Jazzy Tech-Death, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways…

Quadvium (if you didn’t know already) is a project of Steve Di Giorgio (Testament, Death) and Jeroen Paul Thesseling (Obscura, Pestilence). They grabbed a guitar player along the way and a drummer: Yuma van Eekelen (Our Oceans, Pestilence) and Eve (Myth Of I, Kaathe). Thus Quadvium was born and Tetradōm is the breathtaking release that has come from this union.

So how is Tetradōm? Well, I’ve already used breathtaking so that knocks out one adjective but good thing I have a Thesaurus! Kidding aside, it’s an intense album; filled with blistering speed at times and passages that are mind-twisting. Its Jazz turned upside down, taken to the highest level of extremity.

“Moksha” is the introduction to this Jazzy attack and it just gives me the willies at how good this is, right out of the gate the twin bassist lines are mesmerizing, they intertwine with the whirlwind of emotions. This is music that moves through you, grabbing the heart and soul with a sublime level of intensity.

This is a magnificent album, this is evidenced by the killer intro to “Náströnd”. It’s mind-blowing how much this is a future-looking creation. It nods to the source bands perfectly, Steve Di Giorgio played on the most Tech-Death albums ever; those being Death’s Human and Individual Thought Patterns. There are also huge Obscura and Necrophagist passages that drill into your brain; tracks like “Apophis” and “Ghardus” that weave violence within gorgeous tapestries.

Tetradōm is a complex album. It doesn’t overstay its welcome, clocking in at a respectable 33:57 minutes long. The magic is made with what Quadvium does within that time frame; it leaves room for my two favorite tracks, “Adhyasa” and “Sarab”. These two are punishingly beautiful. They set the stage (in epic fashion) for the ending track “Eidolon”. It’s the perfect ending song for this very special album, they really up the Jazz on this one.

Albums like Tetradōm are why I have fallen hard for Ultra-Jazzy Tech-Death; not all the bands are this good but who gives a fuck? In this age of individuality bands like Quadvium are needed to provide balance to the world.

This is why you need to get this album. If you love Necrophagist, Obscura, later Death, and Pestilence then you need this in your life. Grab it!

[Visit the band's website]

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