Prog Rock

Chronochromie and TurboQuest: extreme and video playful prog rock

by Laurent Bellemare

On an October weekend, something unusual was afoot at Nombre 110, a venue located in the heart of the Hochelaga district’s Les Studios de Rouen practice facility : a double album launch for Montreal bands TurboQuest and Chronochromie. The two-night event juxtaposed two very different facets of today’s progressive rock.

On the one hand, flamboyant arrangements of the best video game hits, and on the other, music as heavy as it is cerebral, uncompromising in its complexity. All of this was nevertheless linked by the intellectual approach that nourished both approaches. But make no mistake about it, the live performance was spectacularly playful.

Chronochromie

If the art of being ” extremely  progressive” exists in music, Chronochromie deserves particular credit. Playing for barely thirty minutes, the band left us breathless, even stunned  by their inescapable technical virtuosity.

Although progressive music has developed through countless offshoots since the 1970s, there’s little to compare it with the Montreal trio. Indeed, progressive rock and metal are often developed through the elaborate concatenation of digestible musical ideas.

Even if the forms are long and bold, one of the common denominators of the genre remains the use of repetitive cells. This is not the case with Chronochromie, which varies and develops its material rather than reiterates it. On the five tracks of the EP Epoch, there’s no room for a groove of more than one bar, so densely organized is the music.

This resolutely contemporary approach is reminiscent of the new music inherited from Western classical music. Chronochromie, which takes its name from a symphonic work by Olivier Messiaen, was originally a project by the composer Alexandre David, known for his instrumental works. Rhythmic and harmonic work is therefore very advanced, with each piece of the puzzle acting as a logical step in a form that is always in motion;

In another context, the absence of repetition could be a risky choice. On the other hand, David and his cohorts always maintain a certain coherence in their music. Certain melodic and harmonic elements do indeed persist throughout the tracks, creating familiar echoes that are essential to stimulating an engaging listening experience. 

While the mere performance of this music is a feat and could be enough to win over the audience, Chronochromie also surprises with the musicality of its proposition and knows how to hold anyone who gives it an ear. A burgeoning local force just waiting to be discovered.

TurboQuest

Audiences expecting to hear Zelda and Mario Bros. themes in a TurboQuest concert may be a little disappointed. While the band doesn’t omit these classics from its repertoire, it mainly arranges pieces from much more obscure games. It’s this fervent exploration of the underground of video games that continues on a second album entitled Enter the Turboverse.

Decidedly, the instrumental quintet has an audience familiar with the original material referenced. In fact, it’s this audience, the gamers, among whom TurboQuest has primarily built its reputation. The ensemble is indeed a regular at conventions such as Montreal’s Otakuthon, and maintains close ties with the Orchestre de Jeux Vidéos.

However, even for the neophyte, TurboQuest’s tracks work very well as stand-alone power metal pieces, with their progressive escapades and catchy choruses. This is an excellent measure of the artistic merit of what was presented to us. We must also salute the virtuosity of the artists, most of whom have academic training in music. Their arrangements frequently give way to solos in which every musician has a chance to shine. Hats off to the keyboardist for his use of a luminous keytar .

One thing’s for sure: there’s never a dull moment listening to these songs, performed with technical skill and strong stage presence. Beyond the nostalgia, the quintet fully embrace their rock ‘n’ roll side and the pleasure they take in reviving the playful universe that animates them. After all, that’s what video games are all about: entertainment!

Latest 360 Content

FIJM | Fievel is Glauque For Dessert… Dessert loaded!

FIJM | Fievel is Glauque For Dessert… Dessert loaded!

FIJM | Misc: Beat Bouquet Well Garnished!

FIJM | Misc: Beat Bouquet Well Garnished!

FIJM | Alexis Lombre and the Holy Spirit in the South Side of Chicago

FIJM | Alexis Lombre and the Holy Spirit in the South Side of Chicago

FIJM | Allison Russel’s Apotheosis Concert in Her Hometown

FIJM | Allison Russel’s Apotheosis Concert in Her Hometown

FIJM I Best Dressed, Most Possessed: Fantastic Negrito Stupefies Rogers Stage

FIJM I Best Dressed, Most Possessed: Fantastic Negrito Stupefies Rogers Stage

FIJM 2025 | Beth McKenna : raising her Momentum

FIJM 2025 | Beth McKenna : raising her Momentum

Nuits d’Afrique | Immersion In The World of Stogie T

Nuits d’Afrique | Immersion In The World of Stogie T

FIJM | Julius Rodriguez, Jazz Groove Ace

FIJM | Julius Rodriguez, Jazz Groove Ace

FIJM | Men I Trust Shines Brightly on The Place des Festivals

FIJM | Men I Trust Shines Brightly on The Place des Festivals

FIJM | Anomalie and Lettieri: A New Musical Friendship, Developing in Real Time

FIJM | Anomalie and Lettieri: A New Musical Friendship, Developing in Real Time

FIJM | Linda May Han Oh, A Role Model for Female Double-Bass Players

FIJM | Linda May Han Oh, A Role Model for Female Double-Bass Players

Nuits d’Afrique | La Chiva Gantiva As Seen by Rafael Espinel

Nuits d’Afrique | La Chiva Gantiva As Seen by Rafael Espinel

Suoni | The Spiritual Quest, The End in Transcendence

Suoni | The Spiritual Quest, The End in Transcendence

FIJM | Thundercat, A Feline on The Loose

FIJM | Thundercat, A Feline on The Loose

FIJM | Bill Frisell, Thomas Morgan and Rudy Royston Exposed

FIJM | Bill Frisell, Thomas Morgan and Rudy Royston Exposed

FIJM | Branford Marsalis Among Four MF’s Playin’ Tunes… Live!

FIJM | Branford Marsalis Among Four MF’s Playin’ Tunes… Live!

FIJM | About Derrick Hodge’s Idea of the Color of Noize

FIJM | About Derrick Hodge’s Idea of the Color of Noize

FIJM | Queen of Afrobeats, Ayra confirms her status as a Global… Starr

FIJM | Queen of Afrobeats, Ayra confirms her status as a Global… Starr

FIJM | Black Jazz by Marquis Hill

FIJM | Black Jazz by Marquis Hill

Festival de Lanaudière | Leonardo Garcia Alarcon/Monteverdi’s Coronation of Poppea: being marketwise

Festival de Lanaudière | Leonardo Garcia Alarcon/Monteverdi’s Coronation of Poppea: being marketwise

FIJM | Nate Smith and his Supremely Talented Quartet

FIJM | Nate Smith and his Supremely Talented Quartet

Nuits d’Afrique 2025 | Tyrane Mondeny Presents Her Mandingo Soul

Nuits d’Afrique 2025 | Tyrane Mondeny Presents Her Mandingo Soul

FIJM | Nai Palm? Creature of Exception! Hawa B? Future Star!

FIJM | Nai Palm? Creature of Exception! Hawa B? Future Star!

FIJM 2025 | Funky funky, Trombone Shorty

FIJM 2025 | Funky funky, Trombone Shorty

Subscribe to our newsletter