Killed by ghetto 90's Québécois production
The mid 90's was a major growing period for Québec's extreme metal community. Sprouting from this vast region of Canadian soil were future big name bands of the tech death genre, including the likes of Cryptopsy, Neuraxis, Martyr, and more bizarre acts, such as Gorguts. Quo Vadis were no exception. Since their inception into the scene in 1993 they have released a trilogy of full-lengths, on top of a demo, compilation, and two live releases. Playing a rather sublime brand a technical death metal (this album in particular being their most experimental) with a melodic flare, akin to Neuraxis' early days, Quo Vadis' Forever... became a highly acclaimed, favourite amongst its growing group of followers at the time. Despite being overshadowed by later output, this particular album will remain as a pioneer that helped shape Québec's tech death scene, and pave the way for future releases.
Upon first listen, in fact the first 10 seconds of the opening track, I noticed what was potentially the biggest scratch across the surface of this gem. The production. Now, while my title may be a bit of an exaggeration, this was the album's most critical flaw. I mean there must have been at least somewhat of a better alternative, even for the mid 90's. Being particularly bothersome on higher-octane tracks such as "Legions of the Betrayed" and "Pantheon of Tears" where the pounding drumming in its entirety and backing guitars (?) just sort of get lumped in with one another on one side creating a cluster fuck of madness, and not in a good way. The bass drum overpowers all with the rough cymbal sound while the snare on top of everything else on the set just seems to get lost in the mix. While on the other hand, lighter, acoustic based tracks didn't quite suffer the same fate as their counterparts obviously due to the lack of the "lumpy" bass drums. While not a gamebreaker for the album itself, this god awful production job left much to be desired.
Now, as for the music itself, I would lie if I said I wasn't impressed. Once you get passed the production it's easy to tell that these guys aren't anything short of talented, in both the songwriting and the instrumental departments. Led by a couple handily apt guitarists in Arie Itman and Bart Frydrychowicz, rock solid work from bassist Remy Beauchamp, and seasoned drummer Yanic Bercier, who's immense talent is probably better represented on later releases. This overall solid crew of virtuoso's assisted in making up for the lackluster vocals, delivered courtesy the aforementioned Itman and Frydrychowicz. I wouldn't exactly describe the vocal style as awful, just very bland and stagnant. Even when they try to deliver something a little more lively and with more emotion, like on "Pantheon of Tears". Or spice it up with experimentation with different styles, like on "Inner Capsule" with Bart utilizing the hardcore-esque shouts, it just didn't seem to work. Especially on the latter which sounded like the band just going for a crap shoot with those vocals. A good example of when experimentation doesn't pan out. More obvious indications of experimentation came along with a couple spoken word tracks, "Mystery" and "Nocturnal Reflections" respectively, that turned out really well and complimented the album's sombre vibe and creating a mystifying atmosphere (no pun intended). Unfortunately both led into some fairly lame, poorly executed tracks, that while with good intentions, were just unnecessary. The closer, "Sans Abris" especially, which was bogged down by the cringeworthy female vocals, despite being a great atmospheric track. While experimentation may not have been Forever...'s strongpoint, it certainly showed that the band had balls and weren't afraid to incorporate different elements of music ranging from classical to acoustics.
It was with the death metal itself, where these guys garnered their reputation for their sublime style, composed of intricate song structures, inter-changing riffs with that overlaying melodic tone, and plenty of tempo changes throughout. This, capped off by their ability to write evolving songs while still maintaining a baseline that doesn't go off into self-indulgent shit that a good portion of tech death was plagued by in years to come. Songs like "Legions of the Betrayed" and "Pantheon of Tears" shine through the muddy production and flat vocals with some excellent riffwork, reminiscent of a faster paced At the Gates and mid to later era Death. This complete with multiple tempo changes, beautifully executed solos, and a slick bass line. Complimenting this are more thrashier compositions such as "Carpae Deum" and "Zero Hour" which are played at a swift pace with some tight, more straightforward riffs. The former being closed out with a violin number, more indication of the classical influence I mentioned earlier. The demonstration of the band's flexibility with tempo changes is capped off by more slower paced tracks, like the graceful, acoustic based piece, "As I Feed the Flames of Hate", which features more classical elements. Or the more progressive instrumental, "The Day the Universe Changed". Both contain gradual build ups that explode into a supernova of melodic riffing and yet again, a standout bass line, that plays more of a leading role than a support role. All rounded off by Bercier's tight, creative style.
All in all, this is definitely a solid release once you get passed the grimy production. Hell, despite my preference for the old-school style, this is one of the few that I would've loved to see a re-release for. Quite obvious that it was the albums biggest anchor, and I know quite a few would agree. Underneath the dust is a quality piece of tech death with a sense of melody, good enough to appease the masses of both sides. While not up to par with future releases, it was definitely a step in the right direction and a sign of great potential. Despite being outshined by other releases at the time and its flaws, this album was still a pioneer for the scene. Although one might want to give a listen to their later work first, Forever... is still a quality concoction of death metal with a variety of influences that deserves some attention.
Upon first listen, in fact the first 10 seconds of the opening track, I noticed what was potentially the biggest scratch across the surface of this gem. The production. Now, while my title may be a bit of an exaggeration, this was the album's most critical flaw. I mean there must have been at least somewhat of a better alternative, even for the mid 90's. Being particularly bothersome on higher-octane tracks such as "Legions of the Betrayed" and "Pantheon of Tears" where the pounding drumming in its entirety and backing guitars (?) just sort of get lumped in with one another on one side creating a cluster fuck of madness, and not in a good way. The bass drum overpowers all with the rough cymbal sound while the snare on top of everything else on the set just seems to get lost in the mix. While on the other hand, lighter, acoustic based tracks didn't quite suffer the same fate as their counterparts obviously due to the lack of the "lumpy" bass drums. While not a gamebreaker for the album itself, this god awful production job left much to be desired.
Now, as for the music itself, I would lie if I said I wasn't impressed. Once you get passed the production it's easy to tell that these guys aren't anything short of talented, in both the songwriting and the instrumental departments. Led by a couple handily apt guitarists in Arie Itman and Bart Frydrychowicz, rock solid work from bassist Remy Beauchamp, and seasoned drummer Yanic Bercier, who's immense talent is probably better represented on later releases. This overall solid crew of virtuoso's assisted in making up for the lackluster vocals, delivered courtesy the aforementioned Itman and Frydrychowicz. I wouldn't exactly describe the vocal style as awful, just very bland and stagnant. Even when they try to deliver something a little more lively and with more emotion, like on "Pantheon of Tears". Or spice it up with experimentation with different styles, like on "Inner Capsule" with Bart utilizing the hardcore-esque shouts, it just didn't seem to work. Especially on the latter which sounded like the band just going for a crap shoot with those vocals. A good example of when experimentation doesn't pan out. More obvious indications of experimentation came along with a couple spoken word tracks, "Mystery" and "Nocturnal Reflections" respectively, that turned out really well and complimented the album's sombre vibe and creating a mystifying atmosphere (no pun intended). Unfortunately both led into some fairly lame, poorly executed tracks, that while with good intentions, were just unnecessary. The closer, "Sans Abris" especially, which was bogged down by the cringeworthy female vocals, despite being a great atmospheric track. While experimentation may not have been Forever...'s strongpoint, it certainly showed that the band had balls and weren't afraid to incorporate different elements of music ranging from classical to acoustics.
It was with the death metal itself, where these guys garnered their reputation for their sublime style, composed of intricate song structures, inter-changing riffs with that overlaying melodic tone, and plenty of tempo changes throughout. This, capped off by their ability to write evolving songs while still maintaining a baseline that doesn't go off into self-indulgent shit that a good portion of tech death was plagued by in years to come. Songs like "Legions of the Betrayed" and "Pantheon of Tears" shine through the muddy production and flat vocals with some excellent riffwork, reminiscent of a faster paced At the Gates and mid to later era Death. This complete with multiple tempo changes, beautifully executed solos, and a slick bass line. Complimenting this are more thrashier compositions such as "Carpae Deum" and "Zero Hour" which are played at a swift pace with some tight, more straightforward riffs. The former being closed out with a violin number, more indication of the classical influence I mentioned earlier. The demonstration of the band's flexibility with tempo changes is capped off by more slower paced tracks, like the graceful, acoustic based piece, "As I Feed the Flames of Hate", which features more classical elements. Or the more progressive instrumental, "The Day the Universe Changed". Both contain gradual build ups that explode into a supernova of melodic riffing and yet again, a standout bass line, that plays more of a leading role than a support role. All rounded off by Bercier's tight, creative style.
All in all, this is definitely a solid release once you get passed the grimy production. Hell, despite my preference for the old-school style, this is one of the few that I would've loved to see a re-release for. Quite obvious that it was the albums biggest anchor, and I know quite a few would agree. Underneath the dust is a quality piece of tech death with a sense of melody, good enough to appease the masses of both sides. While not up to par with future releases, it was definitely a step in the right direction and a sign of great potential. Despite being outshined by other releases at the time and its flaws, this album was still a pioneer for the scene. Although one might want to give a listen to their later work first, Forever... is still a quality concoction of death metal with a variety of influences that deserves some attention.
70/100
Originally posted on Metal-Archives, September 25th, 2012
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