Quo Vadis - _Forever..._
(Independent, 1996)
by: Alain M. Gaudrault (8 out of 10)
This is a band worthy of label attention, nay, worthy of attention, period. Hailing from the mighty Montreal, Quo Vadis are starting to make a name for themselves, and rightly so given the high quality output from this 4-piece act. Delivering a blend of styles influenced by Dissection, both older and newer Carcass, and some latter-day Death, Quo Vadis are succeeding at writing memorable songs as opposed to strings of riffs, a daunting task in extreme genres, but possible given the creativity and musical talent underlying the band. The vocals often are reminiscent of _Necroticism..._-era Carcass in their use of varying textures and intensity, although the lower, guttural vocals could use more work to give them more definition. Yanic Bercier should be commended on his drumming, which is an absolute flurry of rolls and fills, fluid, and machine-like, although the band nevertheless manages to lose sync occasionally. The twin guitars of Bart Frydrychowicz and Arie Itman hit the mark virtually every time, playing off each other, complementing each other in their melodic attacks, their exchange of single-note lines and blistering rhythms. Remy Beauchamp's bass work is barely audible, yet unpredictable when heard. QV even manages to weave in unique violin passages in and around the songs, creating just the right effect at the right time, serving to accentuate the power behind the music instead of washing it out. Fans of quality death who don't mind melody and the odd black metal structure will jism all over this. My biggest beefs were the interspersed (albeit short) spoken word bits which I thought simply didn't work, mostly because they seemed poorly delivered, out of place, and, well, a bit pretentious; the other complaint (and this cost them a whole point) is the shouting-style vocal with appears only on "Inner Capsule", a fine song otherwise, but practically unlistenable for me because of the poor excuse for a hardcore yell that is used in this track. Production-wise, the guitars need to be louder in the mix, but that's likely just a personal bias, and therefore of secondary interest. On the bright side, the lyrics are an interesting blend of violent images and emotional introspection, not all of the same caliber, but strong and an interesting read. Be sure to check out their home page for merchandise info.
Contact: QUO VADIS, c/o VomiT Productions, P.O. Box 44, Station NDG
(article published 16/3/1997)
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