Defiant Imagination

Living up to the album title, Quo Vadis deliver another exhibition of imaginative, convention-defying technical death metal with their 2004 release. Every instrument is played with astonishing technical prowess, and the songs feature complex architectures that constantly challenge the listener to keep pace with the intricately interwoven melodic lines.

The rhythm guitar tracks are skillful and artistic, with lots of precision pick work. Now and then smooth legato runs on the lower strings are mixed in with the riffs, giving Frydrychowicz' rhythm tracks a trademark sound. The lead guitar work is stellar and laces the album with memorable melodies. The bass line, contributed by Steve Digiorgio, features frequent excursions to the upper registers, where it joins the melodic interplay as a virtual third guitar. The drum track is tremendous as well, not too loud in the mix but precise and full of variety.

The album features seven substantial tracks. Additionally, two short pieces, "In Articulo Mortis" and "Ego Entuo et Servo Te", a short interlude and outro, respectively, furnish the album with a wistful ambience, using strings and operatic vocals. The opening track, "Silence Calls the Storm", showcases all the band's best talents, leading the audience thorugh a labyrinth of catchy melodies and perverse accentuations. "Dead Man's Diary" is another standout track, with a slower paced progression and therefore perhaps the album's most accessible song. I'm not a fan of the discordant shouting vocals layered over the chorus of "Tunnel Effect". But without question this album is as a whole an evocative work of art; and as such each listener is apt to discover elements that suit, and challenge, his or her own tastes.