Dark Quarterer - Dark Quarterer (1987)^{Release ID: 3613}

The idea of Italian heavy metal trio Dark Quarterer has long been a source of fascination for me to be honest. How they avoided causing any sort of blip on my radar back in the 1980’s & 1990’s but have somehow managed to build such a committed & loyal following over the many years since has left me intrigued as to what they could possibly offer, particularly given the comparisons to some of the more reputable & epically inclined acts from the US scene. I’d never given them a chance up until now though strangely enough so my recent decision to start spoon-feeding my three young kids some less extreme metal releases during drive time seemed like the perfect opportunity for some blind experimentation. It’s proven to be a rewarding experience too, significantly more so for myself than for my kids though it has to be said.

Dark Quarterer’s self-titled 1987 debut album has been gifted with an almost enigmatic reputation in the heavy metal scene. It’s production job is as raw as fuck with the rhythm guitars sitting much too far back in the mix, the vocals trying their best to drown out the instrumentation & a generous coating of distortion layered over the top of everything thanks to some inappropriate use of levels in the studio. Somehow though, this all seems to work to Dark Quarterer's advantage by giving the album an additional touch of underground street credibility but I have to say that I’m a little on the fence about it personally. You see, people are dead right to refer to Dark Quarterer’s sound is being a particularly epic one with bassist Gianni Nepi possessing a soaring voice to rival the most metal claw-inducing power metal front man & the three musicians producing lengthy, layered & extravagant pieces that sit as much in the progressive rock space as they do the heavy metal one. Now, when you take that description into account, I can’t help but feel that a big, clear prog production job might have brought out some additional complexities in Dark Quarterer’s music, even though I can definitely see the appeal in the super-underground packaging too. Perhaps I’m just looking for a little more warmth given that “Dark Quarterer” sounds very much like it was recorded & released in the 1970’s. 1981 would probably have been the very latest I would have guessed this record to hail from in a blind test given that both the prog rock & heavy metal influences are clearly drawn from that era.

In saying that though, Dark Quarterer have still managed to produce a very complex, mature & organic sound for just a trio of instrumentalists. The compositions aren’t technical as such but they are heavily expansive & often improvisational in nature with all three men contributing creatively to the holistic package. Guitarist Fulberto Serena is clearly the protagonist from an instrumental point of view though as these pieces are overflowing with lengthy & quite capable lead guitar solos that any 70’s prog/fusion shredder would be happy to claim as their own. Opener “Red Hot Gloves” sees Nepi’s vocal approach seemingly drawing upon Rob Halford’s efforts on the first couple of Judas Priest albums while the more epic pieces see him achieving quite a bit of crossover with the most epic of the epic in Manowar’s Eric Adams. It all works well too (particularly on album highlight “Gates Of Hell”) & there are no weak songs included on the very consistent 43 minute tracklisting.

Perhaps what holds me back from scoring “Dark Quarterer” a little higher is that it never sounds all that heavy. There are some hints at a doomy edge at times with the vocals occasionally even drawing comparisons with Candlemass’ front man Messiah Marcolin but I don’t feel that the trio ever quite get there, leaving things feeling a touch more mind-mannered than I'd like. The guitar tone doesn’t help as it’s a little more rock than it is metal while the guitar solos I mentioned would fit fairly seamlessly within the context of a prog rock or jazz fusion outfit. Early US heavy metallers Legend are probably a pretty good point of comparison as they always seemed to have one foot in the prog rock/jazz fusion camps & suffered from similar production issues. Dark Quarterer's riffs & vocals are undeniably metal though with their epic atmosphere reminding me a lot of Manilla Road & their heavier, doomier moments touching on Cirith Ungol. These attributes will no doubt appeal a lot more to others than they do to me so I think “Dark Quarterer” is definitely worth a few listens for the discerning listener that enjoys a distinctly 70’s based sound.