Customer Reviews

Qntal VI: Translucida

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

About the Band:
Qntal is an extremely popular German mittelalter (middle ages) rock / darkwave band that represents a unique blend of multiple music genres including more traditional medieval music (coming from bands like Irfan and Faun) and modern heavenly voices music (from bands like Helium Vola and Sophya). The music and lyrics are a well balanced blend of female fronted vocals, a large array of traditional (read ancient) instruments, and modern guitars and keyboards. The source material comes from 12th through 17th century songs and poems.

About the Album:
There are two basic versions of this album available: a regular edition (which this is the focus of this review) and a limited edition Qntal VI: Translucida which includes an extra four tracks.

Beware! There are domestic and European versions of this album floating around. The music is the same, so save your money and buy the domestic album.

In addition to the actual lyrics for the songs (which are sung in French, English, German, and Latin), partial English and German translations are provided for each song. For the most part, the poems on which the lyrics are based come from long forgotten sources.

The first track "Sleeping" is very soft and similar to fan favorites such as Qntal III: Tristan Und Isolde's "Name der Rose". "Departir" my favorite track has a driving beat that reminds me slightly of Depeche Mode's "Enjoy the Silence". In other words, both songs feel as though somebody is taking a final walk -- fitting given the story behind the song. Normally I like Fil's remixes more than the original versions, but in the case of the third track, "Slahte Wille", the original is just as good as the remix due to the strength of Syrah's vocals. The English language title track, "Translucida" is tranquil, but my least favorite. "Glacies" starts off slightly reminiscent of the EBM band In Strict Confidence.

Overall, the flow and tracks on Qntal VI are very similar to many of their previous works. The problem about setting the bar so high with early albums is that everything else afterwards is measured to that same standard. I don't feel that Qntal VI exceeds the bar set with Qntal V: Silver Swan, but it does come close to matching it.

Recommended Tracks:
- Departir
- Amorous Desir
- Slahte Wille

Similar Artists:
- Helium Vola
- Estampie
- Faun
- Vas
- Irfan
- Corvus Corax

Personally I recommend spending the extra money to get the four extra tracks on the limited edition album.

If you're a fan of Qntal, you'll like this. It's a little more mellow than most of their other CDs.

I absolutely love the music this group produces. It is great for meditation, relaxing to after a long day, falling asleep to. I burned it to an mpg cd along with some of their other works. Its nice to drive to. If you like this band, also check out Faun.