Quercus
Promo 2002 (Promo) 2002 No Label
The Czech Republic has already offered with Dissolving of prodigy one of its dearest children to the doom-metal community, and it isn't unlikely that Quercus becomes the next generous present from this Central European country. Quercus needs no more than five songs to carve its mark on the stone of the most promising extreme doom acts of the moment. Their bleak, dissonant, slow doom is spiced up with samples, solemn incantations drenched in reverb, nihilistic lead guitar themes and the wonderful sound of an organ on the last track (which comes the closest to the title`funeral doom` to which the band aspires as they clearly state on the back cover of this promo). The production is stunningly clear and powerful for a beginning doom band. It emphasizes the low bass end, while enough space is left for the mesmerizing lead guitar lines to unfold. A monotonous grunt and very accurately programmed drums complement this picture of apathy and bleak nihilism, as if one is staring at a colourless, grey landscape out of the broken glass of an old window. If you are a fan of extreme doom in general and bands like early Unholy or the Polish Nightly Gale in particular, I highly recommend the work of these two promising young doomsters and I expect them to get a label deal soon, because quality and professionalism shines through each composition on this promo. Band contact: kudrna.jiri@volny.cz.	1. Earthmange 2. Ignis fatus 3. Darkening of God`s gifts 4. Alogia 5. Smrt ma u dusi spanek Approx. 42 minutes
Reviewed by: Kostas Panagiotou
Kverulant (Demo CD) 2002 No Label
Some time ago I received an excellent demo from the Czech Republic of a project with the enigmatic name Quercus. The demo quality was above average, showing a band with a clear musical vision, confident about their abilities and not shy of experimenting here and there. Now, a few months later, I already receive a second demo from this band, containing tracks from their previous work, as well as some new songs. Those new tracks are similar in style to the old ones, displaying the same high level of quality and execution. Quercus manage to keep their music interesting throughout this extremely lengthy demo using some small but effective tricks at strategic places, like ambient/industrial samples, serene acoustic parts, dark background whispers, monotonous spoken parts and even a horn on one of the tracks. Although the songs are not really melodic (but rather dissonant), they manage to hold the attention of the listener because of the strong songwriting, their originality and unique cold atmosphere. The pace is slow and static. Power chords, which are usually combined with monotonous lead guitar work, mostly characterize the tracks although there is some sporadic heavier metal guitar work here and there. This demo has been sent as promo material to various labels, so I do hope that one of them picks up this interesting two-man project, because they certainly deserve it. The contact address of the band is still kudrna.jiri@volny.cz.	1. Ravine burden thorns 2. Ignis fatus 3. Darkening of God’s gifts 4. Alogia 5. Earthmange 6. Smrt Ma V Dusi Spanek 7. Morire 8. Neverending vigilance over the existence Approx. 79 minutes
Reviewed by: Kostas Panagiotou
Nenia-Membrane (CD-R) 2004 Foreshadow Productions
Although both the 'Nenia' MCD as well as the 'membrane' track are released by Foreshadow productions (the second on a sampler compiled by the label), this is in fact an unreleased CD-R containing both works of this Czech band, which are normally available separately. Quercus has always been in my book an extraordinary underground entity, but this CD-R takes the band's avantgarde extreme doom to a whole new dimension and -dare I say?- level. The three lengthy tracks take their time to unveil their dark secrets, which are hidden behind painfully distorted guitars, brutal screams and dissonant melodies. Once in a while, surprising twists like a folky rhythm keep the tracks interesting despite their apparent lack of recognizable song structures. The crunchy, heavily distorted guitar sound creates a stream of sound that forces the listener into a strange feeling of apathy and numbness. But despite the similarities, the third track stands out with its extremely slow tempo, ritual percussion and heavy organ sound. Perhaps reminding of the more experimental moments of Skepticism, 'membrane' is a real gem which makes me long for the Foreshadow productions sampler which features this track. You can argue that Quercus is an underestimated entity, but from the other side, when you make such difficult and demanding music like this band, you know in advance that the path you have chosen is only for the few. Either way, those who are into dark, dissonant and experimental extreme music, need no look any further for a new challenging listen.	1. Awaken to peace 2. Nameless 3. Membrane Approx. 37 minutes
Reviewed by: Kostas Panagiotou