Review by Krys on February 23, 2004.

Have you ever known a band's name for at least 6-8 years and over that time haven't heard a single song and all you knew was that they play power metal? Welcome to the club. Tad Morose is a perfect example of how genre tags can mislead and impair band's recognition.

Not being a fan of power metal, I don't feel particularly bad about it but on the other hand I always respected and listened to good heavy metal and Tad Morose, at least on "Modus Vivendi", is more a heavy metal act than power metal one. For those like me who have no idea what to expect, Tad Morose is a mix of Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Iced Earth and even W.A.S.P. All those bands are frequent guests in my CD player and after couple of spins of "Modus Vivendi" I'm sure Tad Morose will join that list. From heavy opener 'Anubis', catchy 'No Mercy', mid paced 'Afraid To Die' to semi acoustic 'Cyberdome' Tad Morose blew me away with its crisp and heavy riffs, finesse solos, catchy choruses and tight song structures. What makes this band even more distinctive are vocals of Urban Breed, think of a mix between Rob Halford and Matthew Barlow (formerly of Iced Earth), he is one of the best vocalist I've ever heard. Outstanding control, range and tone of his voice makes "Modus Vivendi" a pleasure to listen to and with interesting vocal lines and strong choruses guarantees multiple plays with devil horns high in the air.

"Modus Vivendi" is as solid as it gets, and fans of classic heavy metal can pick this up in a heartbeat, for the rest of us I can't see a better place to start. Enjoy one of the forerunners of heavy metal and hope of this genre.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 8
Production: 9
Originality: 6
Overall: 8

Rating: 8 out of 10