Day into Night

Quo Vadis from Quebec, simply put, has all the elements of metal I absolutely love combined in one package. And to me, it’s this album and this album alone that made this band exceptionally special. Not to take anything away from Defiant Imagination, but to me, this album just works a whole lot better in a lot more ways.

Bart Frydrychowicz is one of the best guitar players in metal, period. Not because of his technical wizardry, or his live performances. The reason is simple – the man knows how to write good songs. He knows how melodies and harmonies work, and he knows how and when to grab the listener. When to step on the brakes, and when to step on the gas. Just by listening to this album from start to finish once, only once, you’ll be able to see what a great composer this guy is. And that’s what it’s all about, composing. No one gives a shit on how many fast licks you can play. It’s the songs that people will remember.

Day Into Night is packed with awesome songs. Right from the get go, your senses are assaulted with the incredible “Absolution”, and it’s written so well that you don’t even realize that it’s nearly six minutes long. You want to know why you didn't notice? Because time flies when you’re having fun, folks.

The riffs and compositions on this album are so tasteful – why don’t people make albums like this anymore? Everything flows together so well, and the record is mixed and mastered to perfection. Everything can be heard clearly, and nothing dominates the mix. The drumming provided by Yanic Bercier is second to none, and I really mean that. He absolutely owns it behind the kit, and gives the songs the drive, dynamics and respect they deserve. Bass player Rémy Beauchamp provides the back bone, heard just enough to keep everything air lock tight, without being obnoxious, and working for the songs, as opposed to against them.

“Hunter/Killer” is one of the best tracks of the album, with an instantly memorable riff, and an even more memorable chorus riff. Seriously, this stuff is like sonic super glue which just sticks into your mind and doesn't want to leave. The guitar playing is just so tasteful and powerful, the note selection just right. It’s highly addictive, and each section flows into the other as it’s the easiest thing in the world. You can tell that the band (Bart) really thought about, and took his time with these compositions.

The album isn't just about speed and hyper melodies, though. The great thing about it is that it’s paced extremely well, with enough peaks and valleys to keep the listener interested. “Dream” is a fine example of this, though the band don’t ever stray too long from what they do best, and that comes up in the form of “On the Shores of Ithaka”

I mean, seriously – this song is such a beast of a song it’s not even funny. I've been a metal fan for nearly 20 years now, and I don't get excited too easily about what I hear. But this song does it for me each and every time. From the earth shattering intro, to the classy verse, and to the absolute mind fuck of gorgeous riffing in the chorus, this song to me is what defines Quo Vadis, and this album – absolute mastery of melody and harmony. Just the sheer speed of the chorus riff, and Bart’s tasteful harmonies over it is enough to make you nod your head in approval each and every time. Not to mention Yanic’s drumming is absolutely flawless, and combined with Bart’s tasteful melodies, it’s just earth shattering amounts of awesome.

Another highlight is the criminally perfect “Point of No Return – Mute Requiem” – I mean come on, even the title is enough to get you excited. Once again, the band lays those melodies and harmonies down with such conviction and brute force that you can do nothing but shake your head of how simply awesome it all sounds. That verse riff is absolutely nuts, and dare I say, beautiful. Or as beautiful as a melodic technical death metal band can be, anyway.

In all honestly, I have never really paid attention to the lyrics on this album, or even to the vocals. Not that they are bad, but the music is just so damn good that I don’t even hear them anymore. I have to distinctly listen to them to notice them, and when I do, yeah, the vocals are just fine. They do not distract from the music, which is the most important thing. As expected, they are used more as an instrument than actual vocals, which I’m pretty certain was the desired effect for this album.

In conclusion, I would say that this album is a must have for any fan of melodic metal, or even technical death metal. I don’t know, it’s very hard to describe what Quo Vadis actually are. Not that it matters in the least, as I simply view them as a superb band who writes superb music.

At the time of writing this, the band is on hold. Apparently Bart has been working on new material for quite some time now, and I believe is in the process of getting the band together again. One can only hope, as Quo Vadis are, simply put, fucking amazing at what they do.

It's obvious that the Canadian Quo Vadis put the intervening years (1996-2k) between their debut Forever... and this sophomore effort Day Into Night to good use. While it's not perfect, and I still have a difficult time remembering the specific tracks and riffs when I'm not actually listening to them, the increased production standard is a boon to the listener, allowing he or she to digest the band's manifold intensity as it was intended, with a clear and crisp mix that truly brings the guitars out to the fore. The band had ditched the more experimental frills for this album, i.e. you won't hear as much spoken word with violins, or further flirtations with female vocals.

This is also a more aggressive record, but much of its excess energies are transferred by the mix. The band still uses a few different harsh vocal tones, but they seem better streamlined, and they are perhaps the primary reason this album reminds me of the last two Carcass full-lengths, due to the balance of the vox with the highly melodic guitars that are rooted in thrash and classic heavy metal. Perhaps it is best compared to a mix of Heartwork/ Swansong-era Carcass with Arch Enemy's Stigmata or Burning Bridges, but it doesn't sound quite like any one thing, so the air of authenticity is remained, especially when you consider just how shitty the majority of American melodeath bands were (whether from the States or Canada), having already begun the infusion of metalcore breakdowns with melodic Swedish guitar riffing and the mix of awful clean and overbearing harsh vocals.

No, Quo Vadis were never quite so lame as these bands, and Day Into Night is a solid album into which obvious effort and creativity were placed. It still suffers from a lot of the 'straight through both ears' syndrome, but at the very least there are some songs which offer a few melodic, passionate surprises in their depths which manage a means of emotional escalation, as opposed to the debut which was a writhing bore. Much of the material alternates between mid-paced rhythms and technical, melodic thrashing outbreaks.

"Dysgenics" is a steady rocker with a few chugged breakdowns and a rock & roll spin to it which reminds me quite a lot of something like "Keep On Rotting in the Free World" by Carcass. "Let It Burn" and "Hunter-Killer" are fairly complex compositions which throw a number of tempo changes your way, and the latter once again reminds me of later Carcass due to the vocal interaction with the melodic, forward thrust of the guitars, though the musical tone is far lighter. Probably the one song I truly enjoyed on this album, "On the Shores of Ithaka", has a few surprises in store, starting off with bone crunching melancholy and later assuming a breakneck speed in which the guitars evoke a fallen majesty through their sorrow-laden speed and complexity. I also prefer this deeper vocal tone. The closer "Cadences of Absolution" is also a pretty interesting track, with the better vocals and some very interesting rolling rhythmic outbreaks through which the guitars thread and thrust.

In fact, most of the songs do at least have 1-2 riffs which tickle the ear upon first listening, but not so much that you'd want to keep listening over and over. The album sounds as if a good chunk of money was thrown into its production (supposedly it was, courtesy of Hypnotic), and perhaps a little more refinement and writing was in order to merit the expenditure. As it stands, Day Into Night still feels like a melodic death metal band trying to substitute flights of frenetic technical frenzy for better songs that you stick in your brain long after the fact. It just wouldn't cut it, since you could turn your ears to Sweden and pick up the frequencies of their blustering melodic death metal scene, frequencies which offered both emotional and visceral impact (Soilwork, In Flames, etc). In some ways, though, the band's musical fluency makes a lot of sense, since they were coming up in a scene that included bands like Cryptopsy whose major selling point (that would spread like wildfire through the metalcore-thick ranks of US death metal fans) was the extremity of the guitar work. Quo Vadis made for a nice melodic counter to such hysteria.

There's no mistaking the superiority of this album to its predecessor Forever.... There, in 1996, was a band not worth a second listen, but here you'll discover an obvious thirst for perfection, a hunger for better songwriting and crisp, busy guitar riffs that would probably have the six string nerd digging for tablature if he wound up taking to them. Good drums and bass remain here, and it's one of the finer turn of the century Canadian metal albums as far as its high level of studio polish. It's a damn shame that so much of this sinks into the port lobe only to eject itself through the starboard side a mere few moments later.

Highlights: On the Shores of Ithaka, Cadences of Absolution

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

This album is probably one the most entertaining and honorable pieces of music that I’ve ever got the chance to listen to. Quo Vadis is one of a million when it comes to being to combine classical music with the heaviness and complexity of death metal. To say that this is a piece of craftsmanship not worthy of being called a masterpiece would be a grave mistake, these guys have proven that you don’t have to be loud and fast all the time to make an awesome metal album.

Right of the bat, the riffs played in the opening tracks are very thrash like, noting that the influence from the later Carcass also plays a role in helping creating this band’s unique yet recognizable sound. The opening of “Dysgenics” sounds indeed like something that Carcass would have played during their later more melodic death metal sounding days. Not to mention Arie Itman’s vocals are very similar sounding to Jeff Walker’s voice of Carcass. This, combined with the technical but very melodic and at times thrash sounding riffs, and the magnificent and precise on time drumming of Mr. Yanic Bercier, gives you the noticeable sound that Quo Vadis has been come to be known for. I’d like to mention also that Bercier’s performance on the kit is very and utterly insane, keeping and changing time like a machine, not a single note being missed, as he is able to help keep the flow of the music intact without so much as a missed beat and or fill, and along with the usual blast beats(which aren’t the dominant beats on this album) he is able to pull off some very amazing grooves that just add to the music’s raw and over all thrash influenced sound. It is very precise, very accurate, and melodic as shit. The slow classical like parts are another addition that just further helps enhance the music to help give a break to the initial sound, and then help drastically progress back to the point to where they’re thrashing hard again, and again, on most of the tracks. The production value is also another thing to notice as it is almost crystal clear, and the sound is equally disturbed between both sides and the center, or at least that’s what it indeed sounds like.

In the end, I’d say that this is worthy of a metal masterpiece, although not entirely perfect (as no album could very ever be 100%) this album comes pretty close. It has( I think) everything that you’d want in on a heavy album, enough volume, speed played with unmistakable and precision like talent, with overall technically mixed with the occasion “break” with the slower and more classical sounding music moments. It’s very worth checking out, if you’re into either technical or melodic death metal, and really will stick out as one of those “different” bands, who not just incorporate different styles into their playing, but know how to do it and pull it off right. Day Into Night from Quo Vadis gets a 92% for overall quality and a great masterworks performance.

Recommended tracks: Absolution (Element Of Assemble III), Dysgenics, On the Shores of Ithaka, and Mute Requiem.

Quo Vadis is a band I have always loved because of their superiority over other bands in the same genre as it, their effort of constantly pushing the envelope and trying something innovative in a rather un innovative genre. The band’s debut entitled, “Forever” which was released in 1996 showcased the talent the band possessed even in its early days. 4 years later, in the March of 2000 with the release of, “Day Into Night” they have gained experience and knowledge in every possible aspect. They have not repeated the mistakes they made on their debut and have actually corrected them, thus making for a much better album than the debut.

The first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the first notes of the opening track entitled, “Absolution” is the massive change in the quality of production. The production, which was the biggest thorn and in the band’s flesh and in my opinion was what bought the band down, has now been removed by the band’s new label, Hypnotic Records. The guitars sound crunchy, sharp and powerful. The drums sound great and the bass is deliciously audible. Whereas the production on the earlier album sucked energy out of the band this label inject a vial of power into it.

The band’s line up has remained unchanged from its previous release and a consistent line up always helps a band. The line up is: -

Are Itman – Vocals
Bart Frydrychowicz – Guitars
Rémy Beauchamp – Bass
Yanic Bercier - Drums

Whereas the first album included a tinge of technical elements in the bands approach on melodic death, this release is much more technical and progressive in nature. Complex song structures backed by mind-boggling time signatures are on the band’s menu throughout this release.

Are, though has improved over the past 4 years. His voice is certainly more powerful, but he is still in the learning curve and they are not fully developed. However, the vocals still remain a matter of concern for the band. No emotion and no feel, one needs to get used to the vocals to enjoy the album.

Bart’s guitar playing has improved in leaps and bounds and have increased the ammunition in his tank tenfold. He can play this unique blend of melodic, yet technically perfect and sophisticated combination, something that no one in the Melodic Death genre can boast of. His perfect combination of harmonics and melody requires special mention as he plays a big part in the success of this record.

And what can you even say about Yanic? This guy is a machine with the perfect attitude, which is that of never giving up learning. His work on the previous release was great and he has somehow increased even more. His technicality and speed has increased much to the envy of his counterparts. He however, being of humble nature (you should read his reviews) never tries to hog on the limelight or show off his skills which would harm the band. His work on the cymbals and double bass is something that I have always loved and he doesn’t disappoint. One of the best drummers around today, he gets your respect even if he doesn’t try it. Needless to say, he is once again the start of the show.

The songs this time around as compared to the previous release are longer in length, more technical and complex than ever before and have jazz influences, the reason because of which you never know what to expect next and when the band has the listener entrapped in its inflicted mystery you know they have succeeded.

My only complaint this time around is the fact the band have not showcased their love for classical music, something which worked extremely well for them in the previous release and a trademark which set them apart from the other bands in the genre.

Overlook this, and you have a brilliant Technical Melodic Death Metal, the likes of which are not to be found.

“Day Into Night” is an album that’s immensely appealing on an aesthetic level. It’s fast, catchy, and full of creative riffs; certainly a “musician’s” album. The issue I hold with this album is that it does not live up to their debut at all, and though the riffs might be creative, they are essentially all based on the same type of Melothrash minor/harmonic minor scale riffage. Gone are the sweeping structures (minus “Dream“) and the narrative atmosphere that dominated the debut. In its place we have great production, fun and memorable riffs, all the right hooks in all the right places, but a huge void where the emotion and purpose of the first album once was. This album reminds me heavily of a much better version of ATG’s Slaughter of the Soul, which likewise, was an album that had all the right hooks in the all the right places, but was ultimately just a shallow effort to appease the common douchebag’s perception of a “good, melodic riff”.

I’ve already spoken of the structures a bit, but I’ll elaborate. Most of these songs are designed with one emotion in mind, one feeling, and the harmonies that the riffs perpetuate strive to explicate that emotion, usually with adequate results. However, this means that the flow of the album is heavily segmented and rough, “Day Into Night” is much more of a “Song by Song” record than an “Album”. Each song is good on its own, but part of the allure of an album is that it combines X amount of songs and synergizes them. “Day Into Night” utterly fails to do this. Even the connection between “Hunter/Killer” and “Hunter/Killer: Endgame” isn’t all that noticeable beyond the obvious naming of the tracks. So what we have are a collection of catchy songs (with some lemons like Let It Burn and I Believe) that don’t mean anything to each other, and are there just for the sake of being there.

As stated before, the production is great. Superb guitar tone, perfect-sounding drum kit, and an audible bass whom I’d like to hear from more often, but the low end presence is felt enough to warrant a thumbs up to the dude who mixed the album. This album is rather infamous for its lackluster vocals, the vocalist is extremely weak and sounds like he’s singing straight out of his throat, or more like talking with a bunch of ground up tortilla chips stuck in this throat. You do get used it, but that doesn’t change the fact that when I first heard this album four or so years ago I was like “Wow, he’s a horrible vocalist.” Once in a while you’ll hear him bellow, which is exponentially more effective with, so I’m rather confused as to why they didn’t have him employ that technique more often.

The songs themselves, however segregated and singular they may be, are composed with impeccable precision. Every note falls where it should and every note is the right note. But that’s the problem with this album; like “Slaughter of the Soul”, it’s so predictable that it becomes boring. To someone just getting into the scene, I have no doubt that this album will command their worship immediately, but once one desires something more complex or interesting than a multitude of harmonic and melodic clichés, there simply isn’t anything of substance for the listener to find. I would be a little too ignorant if I decided to ignore or omit the flashes of absolute brilliance that are present here though. “On The Shores of Ithaka” might suffer from clichéd melodies and scales, but it employs them to the maximum of their potential, not to mention this song is likely the least static one on the album. “Cadences of Absonance” is the only other song that truly follows a narrative structure, but it’s a weak song, “Night of the Roses” is rather pointless at thirty seven seconds, and “Dream” is an enjoyable instrumental, but nothing that will make you shit your pants.

Yanic Bercier’s performance deserves special mention here. He is one of the very few technically impressive drummers who doesn’t play like an egotistical prick and know when to shut the fuck up, when to accentuate, and when to blast in order to compliment the song instead of dictate it (*AHEM* Flo Mounier *AHEM*). I can’t help but dish out some respect for the dude for having the integrity to hold back on his skills in order to benefit the music as a whole instead of his own image as a drummer. I’ve always been a fan of his cymbal work, and he does some impressive stuff on this album as per usual. The guitar solos are for the most part superb in terms of what we conventionally expect out of a solo. They never show off, always manage to play at the right speed and end in the right places, not necessarily leaving the listener wanting more or wanting to press rewind because it wasn’t long enough, but leaving him with an immense sense of satisfaction. Bart Frydrychowicz certainly has an affinity for writing solos, and making the most out of melodic passages as possible, even if they are fundamentally boring.

So what do I do with this? “Day Into Night” has taken the most mundane ideas of harmony and melody and stretched them to their limits, resulting in something that is extremely listenable and accessible, but primordially flawed and ultimately generic. That’s where the line is drawn. “Forever” was anything but generic, “Day Into Night” may as well be the epitome of melodic death metal, the archetype of a trivial style. Does that make “Day Into Night” trivial? Or is it immune as an example of “how to do it correctly”? The issue is that while the album may serve as an archetypical exposition of melodic death metal, that doesn’t change the fact that underneath all its pretty leads, neat riffs, and catchiness, it’s still a peasant dressed up in a lord’s regalia. I’m giving lots of marks for the regalia, because DAMN is it ever attractive, but I’m well aware of the smelly peasant that lies beneath and dare not outstretch my hand far enough for him to clasp his grimy fingers around it.

Quo Vadis have produced 3 full-length albums and a live release over a career spanning around 15 years. Their second album, Day Into Night, the follow up to their debut Forever... is one of my current favourites to come from the 'technical melodic' death metal scene (if one is permitted to use such specific sub-sub-genre terms).

One of the first things that I noticed with this album were the vocals. Rather than an all-out, guttural gurgle or typical death metal growl, they come across as more of a dry, raspy, almost thrash-like roar. At first I though they were pretty weak, but they suit the mood of the album because this is not supposed to be the aural assault that many listeners may be accustomed to. The focus of the album is on technicality along with melody, rather than being brutal, and so through Arie Itman's delivery, we hear the emotional anguish also reflected in other aspects of the music and the lyrics. They brings a softer edge that correlates with the instrumental structure behind each track on which they feature. This also allows for the listener to understand the words without having to resort to a lyrics sheet.

To touch upon the lyrical content of this album for a moment, Quo Vadis tap into a less formulaic branch of verse on Day Into Night than has often been addressed in the death metal genre. Their attention is directed towards personal beliefs and understandings of life and despair. Each non-instrumental track showcases Arie's vocals in contrast with the guitars. They're rough around the edges and the lyrics accommodate this style of singing, whilst he perpetuates their deft content.

The solos that feature fairly frequently on this album aren't overly complex, but convey a certain level of beauty that redeems their lack of intensity. This is probably one of the only areas where the guitars seem to refrain from becoming overtly technical when perhaps they could have been, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it would have been nice to hear a well-structured and complex solo at least once.

Clean guitar breaks are utilized on this album, which create a calmed atmosphere; a suspension of the main drive of the guitars surrounding each break. Dream is a prime example of this style of musicianship. Given the title of the track, it doesn't deceive; it has a flowing majesty about it. For the majority of the track, an atmosphere is sculpted around the emphasis on clean guitar work with the occasional increase in tempo and intensity, but not too much to deter from that carefully crafted position of drifting melancholy.

Obviously, the primary style of the guitars on this release is to produce a subtle melody. There are plenty of catchy riffs and groovy hooks that I find myself humming them at random times. For me, the more notable examples of these feature on Hunter/Killer, Let it Burn and On the Shores of Ithaka.

The drums are probably the heaviest element on the whole album. Yanic Bercier contributes some solid drumming to the mix, with a healthy amount of diversity on each track. It can be loud and aggressive, then he will suddenly change to a slower pace and then maybe back again. They can be pounding and blasting at you one minute, and more subdued the next, allowing for the guitar melodies to caress the sound waves.

Production on this release is crisp and every instrument is perfectly audible to the befitting degree. This clarity adds a definite eloquence to proceedings, which continues the flowing nature of the album as a whole.

Two of the best examples from this album, apart from Dream come in the form of Hunter/Killer and On the Shores of Ithaka, the latter, for me, being a near exemplary exposition of technical, yet melodic death metal.

On the whole, this is a very nutritious dose of melodic death metal with plenty of technicality to keep listeners of all preferences interested. I don't consider this too melodic to discourage fans of the heavier side of death metal, in the same way that is isn't too heavy to put off those who prefer a more melodic approach. Day Into Night has the appropriate balance of all characteristics, with enough of each to have most audiences giving this repeat spins.

Damn, this album has so much to offer. I find myself listening to this and wondering, is there anything bad about this album? Well I found a few small flaws, but other than that, this album is nearly perfect. If you're thinking this is death metal, you're 1/4 right. It has some melo-death, some thrash, some death, and some technical. Take all that, put it in a blender and you got Day Into Night. It always stays very melodic, and always agressive. That's something very few bands can accomplish - mixing melodic with brutal (see Intestine Baalism). Not only does this album contain all of the above, but it also has relaxing clean guitar breaks. A bit too much of brutal tecnical riffing gets boring after a while, so the band adds some variety by putting in some leads in the end a few songs. Drums are very varied, it's not always the same boring beat; it has many drum fills.

Now for the few flaws: This album needs: A: More acoustic interludes. Clean guitarinterludes are nice, but nothing can beat an acoustic. B: Make the relaxing clean guitar parts a bit shorter. Some songs became repetitive near the end. C: "Night of the Roses" is simply amazing, but it's way too short (0:37). It has a great idea, but as soon as I started thinking "Hey, this one rules", the song was already over. It could easily serve as an acoustic interlude in one of the longer songs.

Overall, this is a sensational mix of Thrash/Death/Melodic/Technical, all with crushing leads, brutal riffs, interesting drums and great vocals. A must-have for any fan of this band, or this genre.

From beginning to end, this album beats the living hell out of you, shits on your face, throws you down the stairs and repeats the process until you're dead. The vocals at the beginning of Element Of The Ensemble part III give me late-night boners, the size and girth of which you could not percieve. This band is so fucking awesome that I would resort to being sodomized by all members if it were to get their next album out faster.

The riffs are entrancing, the drummer (Bercier) is probably the greatest in the world of Death Metal, if not the the world, period. Hell, Hunter/killer alone is second only to Vader's "Xeper" in my book. Alot of people seem to dislike the vocalist, but I find his carcass-esque rasp excellent, and very fitting for this kind of harsh music. In my opinion, this is the direction that Death Metal in general should head for to maintain it's validity in the coming years. This is definitely reccommended if you're a fan of Death, Atheist, Cynic and the like. I'd even reccommend this if you don't like Death Metal or metal at all, because this is just a musical wonderwork. That is all.

High fucking score!