Qntal V: Silver Swan [Enhanced]

Qntal | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 16, 2007)
• Original Release Date: July 16, 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Label: Dancing Ferret
• ASIN: B000H2M29S
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #105,224 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comparison of the Regular 11-track vs. the 2CD set with 5 extra tracks, November 2, 2006

By 

M. Mierzwa (Davis, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Qntal V: Silver Swan (Audio CD)

About the Band:
Qntal is a German medieval rock / darkwave band that was originally founded in 1991 by Michael Popp and Sigrid "Syrah" Hausen (of Estampie) and Ernst Horn (of Deine Lakaien and Helium Vola). Horn left the band after its second album and was replaced by Philipp "Fil" Groth in 2001. With the addition of Groth for Qntal III, the band's already great music became slightly more dance-friendly and accessible. Their music is still drawn from historical sources and Syrah's heavenly female vocals are in Latin, German, and English (depending upon the song). Michael accompanies Syrah with a mix of traditional instruments that are then backed by Fil's keyboards - making Qntal a rare and exciting mix of old and new world music that will appeal to electronic and traditional music fans alike!

About the Album:
There are two versions of Qntal V: Silver Swan that have been released in the United States, a regular 11 track CD and a special addition that includes a second 5 track CD. Both additions include artwork created by Brian Froud, whom is best known for his Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Book (which I also highly recommend - it is fun, twisted, and most creative). I originally bought the cheaper 11 track regular album and after my first time through the album felt that Qntal III (at the time one of my favorite albums) was the better album. The second time I listened through the entire album I was sad that I didn't buy the much more expensive special edition album, as I was floored by the beauty and artistry of Qntal V. I later went and bought the special addition and gifted the regular addition to a friend whom never had listened to Qntal before (she now likes the band as well - perhaps the cycle will continue).

If money is tight, I'm actually going to recommend you buy the regular version of the album. The second CD in the special edition is a multimedia CD that includes a small gallery of some of Froud's work in addition to 5 audio tracks (3 dancefloor oriented remixes and 2 new tracks). Of the 3 remixes, though Fil did an awesome job with them, I actually prefer the originals ... in otherwords, they alone wouldn't justify purchasing the special edition. However, the 2 new tracks are amazing ... particularly Veni (which is labeled as being a mix, and yet this is the first time Qntal has released this track). The Froud gallery is nice, but if you collect his work, there actually is some of his new album art included in the regular edition that didn't make it to the special edition. For some reason the liner artwork is almost the same between the two albums, but the order of the art is slightly different and a few pieces of art didn't make it to the other edition.

Recommended Tracks (For Regular Edition Only):
- Levis
- Altas Undaz
- 292
- Monsieur's Depature
- The Whyle

Similar Artists:
- Corvus Corax
- Faun
- Estampie
- Helium Vola
- Irfan
- O Quam Tristis
- Collection d'Arnell Andrea
- Love Is Colder Than Death
- Sophya

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Utterly brilliant album., December 9, 2007

By 

Corey D. Stinson "Corey Stinson - SMALLJOES.COM" (St. Charles, Missouri, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Qntal V: Silver Swan (Audio CD)

Being a fan of medieval, neo-folk, and darkwave music I must say that this is possible the best material I've ever heard that walks through all three genres. At times lush and serene, and times lively with old-world folk music, and at other times darker with epic orchestration. I have found this album to be much closer in feel to the band members' more folk-directed project, Estampie - which was a positive move in my opinion. Less obvious electronica has made for a better listening experience. These artists are obviously musicians and songwriters of the highest caliber - this will be tough for them or anyone else to top.

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous, January 29, 2011

By 

Ashley Cunningham - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Qntal V: Silver Swan (Audio CD)

I discovered this album via pandora, and I've been hooked on it ever since. The album does sound the same roughly throughout, but I love its sultry mix of Mediterranean sounds like in "Levis" and darker pieces like "Winter". The voices and instruments perfectly work together. This is a really great album.