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Yanic Bercier is recognised as one of Canada's top heavy metal drummers. Acclaimed for his double bass drumming speed and accuracy, in particular, Yanic has energized the music that he has accompanied since 1989. Mostly renowned for his work with the Canadian heavy metal band Quo Vadis, he has recorded as a session drummer for other bands in Canada and the US, such as The Coalition and Empyreal Dominion.In Modern Drummer Magazine's words about Yanic's playing in Quo Vadis, "…This guy can play, as his blinding chop infestations and shifting time signatures on 'In Contempt' and 'To The Bitter End' demonstrate…" (August 2005 issue). Yanic adds, "I enjoy playing drums with Quo Vadis. It's an intense, emotional experience. Since the band was formed in 1992, the music and the musicians have enabled me to push my limits as a drummer." In 2001, the band received the Canadian metal album of the year award (Chart Attack). In addition, Quo Vadis was nominated for the Best band in category "Power (Pure force, tightness, energy)" award in 2004 (MIMI), and for the Top 5 metal albums of the year award in both 2000 and 2001 (CIMA). Quo Vadis has toured Canada and has performed in festivals in Europe. Click here for more reviews of Yanic's drumming with Quo Vadis.
For his first 15 years of drumming, Yanic taught himself to play by listening to the music of his favorite bands. In the summer of 2004, he changed his approach to learning. He traveled to Los Angeles, to further develop his skills by working with Bobby Jarzombek (Rob Halford, Spastic Ink, Demons and Wizards, Riot). In early 2005, Yanic began working regularly with drummer Keith Brown, Professor in the Faculty of Music at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. In addition to his musical education, Yanic completed his Bachelor degree in Engineering Physics in 1998, his Master's degree in Medical Physics in 2000, and his Ph.D. degree in Physics in 2002.
Born in Montreal in 1975, Yanic grew up with a passion for music. He became a fan of the heavy music genre at the age of 10, listening to bands such as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Ratt. In 1988, influenced by heavier and more aggressive bands, such as Slayer, Anthrax, Metallica, Testament, Death, Obituary, Nuclear Assault, Yanic was inspired to start playing drums.
In 1989, Yanic bought his first drumset. Everyday he would practice, playing drums to the music of his favorite bands in order to improve his skills. With classmates, he founded the band Dead Stock in high school. He joined the high school music club, to gain experience by playing with different musicians.
In 1992, Yanic and two college mates, including Bart Frydrychowicz, founded a band, later to be named Quo Vadis. The band has earned an international reputation for melodic, technical, speed and progressive metal. With the band, Yanic released 3 albums, 1 EP, and 2 videos. The band's third album, Defiant Imagination, includes internationally renowned sound engineer Jim Morris (Death, Iced Earth, Controlled Denied, Warrant) from Morrisound Studios in Tampa, Florida, and session bassist Steve DiGiorgio (Death, Testament, Iced Earth, Control Denied). Click here for reviews of Quo Vadis' albums. Since 2000, Quo Vadis has toured Canada and has performed in festivals in Germany.
Quo Vadis - live in Montreal " Absolution "Yanic began his session work in 2002, when he was approached by Kataklysm guitarist and sound engineer Jean-François Dagenais about playing drums for The Coalition. This band was formed as a side project by members Trevor Peres (Obituary, Catastrophe), Dan Lilker (Nuclear Assault, SOD, Brutal Truth, Anthrax), Jean-François Dagenais and Maurizio Iacono (Kataklysm). The Coalition has completed the recording of three preproduction tracks. In 2003, Yanic recorded drum tracks for Empyreal Dominion, a band from Tennessee. The band's first recording effort, Forever The Fallen, was mixed by Jean-François Dagenais (Kataklysm, Malevolent Creation) and was released in spring 2004.
Over the past 10 years, Yanic has further developed another passion in music: sound engineering. His technical background in engineering and physics has allowed him to quickly grasp concepts and applications of sound engineering. He was actively involved in the mixing of Quo Vadis' three albums, and lead the sound engineering effort for the recording of Empyreal Dominion's first release. Within the past 2 years, Yanic has expanded his recording environment in order to provide recording services to bands hiring him as a session drummer.