Review: Dark Quarterer – Pompei

Style: traditional progressive metal (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Dream Theater, Savatage, Deep Purple, Darkwater
Review by: Sam
Country: Italy
Release date: 6 November, 2020

I think anyone who has kept up with my reviews knows at this point that I have a strong Affinity for Dream Theater worship and other similar prog metal. It doesn’t matter how many times I hear it. If it’s done well, I am practically guaranteed to eat it up. Give me good vocal hooks, some chunky guitar riffs, tasty keyboard play and some good ol’ solo wanking, and I’m all ears. Enter Dark Quarterer.

Now I never thought I’d write an intro like this for this band. Dark Quarterer is infamous among 80s heavy metal fans for their first two records, which have grown into cult classics on the internet. Supposedly they played a slightly progressive brand of epic heavy metal. I’ve not heard the records myself yet (there’s too much good music out there), but they’re high on my list should I ever get back into a heavy metal exploration mood again. That they would turn into a progressive metal band later down the line did not surprise me (given that Fates Warning started their career in similar fashion and look where they ended up), but a progressive metal band in this mold is not what I expected. Isn’t prog metal like this supposed to be the kryptonite of metal elitists?

My journey with Pompei was a slow one. And a big part of that is because the opener “Vesuvius” takes so damn long to get going. Opening with a 9 minute long song is always tricky business, especially if it slowly works its way towards a crescendo. The verses are littered with tired, brooding chugs and slow, melodramatic vocals with a serious lack of oomph. Not to mention it takes over a minute before there’s ANY music. From there on it takes four more minutes before it finally gets going and I’m just bored at that point. Luckily the faster part is very enjoyable with a lively rhythm section and some great solos, but in the final minute the brooding chugs make a return and the boredom makes a lasting impression that clouded my perception for the rest of the album. It’s easily the worst track on the album and makes for a horrible appetizer, setting my expectations to mediocrity.

Another big reason why Pompei took so long to grow on me is that this record lacks immediacy. There are no standout choruses or riffs that are immediately memorable. The compositions of this band are not very straightforward. They do use repetition of sections, but there are no choruses with a capital letter C shouting “HEY LOOK I’M A CHORUS I’M GONNA BE STUCK IN YOUR HEAD FOR DAAAAYYYSSSS” at you, nor are there any vile riffs that grab you by the balls. This is both a weakness and a strength in my eyes (as will be the case with many parts of this record, which is why this review took me so long). Weakness because it lacks immediacy, and a strength because they’re trying something different and it proves to be effective in the long term.

Let’s first go over the sound once more. This band, like many others, uses the Dream Theater template. Chugging riffs, passionate vocals, big solo sections with guitar and keyboard tradeoffs, you know the drill. Dark Quarterer give this a distinctly old-school vibe with mostly Black Sabbath-inspired riffs and Deep Purple-esque use of Hammond-organ and piano sounds on keys. The solos are a big highlight with this band. Unless this type of prog sounds like wank to you on principle (looking at you, Chris), I found them to be very tasteful and emotive in both execution and placement. They know how to build the intensity required to make the payoff of the solos feel earned. Even the worst songs of this album they can drag out of the mud. I also thought the drumming was excellent. Paolo “Nipa” Ninci really drives the mood with his grooves, and demonstrates great feel and diversity in his playing. He doesn’t just follow whatever the guitar is doing, but truly commands the direction of the music. I’d even say it’s more the other way around, that the guitar follow the drums too much. I don’t know what the deal is with these bands that suddenly forget how to write properly mean riffs when they turn prog, but it really annoys me. It’s serviceable, but there are enough prog bands that do the chunky chugga chugga already.

Another driving factor in this album is the singing. I have to say it’s a mixed bag. Gianni Nepi has a very heavy Italian accent, which took me some time to warm up to. The way he structures his vocal lines feels similar of John Arch, dancing off the rhythms in his own headspace instead of following the music more closely. This type of singing inherently treads a fine line between ingenuity and sounding like a doofus, and Gianni does both. For example, in the song “Panic” there’s a verse where a killer groove, lovely vocal lines, and a gorgeous piano melody come together in a breathtaking way, but in the ‘chorus’ of the song he goes into this awkward melodramatic mode again like in the opener. I really don’t know where to place this guy. His higher range is overall more pleasant than his lower range, but there are times for both that they sound grating, and that they sound amazing. And his lines aren’t all that catchy either, yet certain parts get stuck in my head for seemingly no reason. I’m in love and very confused at the same time.

Well, time to wrap it up now. With Pompei, Dark Quarterer have given me a real head-scratcher. On one hand it has some of my favorite ever moments in the genre, but on the other hand there are also parts that either really annoy me, or I’m just ambivalent to. For their next album I could definitely use some more immediacy in their writing. And I didn’t even touch the production (it’s great!) or this album’s concept yet! Just give this a go alright? It’s a good one, I think…

Recommended tracks: Panic, Plinius the Elder, Forever
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Final verdict: 7/10

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Label: Cruz del Sur Music – Bandcamp | Website | Facebook

Dark Quarterer is:
– Gianni Nepi (vocals, bass)
– Paolo “Nipa” Ninci (drums)
– Francesco Sozzi (guitars)
– Francesco Longhi (keyboards)