by JOHNSON CUMMINS

I am still having a hard time coming to grips with the fact that one of the world’s greatest musicians, whom I thankfully counted as a close friend, is no longer with us. Flanked by family and friends, Voivod’s Denis “Piggy” D’Amour slipped away late at night on Aug. 26 due to colon cancer. The cancer was detected at the beginning of the summer after a routine checkup but sadly was inoperable due to its advanced stage, and was spreading to his liver. Piggy had already beaten a brain tumour in the late ’80s and I, like many people, thought he would beat this too. Sadly, we were wrong.

Although to say the man was a big influence on me musically would be a gross understatement, I will personally remember Piggy best for his disarming demeanour. When I first moved to Montreal in the late ’80s, the first bona fide rock stars I met were Voivod, at Foufounes. Being a huge fan since the first record, I was a little gaga and completely nervous at simply being in the presence of greatness (hell, this wasn’t just a band, they were the “Warriors of Ice”). I assumed they would just brush me off as the acne-ridden punk I was. Needless to say, and as many others who spent more than five minutes with them will attest, you could never really think of them as rock stars. They proved to be some of the most down to earth, humble people I have ever met, and Piggy would remain exactly that way as I got to know him over the next 20 years.

Sure, Piggy’s psych/prog take on metal guitar was one of the most innovative and influential to ever hit the genre (just ask Neurosis, Isis and most of the current crop of tech-metal bands). But Piggy was much more than just a guitar genius. The only thing that could outshine his monumental talent was his positivity, humility, his always-beaming smile and childlike innocence, his sense of humour and bellowing laugh.

There is, thankfully, going to be a 14th Voivod album. The completed guitar tracks were recorded on Piggy’s laptop, and as his dying wish he instructed his family to give the demos to Voivod drummer (and friend since high school) Michel Langevin to finish the record. In true Piggy fashion, he told Michel from his hospital bed “not to fuck with his guitar parts” before beaming his trademark smile. The record will be released on The End Records next year. For those of you who aren’t in the know, check out Voivod’s Dimension Hatross, Killing Technology, Nothingface and the recent eponymous album, and hear the massive influence Piggy’s guitar playing has had on the face of metal.

My heart and thoughts go out to his family, his bandmates Michel, Jason and Snake, his girlfriend Julie, his manager James and fellow fans of Voivod (Iron Gang!). Fans can leave testimonials at voivod.com, voivodfan.com and voivod.net. Piggy, your music will serve as an inspiration for generations to come—thanks for the lessons you taught this acne-ridden punk.

RRRROOOOAAAAARRRRRR! jonathan.cummins@gmail.com

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