Eric Forrest of E-Force reveals the Voivod’s 2001 album demo tape! (Interview)

19/11/2022 Video Interviews Share

Minions! This is our 2nd interview with the legendary Eric Forrest of E-Force/ex-Voivod. We are honored to have him on the show once again. However, we apologize for technical difficulties, since the 1st take of the interview was literally deleted, so we had to do it again from the scratch (Skype>>>>>Zoom!) Once again, we would like to thank Eric for having the nerves to do the same interview twice (and btw, the 2nd take came out even better than the first one!)

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We started the interview with the question from our loyal patron and the biggest Voivod fan, Amber Dawn. Basically, she submitted four questions (and all of them were answered) but we shall reveal only one of her questions to keep the “surprise effect“ for people who submit the questions. So one of her questions for Eric was:

“I was listening to an interview with Away a couple years ago and he mentioned the possibility of an Eric Forrest era Voivod box set. I think that would be amazing. Are there any updates about this and what would you like it to look like? Do you think it might contain any of the songs from the unreleased demo from 2001?”

So Eric replied about the future of 2001 album demo and the Negatron/Phobos era box set:

“I believe it would look like…some videos, obviously. From my part when I was in the band…Live footage and obviously some footage from the unreleased album (2001 album demo). Is it gonna happen? I am not sure, because those guys are kind of more focused on what they are doing today. If it happens, great! There is talk about it, but I am not so sure what exactly will happen. It’s different for me to elaborate and think about it, I mean if it happens one day, if it does, great! I am honored either way.”

We then talked about the upcoming E-Force album: We demoed some new songs, already. Taking time, taking shape. Sounds like E-Force! Demoing songs is never always complete. I would kinda leave it and let it grow on you a little bit. Make changes and then wait a bit, because sometimes I change my mind, alright?...Tons of riffs. I’ve got a lot of material. It’s just a matter of…as I set, putting the puzzle together. But…Patrick Friedrich, the drummer, and Sebastian Chiffot planned the next one and we have the new guitar player, Zachary Nadal, he is French also. He is a shredder. So it’s really good to have that ensemble to put some good metal together and nothing planned yet though. We are working on the tour of Mindbender but, little bit delayed from the Covid everything so we’ll do what we can.”

When asked how many new songs he has for the upcoming E-Force album and whether he has the titles for them, Eric said:

“No album title yet. I got maybe, 20 or 30 ideas, but nothing specific for each song yet. There’s about 3 songs demoed already. And I have about 30 minutes of riffs and it’s just puzzled together, song by song. And digesting the parts, but sure, It will sound better than the last one. Not that the last one is bad, but it will top it”. He also revealed the release date of the new album: „I believe, next year. That’s what I’m sort of feeling the vibe. But like, because of all of this Covid stuff, we’re turned to plan the rout for the tour for early next year, or later next year. So one album at the time kind of thing.

Then, we switched the topic to Voivod’s unreleased 2001 album demo. He explained that the album has Angel Rat vibes: Yeah, I think so. Kind of Angel Rap...Angel Rap, yo, yo, yo! Angel Rat...The Outer Limits kind of vibe as opposed to work that I did before, Negatron and Phobos, which is more heavier, thrashier. This one’s got more progressive, psychedellic, groovin’ rockin’ Voivod vibes. And I sing more than URRRGGHHH on the other ones. So it’s a different album but yeah, if it’s gonna come up about you know, at least that’s great! But it’s not really my place to say or what and when... Other than that, there’s a movie coming out and I did a video, 3-4 years ago in Toronto. It’s like documentary but that’s all the news that I have really. Other than that the artwork looks great!

When asked whether he would prefer to re-record the 2001 album demo Eric stated: Well, I am not so sure. You know, I did re-record “Victory“ on the E-Force’s Modified Poison record as the tribute to Piggy who passed in 2005. I sing some parts little heavier, maybe the chorus, whatever…Anyway, to re-do that demo from 2001…it’s kinda sacred. I don’t want to touch it, really. Some of the work that Piggy did is very psychedelic and super spacey and really… You know, like he did on say, Phobos in a way, for sure. It’s been a long time since I heard ‘em. What I remember last time I heard it is maybe, 15 years ago maybe, something like that… And yeah, it’s got some really good stuff on it.

Eric Forrest then mentioned that other than Away and him, some Blabbermouth journalist has the demo tape with 3-4 of songs on it. “I think Away has the copy and I have a copy. And maybe the management at the time.” But the best part of the interview was when he pulled the tape out of his drawer and showed it on camera. The cassette has Piggy’s handwriting saying Voivod 13 “I don’t know what to say about it other than it’s a part of the history and if it’s released one day, I’m honored. If it doesn’t it’s in the archives…like some things in the pyramids in Egypt. Hey! Part of it anyway, you know…It’s a mystery…That’s kind of interesting and I think maybe some fans are curious to hear it. But for them it’s not really worth t heir time to do it as Voivod in 2022, 2023, etc. It’s great and everything, I am honored, but I don’t see it happening“.

He also mentioned that the 2001 album demo is not digitalized, and that’s there’s only 2 cassette tapes – his and Away’s. He added – I never really realized that people may be serious as I thought. I guess over the time and the years, time’s past...it’s the whole mystery part about it that keeps it going I guess in a sense. But yeah, I may dig up a safe cassette player to listen to it. It’s been a long, long time.

When asked what his favorite song from unreleased demo is, he said: “I like the Victory song, which is probably one of the reasons why I did it as a tribute to Piggy on the Modified Poison record. And that was pretty good track. I mean, interestengly enough, that I never recorded the part that’s missing. There’ should be a guitar solo. And it’s kind of....It’s hard to say, man! Like Phobos record, it’s hard to say which is the best one. You have to listen to the whole thing as one in a way… And this one is kind of like that too.”

He also described Piggy’s solos from the 2001 album demo: “They were amazing, man! They were very psychedelic, spacey kind of vibe and like I said earlier..Before, when we recorded the Phobos record, he had his new digitech toy, with all these different sounds, with all these things cool things to work with. And it was really, you know, being the person that he was, he would investigate all the tones you can get and everything. It really helped create that spooky, dark vibe for Phobos. And he did that as I remember on demo and stuff. But more in a psychedelic way. I don’t know how to explain it but it was Piggy, for sure.“

Voivod's 2001 album demo tape

Other than songs like “Victory”, “Day by Day”, and “Confrontation” that the band played live with Eric, he also mentioned some intro from the demo that the band was using for live shows: “We had an intro….kind of…slow, built tempo and then it took off…We did that for minute and a half, at many shows. So we were already playing the new record (meaning 2001 album demo) before it was even recorded almost in a way… It was a great song because it started off really mellow…Now that I think about talking about this today, the guitar tones and songs were really, really special, with some really, really good stuff on that. But I think it’s for them to decide if and when and all that. And it’s for the archive and…It’s in the vault! Whenever, if ever gets opened!

After that, we talked about the creepy connection between the Voivod character falling into a coma at the end of Nothingface and on Phobos album and the accident that happened to Eric Forrest himself in Germany, in 1998, where he fell into a coma. He then talked about his out-of-body experience. He then mentioned that he is writing an autobiography: “I was working on a book few years ago…and stopped. I’m gonna work on it again somehow, someway, and talk about all of that stuff. Not just through music or whatever, but through Autobiography or something…” He later added to the subject: “It did start maybe 4 years ago. I got a guy who put some money into it and work up the business and we were recording maybe 16 hours of me speaking about life, this and that, Voivod. It kinda is on pause for the moment but one day, yeah! It was good when it started (laughs). It stopped but anyway, it’s not that I can’t do it in the future, you know, one day, for sure!”

We then talked about Negatron and Phobos era and Eric’s lyrical and musical contribution to these albums. After that, we talked about conspiracy theories on Negatron album. Eric mentioned that the song “Insect“ is inspired by the Waco, Texas siege. Right after, we talked about Denis D’Amour Piggy (RIP). Pretty much everything from Eric meeting Piggy for the first time, his musical genius, technique, all the good stuff! Eric also shared the story about him getting into Voivod: “A drummer, friend of mine from Toronto, guy Jeff Salem, still in Toronto playing around, introduced me to Pierre Paradis for another band. Needless to say I didn’t get the gig but I still met them, and the band I was singing was Thunder Circus in Toronto. I played a show with this band, Saints and Sinners. Erin Mark from the band Sword, from Quebec. And anyway, I kept in touch, whatever, ok. Actually, the ex-manager wanted get something…my ex-girlfriend some contact with Playboy magazine. So that was kind of related. So she goes, yeah! And yeah, let me send something. Give me the pictures, and I wrote what I’m doing by the way. And funny enough, I got the call back, hey, come audition to Voivod! Funny how it works! Crazy man!”

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After that, we talked about the songs “Bacteria” from the Phobos album, “Germ Warfare” and “Scarring” from E-Force’s Evil Forces album. At the end of the interview, we talked about Eric Forrest’s bass and vocal influences, his favorite albums. Eric also said that he would play the Negatron + Phobos set in the future! To be honest, before the last record, we maybe played like maybe 8 or 9 countries. 30 shows. This T-Shirt, Voivod Revisited.

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01:15 amber dawn questions

06:53 new E-Force album?

9:30 Unreleased Voivod 2001 album demo

17:35 Plazying Victory, Confrontation, Day by Day (songs from 2001 demo)

19:25 Coma, Out-of-Body experience

22:15 upcoming book

23:52 Negatron and Phobos lyrics

25:05 Negatron and Conspiracy Theories

27:48 Denis D’Amour Piggy

32:27 ravenous medicine

33:16 Piggy as the song-writer, his technique, tuning…

34:33 meeting Piggy for the 1^st time