Dungeons and Dragons fanatics unite – a series of albums inspired by the limitless possibilities that lie within the simple roll of a dice. Producer and artist DM Kel delivers the fourth instalment of his Questing project, with the twenty original tracks of The Divine, The Damned, and The Ghost.
Storming into view with a progressive metal intensity to introduce A Song To Burn The World, the style soon weaves in a lighter AI vocal and melody to redirect things, and suddenly we’re in a more mainstream electronic rock realm – catchy and poetic as it details the intricacies of this chapter in the journey.
The album then moves into a notably more ambient styling, for The Sermon of The Saint Of Sin – dramatic rhythmic hits and spoken vocals create a cinematic arena of story, for a completely different kind of sound to that which opened things up.
Versatility is a strength, but always the ideas and lyrics remain rooted. The Fall Of The City of Vespra welcomes fast-fingered guitar-play and a force of a distorted power-chord backdrop. The vocals also lean towards new metal and pop-punk here, but not without a catchy pop refrain in between. A Song Of Sadness And Woe utilises similar vocal diversity and passion, but presents a beautifully evocative highlight, with an emotionally profound chorus.
In most cases, musically speaking, the brightest light is strangely the drum line – powerful rhythms back up each of these tracks, for a movie-like sense of power and possibility that’s exhilarating.
Other anthemic highlights include the mighty and action-filled Storm The Gates, and The Paladin’s Last Stand, songs that resound for their energetic conviction to the storyline, and which utilise the now-familiar pop-punk implied passion of these excitable programmed vocals.
Alternatively, the more thoughtful tones of Deal In Darkness, Melodies Bound, and the beautiful Oathbreaker’s Lament, present a moment of reflection and poetry that connects in a whole other way. And flipping the script further still, songs like Assassinate and Sacrifice of the Innocents deliver a progressive rock quickness and intensity, which evolves towards heavier metal in everything from lyrical scorn to pace and performance.
Committing to the cause in both the fullness and detail of the production, and in the depth and intricacy of each story, Now That’s What I Call Questing Vol IV: The Divine, The Damned, and The Ghost provides an extensive hit of escapism for progressive metal and Dungeons and Dragons fans alike. At the same time, it highlights the very best of the production and songwriting abilities of DM Kel.
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