Out of the Silent Planet is the debut studio album by the American rock band King's X, released in 1988.[1] The title of the album comes from that of a book by C. S. Lewis, an author favored by band members Ty Tabor and Jerry Gaskill. "Out of the Silent Planet" is also the title of the first track from the follow-up album Gretchen Goes to Nebraska. The cover art features the skyline of Houston with the southern outline of the state of Texas. The album received widespread acclaim from music contemporaries. Pantera bassist Rex Brown commented of his and Dimebag Darrell's impressions, noting "Dime called me and said, 'Dude, have you heard this? Have you checked out King's X?'" He says. "We went on a long road trip, and we must have listened to that first record I don't know how many times, and we couldn't stop! This was the sound that Dime and I were always looking for."[2]
The Houston Chronicle noted that "the playing is ferocious, unencumbered with studio trickery, and the emerging vision elevates this music into its own sphere... If it 'has' to considered heavy metal, it is the most original metal since Van Halen burst on the scene 10 years ago."[6]