Jo Quail doesn’t do things by half, and here she has raised the already high bar even higher with her most ambitious work so far. By way of a quick introduction Jo has been mesmerising crowds for several years now with hypnotic soundscapes created by looping beats, rhythms and melodies from her electric cello, creating passages which are relatively sparse to begin with but soon build into
multi-faceted, complex pieces with many layers and the results are jaw dropping.
Jo has played on many stages around the world and has toured with a variety of other artists, with Myrkur and Wardruna coming to mind as particularly outstanding shows. Through this hard work ethic, and showcasing her work, she has been adopted by the heavy music community who have really taken her in and hold in the same high regard as many revered metal outfits. She has also recently been signed by the great By Norse label which will help bring her work to a wider audience. As such, there could be no better time for the release of ‘The Cartographer’. This work was commissioned by the Roadburn festival, originally to be performed at the 2020 edition of the festival, but for obvious reasons, this was postponed until 2022 and Jo was afforded the opportunity to record the piece, leading to this release.
‘The Cartographer’ is split over 5 passages each with a different mood and atmosphere and as well as the signature electric cello and looped pieces, there are now trombones, a piano, a tamtam drum and a violin (at least as far as my ears can tell!) making this by far the most bold and visionary of her releases so far.
‘Movement 1’ is a sombre passage that lays the foundation for what follows with ‘Movement 2’, which is more uplifting, more challenging, more grandiose and sounds like an epic film soundtrack. ‘Movement 3’ incorporates ethereal vocals, which bring another dimension to the music, which is dramatic and generates an air of jeopardy, leading into ‘Movement 4’ which is relatively upbeat, but retains the air of drama and once again I found myself thinking that this would not be out of place as a film score. The album is brought to a close with ‘Movement 5’ which continues the multi instrument theme and multi layered, sweeping melodies and once again benefits from vocal melodies.
I should say that I have been a big fan of Jo Quail for a number of years now, but I was completely blown away by this album. It is by far her most accomplished, most complete work so far and I have been drawn back to it numerous times since my first listen and each time I hear new things. I’m kicking myself for not picking up the vinyl from the merch stand at Incineration and need to rectify that mistake.
Granted, this is not standard Ave Noctum material, but this is as intense and dense as a lot of extreme metal, albeit in a different way, and I think a lot of readers will enjoy this. Highly recommended, whatever your usual preferred genre is.
(9/10 Andy Pountney)
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