Dimension Hatröss ( ) is the fourth studio album by the Canadian heavy metal band Voivod. It was released in 1988 on Noise Records and is a concept album which narrates the exploits of Voivod’s mascot cyborg Korgull. The cover concept and artwork was produced by drummer Michel Langevin. Estimated sales are more than 70,000 copies, worldwide. The album was recorded near Checkpoint Charlie in West Germany.
The "Batman Theme"'s cover only appears on the CD version, it is not present on the original vinyl and cassette pressings. In 2017, Dimension Hatröss was added by the US magazine Rolling Stone to its Top 100 Metal Albums of All Time list at No. 78.
The word Hatröss is pronounced by singer Snake (Denis Bélanger) in French as the word atroce, meaning terrible or horrible.
In 2024, a collection of early recordings was released under the title "Latitude" by Blacky's label, Minemine Records.
It is considered to be an essential release in the thrash genre by Revolver.
Contemporary reviews In the June 1988 issue of Circus magazine, music critic Paul Gallotta characterized the sonic direction of the release as speed metal combined with intelligent, though deliberately obscure, lyrical themes. The reviewer observed that the Canadian quartet demonstrated significantly more artistic vision and energy than typical contemporary acts within the industrial-influenced heavy metal subgenres. According to the publication, this creative approach translated into a cohesive record defined by aggressive, heavy power chords and harsh, gravelly vocal delivery. Gallotta ultimately concluded that the overarching performance succeeded in leaving the listener engaged and exhilarated, rather than fatigued by the intensity of the material.
Legacy Dimension Hatröss was named one of "The Best 25 Heavy Metal Albums of All Time" in the book Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal, by Ian Christe.Christe, Ian. Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal. HarperCollins, 2003, p. 378.
Track listing All songs were written by Voivod, except where indicated.
Personnel Voivod Snake (Denis Bélanger) - vocals Piggy (Denis D'Amour) - guitar Blacky (Jean-Yves Thériault) - bass Away (Michel Langevin) - drums, artwork
Production Harris Johns - producer, engineer, mixing
References