Q.E.D. - Quod Erat Demonstrandum

Year of Release: 2000
Label: self-released
Catalog Number: n/a
Format: CD
Total Time: 75:11:00

From Hungary comes Q.E.D.. If you were expecting another After Crying the you'll be disappointed, as Q.E.D. are a prog metal band that sound strongly of Ozzy Osbourne, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, etc. Q.E.D. are a quintet consisting of Zol the Great on vocals, Andy Angel on keyboards, Peter G. David on guitars, Zolman on bass, and Baron on drums.

The opening track, "Welcome To Hell," is where the "Ozzy thing" is a first encountered, but throughout Zol sings in the same nasally way Ozzy does - this is the bulk of their of "Ozziness." There are, however, a variety of...well, I won't say influences, as I'm entire sure it isn't just down to coincidence, but "I Believe..." made me think of two other artists - one I couldn't pin down, but the other is White Lion. There are times where this sounds a bit like their "Wait" if only with a few sharper edges. "Madness" made me think of Arena, with the harder edged turned up a few more notches,...here it is more the guitar work of David than anything else. However, the low-key bridge also made me think of Arena, especially the swirling keyboards. Now, I said I couldn't pin down the other artist I was thinking of, but that "something" kept nagging at me throughout the album, all focused around Zol's vocals. In flash, it came to me: Stuart Adamson of Big Country. It's only the vocals, though, even if Big Country were developing a harder edged sound in their latter material.

Because this has been released in the 00's, there are, of course, hints of Dream Theater in their sound as well - chugging guitars being the most obvious. Had this been released in the 80's, it would have sat right next to White Lion (as mentioned), though are some hints also at Rush and Metallica - a bit of bass here, some guitar crunch there mainly. Some of David's guitar accents made me think of Steve Rothery. Angel throws in some decidedly not metal keyboard parts, which is great as it just adds so much more to their palette - the power ballad "Perfect Lover" is a good example of the latter. In fact, with the keyboards in the mix as they are, there are some similarities to Vanden Plas. The latter half of the album brings this more to the front. "Mama" isn't the Genesis track, or even Ozzy's "Mama, I'm Coming Home," but this song strangely echoes not only Ozzy but also 70's Southern Rock. The guitar and keyboard solos, while nice, seem a little jumbled and clumsy, a bit too much in opposition to each other.

The disk itself is a demo, but the production is surprisingly good. There is an often a live feel, some muddying of the sound, but overall the sound is clear with good separation. "I Believe In You" is a little shrill, where the sharp keyboard intro is a little dry because of it. But when the production doesn't get in the way, Q.E.D. are brilliant - tinkling keyboards, lyrical guitar solos, such as those on "I Believe..." or some of the bits on "Perfect Lover."

The latter tracks on the album move away from Ozzy and the 80's and have a more 90's prog metal sound to them, especially "Innocent Dreams." "Forever Alien" is a quirky track that is one part prog rock, one part metal (more so the latter, of course). The track opens with trumpet-like keys...though real trumpets would have added something, a certain warmth. The rock part is during the verses, the metal during the choruses, bridge, etc. This is a high-energy track - actually, the whole album has a lot of energy. Contrasting, the keyboard in the intro to "Shadow Man" sounds...well, sounds awful...hollow and cheap, actually, though this can hardly be said of the keyboard work of Angel for the rest of the album. In fact, it sounds like something added on afterward, as an afterthought. If Q.E.D. get a contract from this demo and get the chance to tweak their demos, I'd suggest they get rid of that particular keyboard accent, or at least warm it up. The rest of the track is quite beefy and heavy, with a very big sound, which only makes that keyboard trill all the more out of place. The keyboard solo later in the track is so much warmer in comparison, even if it is shrill at times.

I have to tell you that I quite like this album - a problem I seem to be plagued with this year, as there have been just so many good releases. If there is a negative it is that Q.E.D. will probably get lost among all the other progressive metal releases that came out this year, especially as their sound is, because of its influences, a bit dated. Shame really, as in some ways, I much prefer that classic sound. Oh, and speaking of classic, there are a few classically influenced bits here, too.

Tracklisting:
Welcome To Hell (6:06) / I Believe In You (5:28) / Free Love (5:11) / Madness (5:44) / Mama (4:22) / Perfect Lover (5:32) / Solider Of Fear (5:39) / Night Flowers (6:29) / Angel Smile (4:24) / Taj Mahal (4:50) / Innocent Dreams (6:16) / Forever Alien (6:30) / Shadow Man (7:28)

Musicians:
Zol The Great - vocals
Andy Angel - keyboards
Peter G David - guitars
Zolman - bass
Baron - drums

Discography:
Quod Erat Demonstrandum (2000)

Genre: Progressive-Power Metal

Origin HU

Added: January 1st 2001
Reviewer: Stephanie Sollow
Score:
Artist website: listen.to/Q.E.D.
Hits: 2777
Language: english