Originally from Quebec, Canada, Voivod formed in 1982 as a heavy metal band. Influenced equally by the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and the Reagan-era Cold War, their early, post-apocalypic music would later evolve into outright science fiction. Voivod reached the peak of their popularity with the 1989 release Nothingface which featured a cover version of Pink Floyd's Astronomy Domine. They would later cover another Pink Floyd song, The Nile Song, on their 1993 release The Outer Limits.
Two of the four founding members (bassist Jean-Yves Theriault and vocalist Denis Belanger) left Voivod in the early 1990s. The band recorded three albums as a trio in the late 1990s with new member Eric Forrest handling both vocals and bass guitar. Forrest was badly injured in a car accident in Germany in 1998, and that incarnation of Voivod never regained the momentum they lost during his rehabilitation. Voivod briefly disbanded in 2001 before Belanger returned to the band. The current incarnation of Voivod features three of the four founding members: Denis Belanger (vocals), Denis D'Amour (guitars), and Michel Langevin (drums) along with Jason Newsted (of Flotsam and Jetsam and Metallica) on bass guitar. Their most recent record is Voivod, released in March 2003.