Sanford, FL - West End Trading Co.
20 - Ybor City, FL - The Orpheum
21 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
22 - Knoxville, TN - The Concourse
23 - Newport, KY - Southgate House Revival
24 - Chicago, IL - The Abbey Pub
25 - Cudahy, WI - The Metal Grill
26 - St Paul, MN - The Amsterdam
27 - Omaha, NE - Waiting Room
28 - St. Louis, MO - Firebird
29 - Louisville, KY - Zanzibar

March
2 - Columbus, OH - A&R Music Bar
3 - Ferndale, MI - The Loving Touch
4 - Toronto, ON - Mod Club
5 - Hamilton, ON - This Ain’t Hollywood