He is surrounded on stage by a trio of hard rocking veterans called Snake, Away and Blacky on a night in/night out basis, blasting vintage metal with a progressive bent. He took up the mantle for a fallen mentor and Canadian guitar god named Piggy. His name… is Dan. With his first ever trip to Europe winding down, Voivod guitarist Dan Mongrain took time out prior to the group’s date in Oslo to talk one-on-one with WTDP? about the band’s current tour, their most recent album Infini, plans for the future and some of his very un-metal guitar heroes.

WTDP?: How have your travels been?
DM: Actually, it’s been back and forth – Europe, Canada, Europe, Canada – so it’s a bit, tiring but it’s good.

WTDP?: You just played Hole In The Sky. How was that?
DM: It was great! Everybody was friendly. We went to a bar the night before – the Garage. There were a lot of people there. Sodom was playing. We met a bunch of people – all very friendly… and when we played yesterday the show was just great. The response was awesome and we had a really good time.

WTDP?: How was the response to the new, or I should say, latest material?
DM: We played just one song from Infini because the whole set is based on the 80s stuff – from War & Pain to Angel Rat. It is pretty much because Blackie is back in the band we’ve played this repertoire, but we play one or two songs from Infini. It’s pretty good.

WTDP?: Before you came over, you did some Canadian dates with Down. How was that?
DM: It was great! Lots of people, great venues – a couple thousand people per show. Phil (Anselmo) is a huge Voivod fan for such a long time. He felt just like a kid singing with Voivod. He was like ‘I dreamed of this moment when I was a kid!’ It was a magic moment actually. He came on stage to sing the harmony with me on Astronomie Domine. It was great man. Singing into the same mic, me playing and his face just right there. He’s a good guy. He is very kind… like a brother.

WTDP?: Tell me a bit about being the new guy. Obviously you were a big fan and had a mentor relationship with Piggy. How does it feel playing those songs?
DM: It’s awesome. The first time I heard Voivod I was like 11 or 12 years old. I become a fan right away. They are the band I’ve listened to the most in my life. I am pretty open-minded towards any kind of music. I listen to jazz, blues, reggae. I don’t mind as long as it’s well done. I listen to a lot of classical too. But Voivod has such a great progressive side to their music. Piggy’s chords are crazy! It’s like keyboard chords on guitar. He plays in the high range of the guitar a lot, then he goes heavy. It is very unique, and I like uniqueness in a band. It is pretty crazy to play with those guys. They are my all-time favorite band and now I’m playing with them. It’s ridiculous. It is like a dream come true in a way, because my dream came true because Piggy passed away. It is a delicate situation, but I enjoy every second of it and I try to do it with respect for the music and for Piggy. I am very honored to do it.

WTDP?: I understand the Infini tracks appear just as Piggy recorded them without any re-amping or tweaking like was done on Katorz.
DM: Exactly. He recorded them professionally, I think it was in his bathroom in his apartment with a Marshall amp and a Mac with Pro Tools. I think he knew something was wrong with his health. He did all of the tracks without really saying to the other guys he did it. All of the solos… everything was there. Just a couple of days before he passed away he called Michael and gave him the code for the laptop. That was it. That was the 23 songs they composed with Jason Newsted. They made Katorz and then the rest of the songs Infini, but it was the same session except for bass, drums and vocals.

WTDP?: How was it playing the homecoming date in Quebec last July?
DM: It was crazy, actually! A lot of people showed up – three or four thousand people. The first band on was old friends of Voivod. There was a lot of competition between the bands… 20 years ago! It was friendly. Piggy’s family was there. It was great fun… it was my birthday that day as well. That was funny. Piggy’s family talked to me and were very kind to me. It was raining like hell during Nuclear War. It was the best version. Everybody was soaking wet in the audience.

WTDP?: Speak to this as a fan. The endurance and longevity of a band like Voivod. A band that has had some success, but is far from a household name. Can you point to something and say this is why Voivod continues on?
DM: It think Voivod is a band’s band. It is a band for the bands. They get so much respect from other musicians. There are huge bands that are inspired by Voivod – Mastadon, Mike Patton, Phil Anselmo… Dave Grohl is a huge Voivod fan. They influenced a lot of people. They had a good career, at some point it was getting pretty good, then after Nothingface, grunge music was taking over and Voivod could never be a huge thing because it’s too weird, and I think it’s ok like that. It got to be underground a bit. It is very progressive. Every album sounds different. I think they deserve more than what they have, but I think the guys, as long as they are willing to do, they don’t really care about being bigger or famous… they just can’t stop because it’s too much fun.

WTDP?: There is still a child-like excitement that surrounds the band, even 25 years later.
DM: There is always a fire burning inside. I guess they are institutionalized or something. I mean, look at the Rolling Stones. They’re rich. They can stop anytime, and they continue to do it because they can’t stop. When you are a musician and you have the chance to tour and to play music and to write music and make records, I think you just can’t stop.

WTDP?: What about going forward? Is there a Voivod after this, now that the Piggy tracks are exhausted?
DM: Snake and Away talk about it a bit. We talk about it a bit, but nothing is confirmed yet. I think it’s a day-by-day thing because it is a very delicate situation. Piggy was writing most of the music for Voivod. If the guys want to try something, I’ll be there. If they want to tour and play other songs from their repertoire, I’m gonna be there. If they want to right something else… sure, let’s give it a try. But there is no decision at this point and I think it is a day-by-day thing. I’m just going with the flow. I love those guys. We get along well. The tour is doing good. I’ve got no problem playing with many bands. I’ve done this all my life. I’ve been in 17 bands and I’m 33 years old. I’ve played a lot of music in my life… different styles. I’ve had my own band for 15 years.

WTDP?: Speaking of Martyr, is there a new record on the horizon?
DM: The last one was out late 2006. It always takes lots of time to put out an album with Martyr. Everybody’s got their own life, jobs and such. It is pretty hard to organized everything. It is very complex music and it takes a lot of time to rehearse and write. We don’t want to put out an album and say ‘this is the best we could do.’ We take time and care, because there is no big label pressuring us. We just do it because we have fun doing it and we’re passionate about it. If we put out an album in 10 years, so be it… but I would like to put out an album next year… hopefully.

WTDP?: Talk to us about your road gear and set-up.
DM: For this tour I’m using all backline stuff, so I usually ask for a Mesa Boogie or Marshall head. I actually bought Piggy’s old Marshall head and cabs. When I play with Voivod I like the Marshall sound. I use a Rocktron Chameleon pre-amp and all of the effects are in there. I program all of that. It is simple and practical. It is not the best sound I could get from other gear, but it works pretty good for me and you don’t have to bring 10 road cases full of pedals and whatever. When I’m home, I’ve got an Orange amp I use at pub gigs… a Tonebone pedal, Blues Driver, Eventide Modfactor. I also use an Egnater head sometimes. It is always different. I haven’t found the right thing yet… it is a never-ending quest for sound.

WTDP?: What about guitars?
DM: I’ve used a Guerilla for a couple of months now. They are really good. They are made in Montreal. It is good rock, heavy metal guitar with a Floyd Rose and everything. It’s got a fine look… and the road cases are all camoflauge. The guy is really into Army stuff, tanks and guns and he tried to design the guitars in that way. I also use a custom-made Liberatore, the same brand that Piggy and Blackie use. I’ve had that guitar since before I was in Voivod because I wanted a ‘Voivod’ guitar. So Blackie designed it, the shape of it, the cuts in the wood here and there. I like that guitar too, but I mainly play Guerilla now.

WTDP?: I know you have a pretty varied taste in music. Can you throw out a couple of names of guitarists that you enjoy that people might not think that you would enjoy?
DM: One of my favorites is Allan Holdsworth. I like the way he makes sheets of sound. It’s like Coltrane, but with a guitar. I like Scott Henderson from Tribal Tech. I used to be, when I was younger, I liked Jason Becker for all of his technical playing – 17 years old and shredding! I like John Scofield, Frank Zappa… there are too many. Robert Fripp, of course. I like bluegrass too and country players. Brent Mason is amazing. He is most wanted guitarist for the studios in Nashville. He played with Alan Jackson. He’s an amazing player!

WTDP?: Thanks Dan… and keep Voivod alive!
DM: As long as they want me to be there, I’ll be there. I want to go everywhere… with Voivod… playing music… getting paid for it. It’s like making porn movies!