''Angel Rat'' is the sixth studio

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

released by Canadian heavy metal band Voivod. Produced by Terry Brown of Rush fame, it was released in 1991 by Mechanic/

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wit ...

and is the follow-up to their critically acclaimed release, 1989's '' Nothingface''. On this album, Voivod adopted a more

alternative Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film * ''The Alternative ...

/ progressive/

psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...

sound, as opposed to the

progressive metal Progressive metal (sometimes shortened to prog metal) is a broad :Fusion music genres, fusion music genre melding heavy metal music, heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified electric guitar, guitar-driven s ...

of ''Nothingface'' and the

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...

of previous releases. A

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

was made for the song "Clouds in My House". While ''Angel Rat'' was released on a major record label, the album initially received mixed reviews and was not as successful as ''Nothingface'', though it has since gained a strong

cult following A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...

. Before the release of the album, bassist

Jean-Yves Thériault Jean-Yves "Blacky" Thériault (, born 15 December 1962) is the former bassist for Canadian thrash/progressive metal band Voivod. He co-founded the band and appeared on the first six albums – ''War and Pain'', ''Rrröööaaarrr'', ''Killing ...

(Blacky) departed from the group, but rejoined in 2008 (he would later leave again in 2014).

Men Without Hats Men Without Hats are a Canadian New wave music, new wave and synth-pop band, originally from Montreal, Quebec. Their music is characterized by the baritone voice of their lead singer Ivan Doroschuk, as well as their elaborate use of synthesizers ...

bandleader

Ivan Doroschuk Ivan Eugene Doroschuk (, ), born 9 October 1957, is an American-born Canadian musician. He is the lead vocalist and founding member of Men Without Hats, best known for the hit song "The Safety Dance". Early life Ivan Doroschuk was born on ...

performs keyboards on "The Outcast". This was done in return for drummer

Michel Langevin Michel "Away" Langevin (born May 30, 1963) is a founding member and drummer of Canadian heavy metal band Voivod. He has been a constant member of the band since its formation in 1982. Langevin is credited with the creation of the mythology of ...

recording the drums for Men Without Hats' album ''

Sideways ''Sideways'' is a 2004 American comedy-drama road film directed by Alexander Payne and written by Jim Taylor and Payne. A film adaptation of Rex Pickett's 2004 novel of the same name, ''Sideways'' follows two men in their forties, Miles Raymo ...

'', recorded around the same time, and participating in the tour to promote that album. The master tapes for the album, as well as ''Nothingface'' and ''The Outer Limits'', were long thought destroyed in the 2008 Universal Studios fire, however Thériault discovered in late 2019 that the tapes were located in a facility in Pennsylvania, after persistently questioning Universal staff. The tapes are now in his possession.

Track listing

All songs written by Voivod

Personnel

;Voivod *

Denis Bélanger Denis "Snake" Bélanger (born August 9, 1964) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. He is the lead singer and lyricist of heavy metal band Voivod. Early life Bélanger grew up in Jonquière, Quebec. Career Bélanger joined Michel Langevin, D ...

–

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

Denis D'Amour Denis "Piggy" D'Amour (September 24, 1959 – August 26, 2005) was a Canadian guitarist. He was a member of the heavy metal band Voivod from its inception in 1982 until his death in 2005. D'Amour's approach to music was anarchic and experime ...

–

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

–

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

, cover concept *

–

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

, keyboards ;Additional musicians * Ray Coburn – keyboards *

– additional keyboards on track 9 ;Production * Terry Brown – producer, engineer, mixing *John Bailey, L. Stu Young – assistant engineers *Pierre Jasmin – computer programming *Kiisti Matsuo – lyrical consultant *Steve Sinclair – executive producer

References

{{Authority control 1991 albums Voivod (band) albums MCA Records albums Albums produced by Terry Brown (record producer) Albums recorded at Metalworks Studios