QUARTZ – On The Edge Of No Tomorrow (2022)

Hear No Evil / Cherry Red Records are releasing a wonderful album; “On The Edge Of No Tomorrow” the final album from legendary NWOBHM-influencing act QUARTZ. Featuring founder Quartz members Mick Hopkins, Derek Arnold, Malcolm Cope and the late Geoff Nicholls, with vocals from Geoff Bate and Dave Garner, “On The Edge Of No Tomorrow” includes the final songs & recordings from Black Sabbath keyboard player Geoff Nicholls who passed away in 2017.
The significance, relevance and importance of this album cannot be simply measured in just terms of music, because it’s so much more than that. The band hope that this will give the listener an insight into the amount of work, under some extreme difficulties and associated emotional feelings involved, in the completion and the eagerly anticipated release of their latest studio album that both honors and pays tribute to Geoff Nicholls’ legacy.
These songs / recordings were almost a decade in the making, crafted with a style/sound inspired in the ’80s. And as special guest we find ex Sabbath’s vocalist Tony Martin.

Although Quartz are often viewed as mainstays of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal scene of the late 1970s and early 1980s, in truth they were more of an influence on the movement, their origins predating the NWOBHM by a number of years.
Tony Iommi produced Quartz debut and the band toured with Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Saxon, UFO, Gillan and Rush to name a few, and played at the legendary Reading Festival three times (1977, 1978 and 1980)
In 1979, Geoff Nicholls left the band to join Black Sabbath, where he contributed keyboards and songwriting to that band from 1980’s Heaven and Hell to 2004.
Quartz released their second studio album, Stand Up and Fight, in 1980 and their third, Against All Odds, in 1983 before disbanding in 1984.

But come 2011 and nearly three decades following their split Quartz were looking to give it another go, even if it wouldn’t be until 2016 where ‘Fear No Evil’ would at last see the light of day. So, now another six years later with the band’s fifth full length release, ‘On The Edge Of No Tomorrow’.
Considering that Geoff Bate hasn’t performed vocals on a Quartz record in nearly 40 years, his performance still manages to hold up. It’s also worth mentioning that Bate hasn’t done a single album vocal performance since their 1983 ‘Against All Odds’ record, so to experience his vocals for what they are is downright miraculous if he truly hasn’t had any other ongoing vocal credits.

On this album Quartz have adopted a pretty steady pace at which they play at. It’s a rather similar tempo they play at throughout the majority of the album; yet we need to remember we’ve got 14 tracks to work with here. That’s quite a few compared to the usual 10-11 most albums churn out these days, so there was the risk Quartz could turn this record stale.
But, I can attest that, at no point, did Quartz’s sound and atmosphere turn dull or repetitive. As the tracks kept turning, the band made sure to keep on including different meanders and twists to their songwriting, enabling that approach to album pacing to feel continuously fresh and exciting.

It may be a little faster or slower in places, but the general feel of this record is fixed in stone from start to finish. However, there’s a real swagger and style to this record. It’s like observing your older uncles for the first time having fun and showing what they’re made of, realising there’s more to them than you expected. This isn’t some dead horse being begged back into life, there’s still vitality to the band after all these years and following a six year gap between records too.

While very ’80s songwriting-wise, in terms of production and mixing ”On The Edge Of No Tomorrow” is a very modern album that bolsters a squeaky clean and super polished aesthetic; there’s no chance of coming across any notches or dirty marks throughout this listen.
“Night Of The Living Dead” may just be one of the most suave tracks I’ve heard in a very long time, the bass helps the band to groove along in a frighteningly natural way. Quartz have a genuinely fun vibe to them without emphasising the effort to us; they legitimately don’t need to try to lean into it because their atmosphere feels so relaxed and carefree.

The good thing about this record though, outside the music itself, is how easy it is to put this on. Experiencing everything this record can offer you doesn’t require us to be in any specific mood or emotion, ”On The Edge Of No Tomorrow” is an album for everyone regardless what they may be feeling, because by the time that final track has played out, you’ll be feeling so much better about yourself.
There’s no test or pressure to withstand this record’s assault on you, it’s old school classic metal doing what old school metal should: entertain the hell out of you whilst injecting slabs of fun into your head with what their record can do for you.

In conclusion, this was a fantastic album to kick back and listen to. There are no worries in tackling this extensive record and it’s many tracks, for the band have ensured there’s plenty to keep us engaged and thrilled throughout the diverse examples of songwriting herein.
Quartz aren’t likely to win any awards with this CD but they’re certainly going to reward longtime fans, including ensnare a new generation with their relaxed but grooving sound. Quartz have a record that can be accessed by all ages regardless of what your preferred style of metal is.
Highly Recommended

 

01 – Freak Of Nature
02 – Death Or Glory
03 – They Do Magic
04 – Master Of The Rainbow
05 – Night Of The Living Dead
06 – Evil Lies
07 – Angels At The Crossroads
08 – Keep Up The Fight
09 – Brainwashed
10 – Babylon Is Burning
11 – What Love Is
12 – Dirty Disease
13 – World Of Illusion
14 – Highway To Madness

Geoff Bate – vocals
David Garner – vocals
Mick Hopkins – guitar
Derek Arnold – bass
Malcolm Cope – drums
Geoff Nicholls – keyboards
Tony Martin – guest vocals

 

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www.cherryred.co.uk/product/quartz-on-the-edge-of-no-tomorrow/