Voivod "The Outer Limits"

The Outer Limits is the eighth album release, and the seventh studio album, by Canadian heavy metal band Voivod. It was issued via Mechanic/MCA Records in 1993, following the compilation release of The Best of Voivod. The Outer Limits was the final album to feature vocalist Denis Bélanger until his 2002 return.

The Outer Limits was also Voivod’s first album without original bassist Blacky, who had left the band after 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.

The album features, “The Nile Song,” a cover of a song by progressive rock band Pink Floyd and their 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 correctly.

Greg Saunier, drummer of the prominent, experimental indie band Deerhoof has cited “Jack Luminous” as his favorite song of all time.

Track listing
All tracks written by Bélanger, D'Amour and Langevin, except where noted.

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

Pierre St-Jean did the bass tracks on the album, even though he was never an official member of the band. So, this means Voivod only recorded as a three piece.

This was the final Voivod album with vocalist Snake, until 10 years later for their 2003 self-titled reunion album. 

There were two separate covers issued. There was a light brown-ish cover, with a white logo (right), but there was also a light blue-ish cover, with a red logo (left).

Both editions came with a small pair of 3-D glasses and had 3-D blue/red or light brown (depends on the edition) imagery within the booklet.

"Le Pont Noir" is French for "The Black Bridge".

Recording information:

Pre-production done in Montréal at La cité de l'image studios.

Recorded at Music Grinder Studios, Hollywood, CA, USA.

Mixed at Record Plant Studios, Hollywood, CA, USA.