DEFIANT IMAGINATION

If memory serves [it does], a recommendation from an interview Anthony Fantano (The Needle Drop) did with Alexander Jones of Undeath (see the video 'These Albums Will Punish You'), Defiant Imagination is the third and final studio album by Canadian Progressive/Technical Death Metal group Quo Vadis. As mentioned in their bio here, significant to this album is the inclusion of bassist Steve DiGiorgio as a session musician. Previously, DiGiorgio had performed and recorded with bands [in chronological order] such as Autopsy, Death (specifically on such important albums as Human and Individual Thought Patterns) and Testament, and later with Sebastian Bach, Christian Muenzner (Obscura, Necrophagist), Soen, and most recently Megadeth (in 2021). I feel I haven't reviewed much Tech Death recently and this was a good one to dip my toes back in.

Defiant Imagination begins off with power on "Silence Calls the Storm", with a relatively melodic approach, the riffs are glancing back. The drums are absolutely ablaze, performed by Yanic Bercier, but then there's the bass! Of course, looking at the bands and projects on which DiGeorgio was a part, it's all making sense. Jazzy, but flying all over the fretboard. I would argue the track is pretty straightforward Death Metal, but then here in the end, as if mimicking seagulls or some other winged thing, Bart Frydrychowicz closes out "Silence" with a guitar solo, met then with bass over a slowed, cleaner outro. "In Contempt" is another fiery inferno [You've been warned: this is the only idiom I can come up with today haha] with a forward drive to keep you going, too. Delicious guitar solo here, but really the whole is very masterfully done already. Much more quick to the punch then the opener.

With a guitar tone that could have even been found in Hard Rock of the late-70s, "Break The Cycle" sways in and out of something sonically totally other within the context of Death Metal. Just very interesting! This tone returns around minute 2 for a delightfully Watchtower-esque section [Ron Jarzombek be praised!] [Apparently Ron's brother Bobby is the current drummer for Country legend George Strait?!... What?!...]. Quirky and rigid, but dark. And then the solo!!! Yaaaaa!!! Mr. Bart is not to be f*cked with! Haha! Best of the bunch thus far. Well balanced as the album has been, "Tunnel Effect (Element of the Ensemble IV)" kicks off with fire. Very interesting choice of dropping out the instruments at one point for solo vocals from their gruff-toned frontman Stephane Pare... It's hard to say whether I'm hearing influence here in vocal style from Hardcore in general, Thrash in particular or something more stylistically 'muddled' like Alt- / Nu-Metal. Or even Industrial? The only real point of interest is what I would consider the instrumental bridge, which frankly is still wildly more complex than I can truly understand haha.

What this band accomplished rhythmically is one of its greatest tools, and hearing the interplay of the entire band, working together for the biggest heft on "To The Bitter End", is a great example of this. If simple rhythms can be spruced up in any way, you might have got me. And here, hard not to praise once more guitarist Frydrychowicz (Fry Dry?!). Regardless, another track with classic Metal riffage. Compositionally, I'm not overly impressed with the whole, though there's a lot that I would personally struggle to accomplish instrumentally (an understatement). Anyways, great track either way [Trying to be cognizant of me and the site standards]. They do kill it.

Up next is the interluding(?) "Articulo Mortis", which features a small string (cello?) ensemble and dark-black chamber-style vocals. What a choice! This runs seamlessly into "Fate's Descent", immediately brutal and heavy. This feels like it has just that little bit more Tech-Death magic we got on the frontend of the album. A guitar solo is then eventually broken up across highly melodic riffs. Pretty epic. Approaching the end, we then get "Dead Man's Diary", with a low and slow rhythm which progressively picks up by way of kickdrum. The bass sounds awesome in the intro, and this feels overall like another challenge for the band, which I think they more than overcame. The guitar here is not mixed balls to the wall, wall-to-wall, so this song has a totally different vibe than the remainder of the album. Interesting, for sure... Not necessarily their strongest suit. Even so, delighted to hear clean guitars once more, all while the double kick is literally on fire haha [Yes, I know what the word 'literally' means, hand on my heart]. This is followed by our sub-minute closer, "Ego Intuo Et Servo Te" (Latin for "I See And Save Thee"), which is another number with strings and those same chamber-esque group vocals, but this time with a really tastefully done sorta string-pluck midi sound. Neat.

Very glad I listened. Its weakest moments certainly didn't sully its strongest.

True Rate: 3.75/5.00