QNTAL VI TRANSLUCIDA ALBUM E-WAVE, DRAKKAR RELEASE: FEBRUARY 29, 2008 REVIEW: FEBRUARY 19, 2008

Germany's Qntal have elected with their new album to combine the styles of their last two works and pull it off respectably. There is pretty much what you've heard from them in abundance on "Translucida" which if you're a fan is all well and good but if you're wanting them to keep pushing the boundaries, sorry.

They've found their sound and are now refining it. Syrah's voice is perfection as always, Popp's instrumentation slips into the mix silkily and Fil's input is elegant; you know what to expect from these three and they deliver admirably but it is more of the same, it is not the Qntal I fell in love with on their previous two albums who just kept raising the bar. Perhaps they needed a breather, I'm not going to say that this album is a disappointment because it's not but it is fairly predictable. I suspect this one will be their most popular yet as it incorporates the rhythmic appeal of "Ozymandias" with the drifting ambient filmic saturation their last album "Silver Swan" was driven by.

Next time perhaps they'll dare a bit more and not play it so safe.

PETER MARKS

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