QUADRIVIUM Adversus (Soulseller Records) 40:00min If I would need to advise a picture for QUADRIVIUM’s music a cloudless nightsky with a handful of stars would be a suitable one. The band members are all involved in other projects (not really a surprise for Norwegian musicians) and they started QUADRIVIUM three years ago to channel their more abstract synthesizer ideas. The debut “Adversus” has been recorded nearly 20 months ago and is now finally available via Soulseller Records. The album is offering 40 minutes of avantgarde Black Metal and musically they are so heavily inspired by ARCTURUS that every fan of this band can stop reading this review and order the album right now. If we are talking about ARCTURUS it’s more the "Constellation" MCD and their debut than the latest releases which seem to inspire the QUADRIVIUM crew and “Adversus” is finding the middle way of paying tribute to one of the most ambitious Norwegian bands of the last decade but also adding some own ideas. The astral atmosphere mainly created by the keys can be found in every song and they are the key to the heart of QUADRIVIUMS music. With the king dead the scene should be ready for new bands and I hope that this newcomer will receive it’s deserved attention. www.myspace.com/quadriviumnorway, www.soulsellerrecords.com Matthias Auch BACK Quest Of Aidance Fallen Man Collection (MCD) (Pulverised Records) 10:17min Emerging from the pits of Sweden, what can we expect of a band formed by members of acts such as Unmoored, Solar Dawn, Incapacity, Traumatized (SWE), Torchbearer or Scar Symmetry? Yes, you're right, Death Metal in its purest form, with brutality, groovy riffs and melodic parts, great solos and aggressive growling vocals. Not too brutal, but with a good punch and not forgetting some original ideas, although standing in an oldschool style with Swedish and Danish reminiscences, and a touch of old Cannibal Corpse here and there. The production is raw but quite clear (although not too much, the guitars still sound crunchy) and songs are not bothering at all, which is not strange seeing that their average time is about one minute more or less. But there is the (possible) problem of this MCD (in fact this is the band's first demo tape, "Human Trophy", re-released with a new packaging), its total playing time (only ten minutes), as it contains 6 songs plus an intro and a kind of intro / seven seconds song in the seventh track. But be sure this is worth a listen if you're into intense Death Metal with really good riffing, drum blasting and non-stop brutality and I hadn't listened to such an intense album for quite some time. About the lyrical part of it, these guys are into the Predator movies, which is quite unusual for the style. Quality is always better than quantity! www.pulverised.net Jeroni Sancho BACK QUINTA ESSENTIA Archetypal Transformation (Deathgasm Records) 55:13min This couldn't have been more surprising given the slightly discouraging name (sorry, Latin is one of my pet peeves). QUINTA ESSENTIA have been around since 2004, and have evidently spent most of that time listening to BAL-SAGOTH and ABSU. The latter I can do without most of the time. BAL-SAGOTH, on the other hand, are fantastic. This record is a decaf imitation of the battle Metal master's work throughout the 90s. That is no slight against them, and is in fact, a nod to their musicianship. It can't be easy to play melodies that fast. The only downside is the slower passages, which evoke nothing but a burning resentment for any guitar player who has to showcase his talents with completely useless and unatmospheric finger movements. That said, its a good product. Nicely done. www.quintaessentia.net, www.myspace.com/thetruequintaessentia, www.deathgasm.com Nat Shapiro BACK QUO VADIS Day Into Night (Hypnotic International Records) 51:16 min Hailing from Montreal, Canada these boys take a hefty influence from such acts as old METALLICA, AT THE GATES, SLAYER, TESTAMENT and ARCH ENEMY. The biggest influence you hear on this disc is that CARCASS - "Heartwork", vocalist Arie is a dead ringer for Jeff Walker. With all that being said, QUO VADIS incoroporate all those elements from the mentioned bands and create a unique sound of their own. 11 tracks, 3 instrumentals which are simply astonishing pieces of melodic art.  Drummer Yanic just pounds and pummels his way through the album making it sound like a solo album for him, constant double bass may be my only complaint about this album.  Other than that this is one pure slab of raging shredding Metal, the finest of melodies, unrelenting drums and sheer talent. Note: guitarist / vocalist Arie has began taking lessons from Alex Skolnick of TESTAMENT. Dimitri Ganatsios BACK