QUOR are set to release their album on the 10th September, and features five brand new songs as well as songs from their previous EP release.

If you haven’t heard of this band, I won’t scoff at you. I hadn’t heard of them either. From my initial Google search, it seems to me that this San Diego threepiece are doing things their way. They are independent; making music for themselves and their fans, and interacting constantly with their community. It reminds me very much of the scene I’m involved in, and it seems to be the best way to enjoy the music industry – if you don’t mind serious graft and the occasional shafting.

Fans can pay what they want for the album, and the band’s website is full of great humor, which only reinforces the “DIY” feel I’m getting from them. It’s clear that they make their own merchandise, marketing, and do their own promotion. I’m aware of bands in the UK and Europe like this of course, but rarely do I get to research and listen to band from further afield, so I’m excited.

Straight away, I can hear the influences of bands from the late 90s and early 00s, such as System of a Down, Slayer and Killswitch Engage. This is my generation of fusion metal; elements of punk, power, prog and alternative making up this periodic table. The opening track, “The Silence and The Spark”, and the closer, “Let’s Rise”, are my favorites of the album, both showing off style and interesting developments.

The production probably doesn’t do justice to the real sound this band can deliver, and it can be frustrating. I find myself urging the drums to sound bigger, and the breakdowns to be fuller, but from the evidence, QUOR have a dedicated fan base, and play live constantly. This is another part of this way of working. You have to be a ‘live band’ first and foremost. If you can communicate well live, the fans will flock, and when the time comes to spend money on making merchandise, those fans will buy it. I hope that they find success with this venture, and get to work with a producer who knows exactly how to get this sound across.

For fans of Deftones, Slayer, System of a Down, early Muse.

Track Listing

1. “The Silence and The Spark”
2. “When The Gods Speak”
3. “Human Paradigm”
4. “The Reverent”
5. “Guardian”
6. “Watching You”
7. “The Fragile Break”
8. “Paradise”
9. “Let’s Rise”

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