Quadrus: Entropia

John Galanakis, a Greek guitarist and composer has formed a modern progressive metal supergroup capable of producing a theatrical concept album with enough range to allow two male vocalists and one female vocalist to sing convincingly in various lead and background roles. This provocative artistic arrangement serves the album Entropia, which is the Greek word for transformation, exceptionally well when considering an enormous canvas is truly needed to fit such a talented cadre of musicians. Entropia is the first major release for Quadrus and the bar has been set very high indeed. Concept albums, even in the digital age, are more the exception than the rule. Quadrus has rolled the bones on their debut release using the concept format. Usually bands such as The Who, Queensryche, and Iron Maiden were counseled (or forced) to only choose this unpredictable road after establishing themselves through world tours and a few albums to build a loyal following. Technology has changed the longitude and latitude of our lives.

Quadrus has decided a most different direction and prefers to poke conventional wisdom straight in the eye. Entropia is not a cut and dry commercial concept album but rather a detailed lyrical road map that earnestly attempts to understand the formation of life. It asks questions. It wants answers on why humanity wastes more time shooting each other than sleeping with each other. Their vision rings cinematic but doesn't slip to melodramatic and begins with a bright introduction, "Astra Nova" (Born) a narration spoken by a beautiful female voice: "But since the very beginning of the universe from blackness and shadow a hope sparked, a form of life." These inspirational words coupled with haunting keyboards set the right tone for this major story line to move forward.

The second song "Shadow Provision" starts the fall of humanity giving in to fear and making poor choices, 'That's the price to pay for our cruelty/If the light goes away/if there's nothing left to dream." In a "Sense of Matter" the pace, orchestration and vocal power picks up immensely and you can hear sonic shadings of Dream Theatre and later King Diamond, "I've stories to narrate/I have visions to foresee/I am here to breed sanity/in this great march of puppets." On "Deceptive Projection" they somehow managed to marry thrash rhythms with the alluring atmospherics of Enigma to produce a song and sound unlike any I have ever heard in my forty years of listening to metal. It's scary, seductive and splendidly original.

"Attribution Theory" which represents track number seven and the (Guilt) theme is another tremendous metal opera that has overtones of Pink Floyd but is sung Morbid Angel style balancing bestial utterances with progressive musicianship, "In the shades of former light/I see through the astral plane/A silent image of myself consuming thoughts of pain" Entropia ends (or maybe begins, depending on your personal philosophy) with the final track "Entropia" which is a eighteen minute multi-sectional masterpiece of human transformation and cosmic salvation, "In the altered state of consciousness we found a better way/Our destiny in the universe is no longer our decay."

If you want to put together a band with male and female vocals, thrash guitars, Vangelis-like keyboard playing and sprinkle elements of Dream Theater, Pink Floyd, King Diamond and Morbid Angel----you absolutely must invent a complicated and amazingly melodic concept album like Entropia. I have not come across a musical creature like this in my lifetime and loudly wonder if I ever will again. It's that enthralling. It's that entertaining. And makes you think what we could do as a species if we just sat down for a moment to appreciate the motion of the stars instead of finding fault with our neighbors.

Tracklisting

1. Astra Nova (3:15)
2. Shadow Provision (7:26)
3. The Alpha Origin (8:01)
4. Sense of Matter (5:19)
5. Alternative Hypothesis (2:35)
6. Deceptive Projection (6:40)
7. Attribution Theory (7:08)
8. Aggression (7:59)
9. Entropia (18:00)

Added: April 14th 2017
Reviewer: Mark Antony Rossi
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 2594
Language: english

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