Canadian sci-fi metal innovators VOIVOD will celebrate 40 eventful years of existence in 2023 with a special anniversary studio album titled “Morgöth Tales”, to be released on July 21 via Century Media Records.

Once more recorded and mixed by Francis Perron at RadicArt Studio, mastered by Maor Appelbaum and produced by VOIVOD, “Morgöth Tales” includes fresh studio re-recordings by the band’s current lineup of nine especially selected, not-so-obvious picks from the band’s hyper-classy and extremely diverse back catalogue (between 1984 and 2003) as well as a brand-new song and the album’s title track, “Morgöth Tales”.

VOIVOD drummer Michel “Away” Langevin comments: “‘Morgöth Tales’ covers 40 years of space exploration.

“It was really exciting for us to revisit a more obscure part of the VOIVOD catalogue, from thrash-punk to prog-metal.

“The title track is a new song, which we started writing on the tour bus and hotels during the OPETH European tour in November/December 2022. It has the vibe of the experimental music we are doing nowadays, with a new twist I think. We also had the great thrill of getting Eric (Forrest) and Jason (Newsted) involved on this album.

“I hope you’ll dig it. Chewy, Rocky, Snake and I certainly had a blast recording it. All aboard and ready for take off!”

“Morgöth Tales” track listing:

01. Condemned To The Gallows(2023 Version) (originally on “Metal Massacre V” compilation, 1984)
02. Thrashing Rage (2023 Version) (originally on “Rrröööaaarrr”, 1986)
03. Killing Technology (2023 Version) (originally on “Killing Technology”, 1987)
04. Macrosolutions To Megaproblems (2023 Version) (originally on “Dimension Hatröss”, 1988)
05. Pre-Ignition (2023 Version) (originally on “Nothingface”, 1989)
06. Nuage Fractal (2023 Version) (originally on “Angel Rat”, 1991)
07. Fix My Heart (2023 Version) (originally on “The Outer Limits”, 1993)
08. Rise (2023 Version, feat. Eric Forrest) (originally on “Phobos”, 1997)
09. Rebel Robot (2023 Version, feat. Jason Newsted) (originally on “Voivod”, 2003)
10. Morgöth Tales (New Song)

VOIVOD vocalist Denis “Snake” Bélanger spoke about “Morgöth Tales” in a recent interview with Agoraphobic News. He said: “It was a really fun thing to do. It was like a time capsule, going back in time (to) revisit these old songs, especially one in particular, which was first song we ever recorded (‘Condemned To The Gallows’); that was for ‘Metal Massacre V’ (1984) on Metal Blade Records back in the day, before our first album. And the funny thing about it was there was no lyric sheet in the compilation itself. It was us, including many other bands. And the way it was recorded, it was really hard to figure out the lyrics; I couldn’t remember what I was singing. So we’re looking everywhere on the Internet, if someone has it or whatever. And it was nowhere (to be) found. And then I said to myself, ‘Maybe mom has it in the attic somewhere.’ And then I called my sister: ‘Can you check at mom’s place? Maybe she put it somewhere.’ And she went, and my mom classified — everything is in order with mom. And she was, like, ‘Yeah, yeah, I have it. File number six.’ And then she pulls out the only copy of the lyrics in the world of that song.’ And we were, like, ‘Yeah!’ ‘Cause (music for) the song was already recorded. And we were, like, ‘Oh my God. What are we gonna do?'”

Circling back to the upcoming 40th-anniversary album, Snake said that it will contain a song “not (from) every album, but mostly the period from ‘Rrröööaaarrr’, ‘Killing Technology’, ‘Dimension Hatröss’, ‘Nothingface’; we revisit one song from each (album). And it’s in a chronological (order). So it’s very fun. It was fun to do.”

He added: “It was really — like I said — like a time capsule, going back. And I’m trying to sing these songs like I used to.”

As previously reported, VOIVOD will return to the USA with a run of shows this spring. Featuring IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT as support, this trek will be part one of VOIVOD‘s “40 Years Of Morgöth Tales” tour.

Before “40 Years Of Morgöth Tales” part one, VOIVOD will make select appearances across the U.K. and Netherlands in April; then, the group will return to Europe in May for a tour with TESTAMENT and EXODUS, with festivals to follow in the summer.