The Outer Limits (album)
The Outer Limits is the seventh studio album released by Canadian heavy metal band Voivod. It was issued via Mechanic/MCA Records in 1993. The album features a cover of "The Nile Song", originally by the British progressive rock band Pink Floyd, and Voivod's longest song "Jack Luminous", tracking in at 17 minutes and 26 seconds. When originally issued, the CD came with a miniature pair of 3D glasses in order to view the booklet art. The text in the upper right corner of the album cover reads "Number 8" to represent that it is actually the band's eighth album release overall following the compilation The Best of Voivod.
| The Outer Limits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 3, 1993 | |||
| Recorded | 1992–1993 | |||
| Studio | Music Grinder Studios, Hollywood, California | |||
| Genre | Progressive metal, alternative metal, heavy metal | |||
| Length | 54:18 | |||
| Label | Mechanic/MCA | |||
| Producer | Mark S. Berry | |||
| Voivod chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 9/10[2] |
| Rock Hard | 9.5/10[3] |
| Sputnikmusic | 4.5/5[4] |
The Outer Limits was the final album to feature vocalist Denis Bélanger until his 2002 return. It was also Voivod's first album without original bassist Blacky, who had left the band before the release of the critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful 1991 album Angel Rat. Uncomfortable with the idea of bringing in an immediate replacement for Blacky, Voivod opted to have session musician Pierre St-Jean play bass guitar for the recording of the album.
In March 2018, the album, along with Nothingface and Angel Rat, was reissued on CD in Japan as a budget edition.
Track listing
All tracks written by Bélanger, D'Amour and Langevin, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Fix My Heart" | 4:53 | |
| 2. | "Moonbeam Rider" | 4:10 | |
| 3. | "Le Pont Noir" | 5:43 | |
| 4. | "The Nile Song" (Pink Floyd cover) | Roger Waters | 4:00 |
| 5. | "The Lost Machine" | 5:53 | |
| 6. | "Time Warp" | 3:55 | |
| 7. | "Jack Luminous" | 17:26 | |
| 8. | "Wrong-Way Street" | 3:50 | |
| 9. | "We Are Not Alone" | 4:28 | |
| Total length: | 54:18 | ||
Personnel
- Voivod
- Denis Bélanger – vocals, sound effects
- Denis D'Amour – guitar, keyboards, sound effects
- Michel Langevin – drums, keyboards, sound effects, artwork
- Additional musicians
- Pierre St-Jean – bass
- Production
- Mark S. Berry – producer, engineer, mixing at Record Plant, Hollywood, California
- Greg Grill – assistant engineer
- Bill Leonard – mixing assistant
- John Bailey – drums digital recording
- Scott Hull – digital editing
- Howie Weinberg – mastering at Masterdisk, New York
- Kiisti Matsuo – lyrical consultant
References
- Prato, Greg. "Voivod – The Outer Limits review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 2017-07-18.
- Popoff, Martin (1 August 2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 490. ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9.
- Stratmann, Holger (1993). "Review Album des Monats: Voivod - The Outer Limits". Rock Hard (in German). No. 73. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
- "Voivod – The Outer Limits". Sputnikmusic. 17 December 2011. Retrieved 2017-07-18.