Denis D'Amour
Encyclopedia
Denis "Piggy" D'Amour was the guitar
ist for the Canadian heavy metal
band Voivod
from its inception in 1982 until his death from colon cancer
in 2005, aged 45. His approach to music was anarchic and experimental rather than strict and theoretical. He was trained in classical violin as a child. He was influenced by progressive rock artists such as King Crimson
, Pink Floyd
and Rush
.
D'Amour slipped into a coma in the palliative care unit of a Montreal hospital on August 25, 2005, surrounded in his final hours by family and friends. The guitarist died the next day at approximately 11:45pm.
The documentary Metal: A Headbanger's Journey
, featuring an interview with D'Amour, was released on September 7.
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist for the Canadian heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Voivod
Voivod (band)
Voivod are a Canadian heavy metal band from Jonquière, Quebec, Canada. Their musical style has changed several times since the band's origin in the early 1980s...
from its inception in 1982 until his death from colon cancer
Colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer, commonly known as bowel cancer, is a cancer caused by uncontrolled cell growth , in the colon, rectum, or vermiform appendix. Colorectal cancer is clinically distinct from anal cancer, which affects the anus....
in 2005, aged 45. His approach to music was anarchic and experimental rather than strict and theoretical. He was trained in classical violin as a child. He was influenced by progressive rock artists such as King Crimson
King Crimson
King Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...
, Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
and Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
.
Death
In the summer of 2005, D'Amour was diagnosed with colon cancer. Subsequently, a routine operation was scheduled though several complications led doctors to suspect further problems. The cancer had extensively progressed, rendering any operation non viable.D'Amour slipped into a coma in the palliative care unit of a Montreal hospital on August 25, 2005, surrounded in his final hours by family and friends. The guitarist died the next day at approximately 11:45pm.
The documentary Metal: A Headbanger's Journey
Metal: A Headbanger's Journey
Metal: A Headbanger's Journey is a 2005 documentary directed by Sam Dunn with Scot McFadyen and Jessica Wise. The film follows 31-year-old Dunn, a Canadian anthropologist, who has been a heavy metal fan since the age of 12...
, featuring an interview with D'Amour, was released on September 7.
Effects/Pedals
- Digitech IPS 33
- Yamaha SPX-90 II
- BOSSBoss CorporationBoss is a manufacturer of effects pedals for electric guitar and bass guitar. It is a division of the Roland Corporation, a Japanese manufacturer that specializes in musical equipment and accessories...
SD-1 Super Overdrive - IbanezIbanezis a Japanese guitar brand owned by Hoshino Gakki. Based in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, Hoshino Gakki were one of the first Japanese musical instrument companies to gain a significant foothold in import guitar sales in the United States and Europe, as well as the first brand of guitars to mass produce...
DM-1100 Digital Delay
Discography
Voivod albums:- War & PainWar & PainWar and Pain is the debut album from Canadian thrash metal/progressive metal band Voivod, which was released on August 10, 1984 through Metal Blade Records...
1984 (Metal Blade RecordsMetal Blade RecordsMetal Blade Records is a record label which was founded by Brian Slagel in 1982. The U.S. corporate office for Metal Blade is located in Agoura Hills, California. It also has offices in Arizona, Germany, Japan, Canada, and the UK. The label is distributed in the U.S. by Sony BMG Music...
) - RrröööaaarrrRrröööaaarrrRrröööaaarrr is the second album by Canadian thrash metal/progressive metal band Voivod. It was released in 1986 on Noise Records.-Track listing:*All lyrics by Snake/all music by Piggy, Blacky & Away# "Korgüll the Exterminator" - 4:57...
1986 (Noise RecordsNoise RecordsNoise Records was a German record label founded by German music industry personality Karl-Ulrich Walterbach in 1983 as an expansion of his company Modern Music Records. Noise Records specialized in thrash and melodic speed metal. It was sold to the Sanctuary Records Group in 2001 and ceased any...
) - Killing TechnologyKilling TechnologyKilling Technology is the third album from Canadian Thrash metal/Progressive metal band Voivod. It was released in 1987 on Noise Records and was the first to add the progressive sound in their thrash metal reportire...
1987 (Noise Records) - Dimension HatrössDimension HatrössDimension Hatröss is the fourth album from the Canadian thrash metal/progressive metal band Voivod. It was released on June 29, 1988 on Noise Records. The Batman theme's cover only appears on the CD version, it is not present on the original vinyl and cassette pressings.-Track listing:All Songs...
1988 (Noise Records) - NothingfaceNothingface (album)Nothingface is the fifth album by Canadian thrash metal/progressive metal band Voivod. It was released by Mechanic/MCA Records on October 13, 1989. The album marked a change for the band, expanding their sound and exploring more progressive sounds...
1989 (Mechanic / MCA RecordsMusic Corporation of AmericaMCA, Inc. was an American talent agency. Initially starting in the music business, they would next become a dominant force in the film business, and later expanded into the television business...
) - Angel RatAngel RatAngel Rat is the sixth album released by the Canadian thrash metal/progressive metal band Voivod. Produced by Terry Brown of Rush fame, it was released in 1991 by Mechanic/MCA Records and is the follow-up to their critically acclaimed release, 1989's Nothingface...
1991 (Mechanic Records) / MCA Records) - The Outer LimitsThe Outer Limits (album)The Outer Limits is the seventh album released by Canadian heavy metal band Voivod, issued via Mechanic/MCA Records in 1993. This was the final album to feature vocalist Denis Bélanger until his 2002 return....
1993 (Mechanic / MCA Records) - NegatronNegatron (album)Negatron was the eighth album released by Canadian thrash metal/progressive metal band Voivod. It was released in 1995 on Hypnotic Records. It is also the first album to feature Eric Forrest on bass and vocals, whom many fans criticise for what they feel were less-than-stellar performances, in...
1995 (Hypnotic Records) - PhobosPhobos (album)Phobos was the ninth album released by Canadian thrash metal/progressive metal band Voivod. It was released on Slipdisc/Hypnotic Records in 1997.-Track listing:*Music by D'Amour, Forrest, Langevin except where indicated...
1998 (Slipdisc Hypnotic Records) - KronikKronik (album)Kronik was a compilation album released by the Canadian thrash metal/progressive metal band Voivod in 1998 on Slipdisc/Hypnotic Records. It was their tenth release altogether, featuring remixes, previously unreleased songs, and live recordings.Also the track Ion which is played during the opening...
1998 (Slipdisc Hypnotic Records) - Voivod LivesVoivod LivesVoivod Lives is the first live album, and eleventh overall, of the Canadian thrash metal/progressive metal band Voivod. It was released in 2000 on Metal Blade Records.-Track listing:#"Insect" – 5:31...
2000 (Metal Blade Records) - VoivodVoivod (album)Voivod is the thirteenth album, and tenth studio album, by Canadian thrash metal/progressive metal band Voivod and the first to feature, since 1993's Outer Limits, returning vocalist Denis Bélanger and bassist Jason Newsted , formerly of Metallica...
2003 (Chophouse Records / Surfdog RecordsSurfdog RecordsSurfdog Records is a record label and music publishing company based in Encinitas, California, The United States of America with close ties to the local music and surfing communities. Its roster is diverse and includes artists of the rock, punk, swing, rockabilly, reggae, lounge and alternative...
) - KatorzKatorzKatorz is the fourteenth album, and the eleventh studio album by the Canadian heavy metal band Voivod, and was released on July 25, 2006. The name of the album is phonetic for "quatorze", the French word for fourteen....
2006 (The End RecordsThe End RecordsThe End Records is an independent record label, founded in 1998 in San Diego. Founder Andreas Katsambas initially wanted to bring attention to some underground bands he admired. In 2002, The End moved to Salt Lake City, when his wife took a job at the University of Utah. The label moved...
) - InfiniInfini (album)Infini is the fifteenth album, and the twelfth studio album by the Canadian heavy metal band Voivod, which was released on June 23, 2009. It is their last album to include contributions by their late original guitarist Piggy.-Track listing:...
2009 (Relapse Records)- Note: According to interviews with the surviving members of Voivod, D'Amour's recordings from 2004 appear on both KatorzKatorzKatorz is the fourteenth album, and the eleventh studio album by the Canadian heavy metal band Voivod, and was released on July 25, 2006. The name of the album is phonetic for "quatorze", the French word for fourteen....
and InfiniInfini (album)Infini is the fifteenth album, and the twelfth studio album by the Canadian heavy metal band Voivod, which was released on June 23, 2009. It is their last album to include contributions by their late original guitarist Piggy.-Track listing:...
.
- Note: According to interviews with the surviving members of Voivod, D'Amour's recordings from 2004 appear on both Katorz