Voivod – Target Earth (Pic)

Voivod – TARGET EARTH (PIC) is one of the more significant heavy records of the last decade, and this limited picture disc reissue from Alone Records makes a strong case for owning it in physical form all over again. Canadian outfit Voivod have spent more than thirty years defying easy categorisation, threading sci-fi concepts through technically demanding, progressive metal that sounds like nobody else. This is a band that built their own corner of the genre from scratch, and this album represents the opening of a new chapter.

The Story Behind Voivod – TARGET EARTH (PIC)

When guitarist and primary composer Denis “Piggy” D’Amour passed away, the question of Voivod’s future was a serious one. The band released Katorz, his final studio appearance as a guitarist, and then Infini, built from riffs and draft ideas D’Amour had left behind. That second posthumous record functioned almost as a farewell gift. Target Earth, then, was something different: the first album requiring the band to move forward without that material. The answer came in the form of Daniel Mongrain, guitarist from the Canadian technical metal band Martyr, who stepped in and immediately demonstrated he could work within Voivod’s complex, idiosyncratic language. The metal community took notice quickly. Target Earth, released in 2013, is the record that proved the band’s creative life was far from over.

Format and Pressing Details

This edition is a gatefold double picture disc LP, pressed and released through Alone Records under catalog number ARLPPIC 62. The pressing is limited to 500 copies. A double picture disc is always a more involved format to produce, and at this run size it is a genuinely limited item rather than a token gesture at scarcity. The gatefold presentation suits the album’s scope. Ten tracks are spread across two discs, opening with the title track and closing with Defiance, covering ground from Warchaic and Resistance through to Corpsetranger and Artefact. The full tracklisting is present and balanced across both sides.

Why Collectors Want This Copy

Picture discs occupy a specific place in a collection. They are format objects as much as they are listening records, and the visual element here carries real weight given how central artwork and science fiction imagery have always been to Voivod’s identity. The 500-copy ceiling is low enough that this will not be easy to locate once it circulates. For collectors who already have earlier Voivod pressings, this sits logically alongside them as a document of the band’s transition into their current lineup. For anyone coming to Voivod through Mongrain’s tenure, Target Earth is the right starting point, and this is the format that does it justice.

Tracklist

Media 1
1. TARGET EARTH
2. KLUSKAPOKOM
3. EMPATHY FOR THE ENEMY
4. MECHANICAL MIND
Media 2
1. WARCHAIC
2. RESISTANCE
3. KALEIDOS
4. CORPSETRANGER
5. ARTEFACT
6. DEFIANCE

More Metal vinyl:

• Voivod – The Wake (Pic)
• Amenra – Mass Iiii
• Borknagar – Quintessence (Pic)