Jimmy Kay from The Metal Voice sat down with Voivod’s singer Denis ‘Snake’ Belanger and his partner and Artist Christine Mcdonald at BBAM Gallery in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on March 1, 2026.
Watch the full interview below.
The discussion revolved around Christine’s art and her stage 4 Cancer struggle and how the band and the fans started a Go fund me to assist with their expenses.
Also mentioned in the conversation was former Voivod Eric Forest (E-force) recent stage 3 cancer struggle and fans rallying for him.
Voivod Singer Snake also was asked if there were any updates about the upcoming Symphonic Voivod album, Snake said ‘It was complicated but it’s going to come out on June 5th (2026) There would be some singles coming out before that, but uh it’s coming out this year on June 5th. And it sounds great.”
He continued,” Francis (Perron Producer) captured the band but the orchestra was complicated to mix. I heard the last version (mix) and it was like, wow, it’s really trippy. You almost forget that there is an orchestra behind you. It feels natural. It’s a perfect blend. Voivod at its best. People said they’ve never experienced such a thing, with the combination of the music and imagery. For me I didn’t see it. I was like so concentrated on doing the right thing. You know it was stressful. No time to F**K up. Usually when you go on stage, ok I missed that part.” Doing this you couldn’t make errors. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life. Seriously, It was a challenge but I want to do it again and uh we’re going to do it again.”
The Metal Voice recently interview singer Rob Dukes of Exodus and spoke about the bands 12th studio album called ‘Goliath’ which will be released on Napalm records on March 20th 2026.
Watch the full interview below.
When asked about the fans’ reaction of him being back in the band and on tour?
” I mean, it’s been awesome, man. I mean, nobody’s come up and said to me, “Hey, you suck.” I mean, nobody’s ever said that to my face. Uh, they say it online, but they don’t ever say it to my face. It’s been awesome, man. I mean, the fans have been killer. You know, we meet people before the show and they’re always really stoked and happy we’re here and then um the crowd reaction seems to be, you know, [ __ ] great, man. I mean, they’re just singing along with the songs and having a blast and having a good time and everybody’s big [ __ ] goofy grin on their face, you know what I mean? I’m sure I got one on my face. I’m happy to be back up there again, you know what I mean? And I acknowledge that. So, yeah, it’s been uh it’s been really good. “
When asked about the online polarization of him being back in the band
“Let me clarify. I don’t read the online comments, but my people do and they kind of give me the synopsis. It’s kind of like Blaze Bailey. Well, there’s two things to do. I always jokingly said I’m the Blaze Bailey of [ __ ] Exodus. You know what I mean? Only because I was the third singer. So, but whatever. It’s just that I look at it like this. I love music as much as everyone else. I would have never thought to go on a website and trash anything they do or even make a positive comment. I just don’t, I’m not that guy. So, I don’t I don’t really get why people do it. But then again, I kind of get it. You know what I mean? You’re captivated by music because when you hear a song, it puts you in a moment of time. It does. And that moment of time is forever encapsulated in your emotions. But now that there’s like this internet and the websites and stuff, everyone can inject their opinion whether it means anything or not. I don’t give a [ __ ] what people think of me. 99.9% of the people that talk [ __ ] about me have never [ __ ] met me. So, you could have your opinion. You’re more than entitled to it. And that’s fine. It doesn’t affect my way I’m going to do things or the way I live my life or who I am as a person. You’re not gonna do it it doesn’t matter. So you can just keep talking [ __ ] It doesn’t bug me.”
When asked how he felt when he was asked to rejoin the band?
“I needed a day (to say yes). I had to talk with my family and uh and my people I work with. I have a whole another life. I’ve become a welder in the last 10 years and a fabricator and I work at a at a business and I uh you know work for myself and and I had to contemplate can I take this time off and go do tours and and still maintain my my life and and um so it took me a day to think about it and and then um I said yeah I said all right cool I’ll go do it. “
When asked if he completed the Album Blood in, Blood out with his vocals before Zetro came back into the band
“Yeah. Nuclear Blast has it. It’s complete. Yeah,. I did the whole album “.
When asked how he felt when we was let go after Blood in Blood out
“I was [ __ ] pissed, man. It wasn’t my identity, but it had become my livelihood and it was all taken from me, you know what I mean? And it was really bad timing. Um, Hurricane Sandy had happened and I had a lot of fallout from that from where I lived. Uh I lived in uh in North Jersey at the time and um uh it was just I I just got married and it was just I mean the worst [ __ ] timing and I I was really um I was angry about it at first but then when the anger subsided. I was terrified because now if I was just alone it was just me I wouldn’t it wouldn’t have been as bad. I think I would have handled it much better. But the fact that I had other people that I was responsible for it, it threw me for a for a loop and I was pretty angry for about a year and then uh then it subsided and then I just totally and moved on and uh I made my peace with it and um didn’t hold the resentment or and let the anger go and and all that.”
When asked about the musical direction of the new album Goliath
“I just think it’s Exodus, you know, in 2026, man. I mean, it’s just evolutionary progress. It’s a really really diverse record because it’s absolutely Exodus. Especially Gary (Holt). There’s just no denying that it’s Exodus. It gives you curveballs. It gives you straight up [ __ ] thrash when you [ __ ] the way you want to hear it. The lead playing on this. I mean, Lee (Altus) and Gary were [ __ ] I mean, I watched him do every solo and it’s [ __ ] phenomenal. Jack (Gibson) blew my mind with the way he played on this record. Jack would walk in and go, “What key is it in?” Okay. And then he’d [ __ ] just It was I mean, and Tom (Hunting), too. It’s been uh it was an amazing experience
Canada’s The Metal Voice recently spoke to Mercyful Fate, Fury Bassist Beck Baldwin about her Top 5 Mercyful Fate Songs. Baldwin also gave a status update on Mercyful Fate’s up and coming studio Album.
Watch the video interview below.
When asked about the status update on Mercyful Fate plans for touring and new studio album
“I’‘m not too sure at the moment in terms of the time frame. Um but yeah, like there is, there is an album in the works. Yeah. So we’ve got the first single “The Jackal of Salzburg,” that we played on the tour back in 2022. Um there’s yeah another song which I think is very close to being ready. Um and yeah, there you know there was a full album that is instrumentally pretty much there. So, it just needs rearranging, a lot of the songs need vocals, but I think they’ve got ideas down.”.
When asked if she heard the demos of the new album
“I’ve only heard like the instrumental demos, but yes the Riffs are and there and they’re very Hank (Sherman) and they’re very early Mercyful Fate. I think the fans are going to be really happy when they hear the kind of stuff that’s going on.”
When asked if they allow her to contribute musically to the new album
“Hank and King” they are really doing the writing I can contribute, the kind of flavor that the bass is going to bring. They let me have quite a free reign to just try different things out. They prefer to record the bass actually after the vocals. Uh, which I think is very interesting and I think that’s quite nice. It’s obvious because it’s the best instrument that comes last. (laughs).”
When asked if Mercyfat will be a full album or EP
“King’s been working on the King Diamond album and that’s supposed to be his next step, his next thing to complete is the (new)King Diamond album. The amount (of songs) that they have (for Mercyful Fate) that are instrumental tracks so far is enough for an album but maybe it would be easier, more efficient, more just how things are done these days to do an E.P. just to get things moving a bit faster? I’ve heard King say different things, how things are different now in the music industry. So do people even want albums? And I think you know metalheads do want albums especially like old school metal heads. But can the industry just operate in a different way these days? It’s more about singles. More bands are doing EPs and stuff like this. So I’m not sure but I have heard an album’s worth of material.(for Mercyful Fate).
The Metal Voice recently interviewed singer/ songwriter Dino Jelusick.
In the interview Dino discussed his time in Whitesnake, performing with Robert Plant and his solo band Jelusick.
Jelusick also mentioned that he was asked recently to front a band almost as big as Iron Maiden by guitar player & founder he said,
“I was asked to do something almost as big as Iron Maiden. Uh but it was so fast and there were so many things unresolved that it just fell off. I’m not going to. It’s a famous band that’s going on a tour now. Um and I’m still in touch with their guitar player and the founder. We’ve been seeing a lot of posts about him finding another band member publicly.”
Jimmy Kay from The Metal Voice recently spoke to Foreigner/ Ex Dokken bassist Jeff Pilson about the band’s upcoming Orchestra tour while taking a break at the 2026 Metal Hall of Fame rehearsals.
Watch the video below.
When asked about Foreigners upcoming tour
“Foreigner is doing quite a year of touring. We’re starting an orchestral run with the orchestra on March 6, 2026, we’re starting a residency in Vegas of five shows. And then we’re doing more orchestral shows, including the San Diego Symphony on March 20th. And it’s a really cool show cuz it still rocks, but it’s with an orchestra. It’s very cool, very dark and interesting. Um, then we’re just more touring. We’re doing a huge festival in Mexico in early May. We’re going to be in Europe for over a month in June doing festivals there. Uh, that’s going to be great. Uh then we tour with Lynyrd Skynyrd starting in July and that goes till I think September and then we’re going to tour all the way till the beginning of November. So busy year of touring,”
When asked if this the end of the road for Foreigner
“Actually not because you know we have a new singer and Luis Maldonado and his force of nature is incredible and wait till you hear him sing and perform. The guy is astonishing and uh he’s actually breathed a lot of new life into the band. So we have we have much more coming and no it’s not anywhere near the end of the road. We thought it was going to be at one point but not anymore. We’re rocking.”
When asked if he would ever consider doing a DOKKEN orchestration Tour?
“Sure. I’d love to actually enjoy doing that. I mean, after working with orchestras like I’ve been doing, um, I would feel very, uh, capable of coming up with something very cool. So, sure, I’d consider that. I mean, I don’t think the opportunity will ever arise, but if it did, sure, I’d love it. “
The Metal Voice sat down with ALDO NOVA in a 60 minute Live interview going over his long career. Talking about his big hits and big tours plus his work with Bon Jovi and Phil X and many others.
ALDO NOVA to kick off his upcoming tour by playing first show in Hometown MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA on JAN 31, 2026 after 35 years.
Aldo Nova: singer-songwriter, producer, guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, GRAMMY Award winner, a career spanning four decades, dozens of hits. Aldo returns to the stage after a long hiatus from the spotlight. Aldo Nova’s career got off to a flying start when his debut album, Aldo Nova, achieved multi-platinum certification and reached the top 10 on numerous charts, propelled by the hit single “Fantasy,” for which he also directed the music video. He continued his momentum with the release of his second album, Subject… Aldo Nova. Twitch, his third album, was also a success, producing the single “Tonight (Lift Me Up),” followed by the album Blood On The Bricks, written, composed, and produced by Aldo and Jon Bon Jovi, which was a smash hit! Over the years,
Aldo has collaborated extensively (composing, writing, producing) with some of the biggest stars in the music world: Céline Dion, Faith Hill, Jon Bon Jovi, Blue Öyster Cult, Elton John, Clay Aikin (American Idol), Carole King, Garou, Robert Charlebois, Éric Lapointe, Cheap Trick, Mario Pelchat, Hall and Oates, Patrick Buël, Cyndi Lauper, Sammy Hagar… Aldo was due to return to the stage in 2025. But a nasty fall forced him to cancel the tour: a fracture of the spine at the level of the first vertebra (C1). Lucky in his misfortune (this fracture often causes paralysis and can even be fatal), months of physiotherapy allowed him to resume rehearsals in time for a return to the stage at the beginning of the new year.
With his trademark energy, Aldo Nova returns to the stage, promising a high-energy rock show that will set the stage ablaze – his trademark. And the kickoff will be in his hometown of Montreal, his first hometown show since 1991! Aldo Nova in concert at the Cabaret du Casino de Montréal, the first major rock event of the year!
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s ASA unveil the long-overdue release of "Collective Failure" + first music video for title-track! Check it out and stay tuned for more news! Click image to watch the video
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s SARCOFAGUS return with a Historic 2010 Concert Video Premiere on YouTube! Click image to watch the video
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