On Voivod, yeah it was really sad when Piggy died, everyone thought the band was toast after Infini, the last album composed of Piggy's leftover riffs. But, they got a new guitarist, apparently picked by D'Amour himself.
Everybody was extremely skeptical, but then they came out with 2013's Target Earth, which shocked everyone because it was extremely good, a complete return to their Dimension Hatross thru Outer Limits sound. The new guy, Daniel Mongrain, is their lead songwriter now & it's seriously as if he were possessed by Piggy himself. It's uncanny. You know it's good when all the people who said "No D'Amour, no Voivod" are putting it on their best of '13 lists.
Then in '16 came the Post Society EP, which was even better (That's what my previous link was from). While Target was pure classic Voivod, on this they actually began pushing the envelope even farther than they did in their heyday.
...And then came 2018's The Wake. This record shook the entire Metal scene. They went to completely new heights on it, & most fans, even the old school ones, are saying it's one of their best ever, with a lot even crowning it THE best. It was the highest-rated Metal release of 2018, & a lot of people are calling it one of the best of the 21st century. If you're a fan, I can't recommend it enough.
And yeah, I completely agree about TooL, Ænima is where they really took off. And I've really been digging the new tracks the last few days. I remember when Adam posted an instagram vid of him playing new riffs, warming up for the new tour. They ended up being from the breakdown at the end of Descending. I'm really looking forward to that record.
Btw, they just confirmed the release date: August 30th. I can't wait.
