3x****
Another Voivod album with the same old strengths and fatal flaws, but here goes. Overall the album is balanced more toward the Testament end than the Rush. Opener "Gasmask Revival" has a standard Testament-copy riff, and is sunk by the extra-nasal vocal delivery and badly phrased lyrics "I'm no more good citizen - I never was". "Facing Up"**** is a significant improvement with pounding toms dueling with dissonant chord work, and several creative and memorable riffs. Seek and Destroy-like "Blame Us"**** is another high point with its angular but catchy riff, giving way a wicked feedback ending. Likewise the powerful dissonant riff of "The Multiverse"**** is memorable. But to counter these consistently well-constructed tracks are silliness like the 'a little matrix in everyone' line in "Rebel Robot" and other rather lame lines that are repeated and emphasized in "Strange and Ironic" and closing "We Carry On" where the line is repeated sans band and only highlights Snake's vocal limitations.
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