04/06/2006

Samir: Present yourself to the audience.



For those who do not know us, Quo Vadis is a metal band from Montreal (Canada), formed in December 1992. In November 2004, we released our 3rd studio album, entitled Defiant Imagination, which was mixed by Jim Morris and included session bassist Steve DiGiorgio. Our previously released albums are entitled Forever (1996), and Day Into Night (2000), and we also have an EP Passage in Time (2001), which includes our first video. In November 2005, the band released a triple DVD, which contains footage of a show which was recorded on May 7 2005 in Montreal. The musicians in the band have changed in the past few years. The current band lineup for shows includes myself on drums, Bart Frydrychowicz and Marc-Andre Gingras on guitars, Stephane Pare on vocals, Dominique Lapointe on bass, and Roxanne Constantin on keyboards.



The band’s compositions reveal the emotions which are felt during the writing process. The songs on the last album are very different from one another, and they all project different feelings and states of mind. The goals which we set for ourselves are to write songs which are stimulating and appealing, both musically and lyrically, and to create challenges for the musicians who play the songs during live performances. Bart has a wide range of musical influences, and this comes out in the writing. Our influences are quite different from each other, however, our tastes are very similar when it comes to writing songs so I think we complete each other very well. I believe the chemistry can be heard on albums we have recorded. This is one of the many things I like about working with him. I have been working with Bart since 1992, and every time I work with him, I know that the speed and dexterity of my hands and feet will be challenged!

Samir: What does "Quo Vadis" mean?

Quo Vadis means “where are we going?” in latin. Bart got the idea to name the band Quo Vadis in the early 90s. I think it was a great idea. Of course, when people who don’t know the band ask us the name of the band, we usually get “Quo what???” as the next question. J

Samir: When and where was your meeting with the others members of the band?

Bart, Arie, and I met in college. I remember our first rehearsal together in December 1992. Bart came to my place, with Arie, and we jammed to Slayer, Metallica, and Megadeth songs. Believe it or not, Bart and Arie almost decided not to meet with me at all and almost cancelled! They had been trying out a lot of drummers at that time and none of them were working out, and each time, they had to go through another “sorry, it’s not going to workout” discussion with the drummer. When they spoke with me, they were afraid that I couldn’t play the material which I said I could play and they didn’t want to go through another dramatic discussion about “it not working out”. However, when we got together and jammed, we knew right away that it was working out well. That night was the beginning of a great adventure. We went through almost 20 bassists in a period of 3 years. In 1995, Remy Beauchamp joined the band which put an end to the change in bassist every few months! J The line-up was constant until 2002. Arie left the band in 2002, and Remy followed in 2003.

In 2003, the band welcomed a dedicated vocalist, named Stephane Pare. Before Stephane joined Quo Vadis, the vocalists of the band were Bart and Arie. By 2001 or 2002, we really noticed that the dual vocalist/guitarist role was not working out for the band’s live performances. It was tough. Almost all soundmen, and fans too, complained the vocals were not loud enough. On stage, the sound from the other instruments would seep into the vocal mics and pollute the mix, and, when playing an instrument and singing at the same time, one can never sing as loud as a person who can use his whole body to give the death metal vocals the extra push required. That created many problems. Also, before Stephane joined the lineup, we had never performed a show where all the lyrics/vocals were sung live. There were always bits and pieces left out of some songs. With the new material (on Defiant Imagination) being more complex, it would have created an even bigger problem. In any case, the most important issue was to fix the weak delivery of vocals live, and that was addressed when Stephane came in. He did a great job on Defiant Imagination and the DVD Defiant Indoctrination, where you can see him in action. We are proud that he joined. In addition, Roxanne Constantin’s involvement with the band has been strong since 2003. Her biggest contributions to the band have been to record keyboards for and participate in arranging tracks from Defiant Imagination, and to produce the triple DVD with Bart.

After Steve DiGiorgio recorded the bass tracks on Defiant Imagination, we needed a session bassist for our live performances. Stephane, who was a good friend of Dominique Lapointe’s, recommended to Bart and I to get Dominique involved in Quo Vadis. We knew Dominique a bit from seeing him play in other Montreal bands. We knew he could do a great job with Steve’s material. He has been doing live performances with us since 2004. Since 2004, we have had 2 session guitarists. The most recent addition is Marc-Andre Gingras, who joined the line-up in 2006.

Samir: How important is the internet for bands like you?

The internet is very important to the band. It’s the best way to do promotion without having considerable expenses. It seems that most fans and musicians today have access to internet. This allows one to discover new bands both domestic and international, to download audio files, get the latest news, purchase releases and merchandise directly from bands, contact the members of a band, etc. I think having a website makes a big difference in the overall advancement of bands in the heavy metal industry.

Samir: What do you listen to other than Metal?

Bart and I have different influences. I listen to metal, rock, punk, funk, soft rock, and a little bit of rap. Bart listens to metal, classical music, as well as other instrumental/tribal/experimental types of music.

Samir: How is everything going with the new album?



Everything is going great with the new album. Defiant Imagination was very well received by the fans, and continues to be acclaimed worldwide. The triple DVD Defiant Indoctrination has been great promotion for the band. People who have not seen the band live can see what a Quo Vadis show is like. Album sales have increased worldwide since the release of the DVD. The band has been very proud of its recent achievements.

Samir: What other bands had you been in before? Any others?

Bart and I have been exclusive members of Quo Vadis since 1992. I have participated on recordings as a session drummer for Empyreal Dominion, The Coalition. Details of these recordings are given on my website at www.yanicbercier.com. Dominique Lapointe is a member of many bands in Montreal, including Augury, Atheritic, etc.

Samir: What is the more important thing in life for you?

The most important thing to me is to be happy. I continuously set goals for myself. Completing goals gives a sense of achievement. Having dreams keeps the mind fresh and thirsty for more. When dreams are divided into different phases/steps and are given adequate timelines, dreams can sometimes become reality. The important thing is to be able to recognize when a goal, dream or wish has been realized or reached. Dreams have become reality many times in my life with the band and with my personal life. I can’t help but be extremely grateful for what I have.

Samir: What are the goals of your band in the future ?



The band plans to record another album within the next 1 ½ years. We then plan to support the new material by touring within North America and Europe. A goal we have set for ourselves is to surpass the material of Defiant Imagination, with better songwriting skills and better musicianship. With better material and hard work, the band can continue to get more visibility and to grow as an international act in order to have the resources to tour internationally.

Samir: How have the tours been going?

Until now, we have done 2 Canadian tours and we have had the opportunity to play in a few festivals in Germany. The experience we obtained from these shows has been great. We hope to have the chance to do many more tours in the near future.

Samir: What would be the festival of your dreams ?

I would like to share a stage with Slayer, Testamenet, Anthrax. Since I started listening to these bands in the last 80s when I was in my early teens, I still see these bands as greater than life.

Samir: The new album, how is it going to sound?

Bart has been working on new material. I haven’t heard much of it yet. It is too early to make a statement concerning the future material. From what I heard and what has been discussed, the new material will have more time signatures, more tempo changes. I have been taking drum sessions with Bobby Jarzombek (Rob Halford, Spastic Ink, Iced Earth) and jazz drummer Keith Brown in order to improve my stick technique. I will therefore be paying more attention to writing various patterns and fills with the new techniques. We want the Quo Vadis energy and intensity to keep rising, as it has been from album to album.

Samir: Let's talk about your songwriting .what's the kinds of your lyrics?

My involvement with the writing of lyrics has increased over the years and I plan to be more involved with the lyrics for the new album as I was for Defiant Imagination. I really enjoy working on stories. My goal is to write story lines with suspense or stories which encourage the reader to see particular situations in a different way. This keeps the reader interested until the end of the song. Another important point of writing good lyrics is to have the words fit the music. I find the best way to write lyrics is to determine vocal patterns for a particular part of a song, and to adjust the lyrics for them to fit the pattern. My goal for the next album is to outdo the lyrics I wrote for Defiant Imagination.

Samir: If you 'll be invited to playing here in morocco, do you accepte about this invitation?

That would be great! Traveling to Morocco would be quite an experience. If promoters are interested in booking the band, they can contact us

Samir: What do you think about chuck schuldiner ,as metal head ,and as human?

Chuck was a great influence and inspiration to me. He pushed the limits of metal for years and he has written classic albums which will always remain in my top 10 albums of all time. Chuck was a great musician, and a good ambassador to metal. It makes me sad that he has left us. Jim Morris, the sound engineer who mixed Defiant Imagination, worked very closely with Chuck for years. Jim had many interesting stories to tell us about Chuck when we were at his studio. I wish I would have had the chance to meet Chuck before he passed away.

Samir: Do you heard some things about arabic scene ?

I don’t know much about the Arabic metal scene. I am definitely interested in finding out more about the scene. I encourage bands to visit the Quo Vadis website www.quovadis.qc.ca and write a message in the Guestbook concerning their bands. This will give us the chance to learn more about the Arabic scene.

Samir: Did you hear some thing about "Dubai festival" ?

I have not heard of the Dubai festival. The band is always interested in finding out more information about opportunities for international live performances. If anyone who is reading this article has information about the festival (booking agency, organizers, schedules, etc), please contact us at band@quovadis.qc.ca. We would be glad to travel to your country and play live.

Samir: If you could tour the world with any band, who would it be ?

That is a tough question. My dream tour would be with a band of whom I have been a fan for many years. A bonus would be to tour with a band whose members are exceptional musicians in order for musicians to learn from one another.

Samir: What was the favorite band you toured with?

We toured with Augury last summer and I really enjoyed that. We have known each other for quite a while now due to the amount of shows we have done together. Doing shows with them is great. Their mentality meshes well with ours. Everyone was getting involved, and we were all helping each other out. The tour had a good feeling and it was a good time.

Samir: Your favorite drummer ?

The drummers who have influenced me the most since I started playing drums are Dave Lombardo, Gene Hoglan, Sean Renhert, Bobby Jarzombek. I find drummers are continuously pushing the limits of musicianship, by learning/developing new techniques. I find that metal musicians are becoming more opened to other styles of music since they see that much can be learned for musicians of jazz, funk, etc.

Samir: What kind of festivals have you played ?

We have played festivals in Canada, more particular in the Montreal area, as well as in Germany. We hope to perform at more international festivals after the release of the next album.

Samir: Thank you ,Mr yanic for all of your time ,what's ur last word ?

Thank you samir for the interest in the band! We hope to have the opportunity to play for you in the near future!

Members :

Stéphane Paré - Vocals
Bart Frydrychowicz - Guitars, Vocals
Yanic Bercier - Drums
MAG - guitars (MAG (Can))
Forrest - Bass (Atheretic, Augury (Can), ex-Negativa)

Former/past members :

Alex Auburn - Live Guitar (Cryptopsy, R.A.W.W.A.R.)
Arie Itman - Guitars, Vocals, Violin
Rémy Beauchamp - Bass, Vocals
Studio session:
Steve DiGiorgio - Bass (Testament, Sebastian Bach & Friends, Artension, Suicide Shift, ex-Death, Vintersorg, Sadus, Autopsy, Iced Earth, James Murphy, ex-Dragonlord, Control Denied)
William Seghers - Guitar (Live Guitar for Neuraxis)

Albums :

Quo Vadis Demo, 1995
Forever.. 1996
Day Into Night 2000
Passage in Time Best of/Compilation 2001
Defiant Imagination 2004
Defiant Indoctrination DVD 2005

Links :

http://www.myspace.com/quovadis1
http://www.yanicbercier.com/
www.quovadis.qc.ca