Michel Langevin
He is the visionary drummer who propelled the thrash band Voivod into a sci-fi universe of dystopian sound and narrative.
Born 1963 (age 63)·Musical artist·Birthday: May 30·Baby Boomers
Biography
Michel Langevin, known universally as Away, is the rhythmic and conceptual engine of the groundbreaking metal band Voivod. Born in Quebec in 1963, he co-founded the band in 1982 in the remote mining town of Jonquière, channeling the industrial landscape and a voracious appetite for science fiction into a unique musical project. From the start, Langevin was more than just the drummer; he was the band's primary visual artist, designing its iconic logo and album covers that sketched out a post-apocalyptic world ruled by the vampire cyborg Voivod. His complex, jazz-inflected drumming provided the chaotic yet precise backbone for the band's evolution from raw speed metal to a progressive, dissonant style that influenced generations. While bandmates came and went, Langevin's steady presence and artistic vision ensured Voivod's survival and its enduring status as a cult phenomenon that defied metal conventions.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Michel was born in 1963, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Michel Was Born
The biggest hits of 1963
#1 Movie
Cleopatra
Best Picture
Tom Jones
#1 TV Show
Beverly Hillbillies
Michel's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1963Born
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1968Started school
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1976Became a teenager
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Could drive
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1981Could vote
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1984Turned 21
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1993Turned 30
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2003Turned 40
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 50
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 60
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 63 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-founded the influential progressive thrash metal band Voivod in 1982, remaining its only constant member for over four decades.
- Created the band's distinctive sci-fi mythology and visual identity, designing most of its album artwork and logos.
- Played drums on Voivod's landmark albums like 'Dimension Hatröss' and 'Nothingface', which expanded the boundaries of metal.
- Helped steer the band's successful resurgence in the 2000s following the death of guitarist Denis 'Piggy' D'Amour.
Did You Know?
His nickname 'Away' comes from his tendency to daydream and be mentally 'away' during school.
He is a trained graphic artist and has illustrated comic books, including the official Voivod comic series.
Langevin is an avid collector of sci-fi memorabilia and vintage toys, which often inspire his art.
He designed the cover for the 1993 Rush album 'Counterparts'.
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