The Outer Limits

This latest EP from the band really is a nice, welcome surprise. It sees the band take on a much heavier approach than on the last CD – this really suits the band sounds, and gives the guitarist a real chance to show off his Metal influences with high energy, metallic riffs frequenting the EP.

There are five tracks on display this time around, and in these five tracks the band show that they are still a force to be reckoned with, and as I suspected in my last review the band have indeed matured, progressed and most certainly improved since they recorded the last demo CD back in January 2004. Tracks one through four are a fine portrayal of the bands heavy, fun, and fast music which never fails to put a smile on your face. On the basis of the last demo, I said that The Outer Limits were a Ska band – this can no longer be said of them really as although the horns are still present in the tracks, they are much more embedded, and help the band create a deep and highly exciting sound. The band have definitely taken the best bit about them – their heaviness, and transformed their sound to give every track this fast, heavy style which they do so well.

From this CD, I particularly like the second track on the CD, ‘Christ Was A Utilitarian.’ It has an awesome guitar solo opening, and this leads you into the main body of the track perfectly, and with significant style. Throughout this track, and indeed throughout the entire duration of the CD the female vocals sound excellent with their melodic and heartfelt, yet powerful style. These vocals work really well, and when the male vocals kick in every so often, the two styles work perfectly together and the vocals collaboration really does sound amazing. The guitar ability shown on this CD really is quite extraordinary; the guitarist in The Outer Limits is clearly very talented and most certainly has a bright future ahead of him. The bass lines in this CD also sound great, and the drums provide the perfect backbone for the band.

Where the band decided to end with a fast paced, heavier track on the last demo – on this EP the band go for an acoustic effort in the form of ‘Exit Pursued By A Glare.’ This is a catchy little tune, and brings the CD to a calm closure. It sounds absolutely amazing, with the male, female vocal collaboration again working perfectly and making way for another fine tune. Once again, the band manages to end their CD in great style and leaving you thirsty for more. Again, I really can’t wait for their next offering and will be eagerly awaiting the bands next CD, which I am sure will show great finesse, and pure musical brilliance.

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The Outer Limits are a five piece Ska band from North London. With this 4 track demo the band really put a smile on your face with their female lead vocals which are strong and full of energy. The vocals are delivered with a punch and the backing vocals really add to the impact of them. I did not really know what I was getting before I started listening to this band – I had never really heard of the band before and didn’t know what they were really all about. From listening to the CD I found out that The Outer Limits are a group of strong-minded individuals with strong political views.

I was very impressed with this demo and it far exceeded any expectations I might have had of the band beforehand. There was not much of a write up that came with this CD, which in a way is good because it is left up to you to draw your own conclusions and also listen more closely to the music at hand. I love all of the tracks and feel that on all of them there is definitely strong drumming, booming bass lines, grinding guitar riffs, and some pretty cool horn attachments as well. This, going alongside the extremely strong vocals on display here makes way for a very good Ska CD indeed. I think that the fact that the band are so strongly political really adds to the appeal of the band because not only are the vocals spot on, but the lyrics are obviously coming from the heart of the band and they are singing about something they truly believe in rather than just stringing a few rhyming sentences together.

All 4 of these tracks are quite lengthy tracks and this is not a bad thing as the band really do stand the test of time and they are not a band that you get tired of after a couple of minutes. The fact the lyrics are so interesting and the music is so good make it enthralling to listen to and there is just so much to take in from the music that if the tracks were shorter then they probably would not have the same effect. I really love the fourth and final track on this CD – it is a great finish to the CD. I really feel that this track has a lot of power and punch to it. The band leave you on a high, hoping for more – which is always a good thing to do as it means that right at the end of the CD the attention of the listener will truly be captured and they will start to eagerly await the release of new material from the band.

This demo was recorded back in January, which is of course 6 months ago now – in which time the band have probably improved. A good thing has probably become great as the band have matured and gained in experience. I just cant wait to hear what’s next from this band – they are certainly one to watch out for, and I can definitely see them getting signed before long with this much talent. It really looks like before long, The Outer Limits will be sitting alongside No Comply at the forefront of the scene.

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