VOIVOD Recruits ERIC FORREST For Summer 2026 European Tour After 'Family Matter' Forces SNAKE To Sit Out Shows
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VOIVOD frontman Denis "Snake" Bélanger will sit out the band's European tour this summer in order to attend to a family matter". He will be temporarily replaced by former VOIVOD and current E-FORCE vocalist/bassist Eric Forrest.
Earlier today, VOIVOD released the following statement via social media: "Eric Forrest (aka E-Force) to the rescue as Denis Bélanger (aka Snake) needs to attend to a family matter this summer.
"E-Force from 1994 to 2000 was the lead singer and bass player for the formidable power trio years of VOIVOD. Upon return from a successful UK/Ireland tour with festivals in Iceland, Netherlands and Spain, Snake received news that weighed heavily on him and needed to make a very tough decision.
"The band unanimously agreed that family matters most and were set to cancel the upcoming run of summer European shows from July 10 to August 16, when Snake suggested perhaps the band could carry on if E-Force was available and interested. After all, Eric is part of the VOIVOD family and is actively performing, but dealing with his own health issues. Once reached, Eric was beyond flattered, and said he'd be able to clear his schedule and his health was in check.
"A set list has been worked out. Rocky, Chewy and Away look forward to performing with E-Force and will be thinking of Snake. The show will go on and the Cosmic VOIVOD Multiverse keeps expanding.
"We are Connected!"
Eric added: "Greetings to all! I am honored and blessed to be asked to fill in for Snake this summer, to keep the VOIVOD fans, band, legacy in motion!! I'm very thrilled to be part of this tour. I never ever imagined this, but I'm happy and motivated to step in and take care of business...Can't wait to see you all! Merci, santé!"
Earlier this year, it was reported that Snake's partner Christine McDonald was battling stage four colorectal cancer. In an effort to assist with mounting medical and related expenses, a GoFundMe campaign had been launched to help support her during this difficult time.
This past February, Forrest went public with his prostate cancer battle. Eric, who lives in Toulouse, France, wrote at the time that he was diagnosed with stage three prostate cancer in 2024 after registering a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level of 23. He added: "I've kept this pretty much private for many reasons. After many delays … administration procedures, I have been on a daily routine to advance my situation (some days better than others). However, maintaining a disciplined scheduled format cycle. Plus, [with] some love and support from family and close friends."
As previously reported, E-FORCE is putting the finishing touches on a new album, "Voivod Revisited". In an interview with Chile's iRock, Forrest said the effort will contain re-recordings of songs from the two VOIVOD albums he appeared on, 1995's "Negatron" and 1997's "Phobos", as well as a new original track and a cover version of an as-yet-unspecified song. Furthermore, current VOIVOD guitarist Daniel "Chewy" Mongrain will contribute a guitar solo to E-FORCE's new recording of the "Negatron" track "Nanoman", the lyrics to which were originally written by Ivan Doroschuk of MEN WITHOUT HATS.
(Source: www.blabbermouth.net)
