Search - Qntal :: Qntal V: Silver Swan Limited

Comparison of Regular vs. Limited Edition -- both are highly

M. Mierzwa | Davis, CA USA | 11/03/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"*Note: This is a slightly modified and extended version of my review for the regular edition ablum.*



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 mix of old and new world music.



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 liner note 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 listening to it bought the more expensive special edition and gave away my regular edition.



If money is tight, buy the regular version of the album. If it is less a concern, I think the $30 price is well worth it and would encourage you to buy the special edition and skip the regular version.



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. However, the 2 new tracks are beyond amazing ... particularly Veni (which is labeled as being a mix, and yet this is the first time Qntal has released this track).



Fil's name is misspelled as Phillip instead of Philipp in one location in the special edition liner notes. Though both the special edition liner notes and the regular edition feature new Froud artwork (mostly photoshopped artwork, not his normal creative fairy / goblin cartoons), there are some very minor placement differences between the two editions. There was one cool photo from the regular edition liner that I couldn't find in the special edition liner. The special edition liner notes are 5" x 7" instead of the normal 5" x 5" associated with standard jewel cases. The font size (and hence lyrics) are easier to read in the larger format book, which is important, as I like to follow Syrah's lyrics. The lyrics for the 2 new tracks are not included in the special edition liner notes.



The Froud gallery is fairly easy to use on a newer computer, but I was expecting more artwork. Essentially I think it is a teaser, thus those of us already familiar with Froud's work might feel that more art could have been included on the disc.



Recommended Tracks (For Regular Edition Only):

- Levis

- Altas Undaz

- 292

- Monsieur's Depature

- The Whyle



Recommended Tracks (For the Special Edition Disc):

- Veni

- Rot



Similar Artists:

- Corvus Corax

- Faun

- Estampie

- Helium Vola

- Irfan

- O Quam Tristis

- Collection d'Arnell Andrea

- Love Is Colder Than Death

- Sophya"

Regarding the Additional Features and Design of the Limited

DeerWoman | Pennsylvania, USA | 02/06/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Please note that this rating doesn't simply reflect my opinion of Qntal's music on this album, which I think is fantastic and deserves at least 4 and a half stars - this rating reflects the whole package, and unfortunately it loses some stars due to the extra/enhanced features and general design.



I felt the overall graphic design of this package was awkward. The booklet is really not very well incorporated into the design, it is just sandwiched in the center and tends to fall out or slide around a bit unless it is entirely folded and sitting vertically on a shelf. It would have been much more successful if the last panel of the booklet was attached directly to the case, or if the case itself had included a pocket or sleeve for it. I also do not feel as if the larger, DVD-format case was really necessary. In particular the graphics on the case itself don't seem to lend themselves to the larger area and that makes the package itself seem unfinished. The graphics in the smaller-format of the general issue of this CD appear much more lush because they don't seem as if they're being stretched too thin over the surface area of the packaging. It would not surprise me to find out that the smaller-format CD was designed first and this edition was almost a design afterthought.



I was rather disappointed in the Brian Froud imagery and gallery which was advertised as a significant aspect of this edition. I thought his photo-collaged pieces were very beautiful, please don't get me wrong, but his gallery on the second disc does not feature them. I would have loved to see them presented completely as Froud composed them and not just as they were arranged to mesh with the lyrics and liner notes of the booklet. I was under the impression that new artwork would be included in that digital gallery, but in fact, it is just a collection of a handful of previous works from Faeries, Good Faeries/Bad Faeries, Goblins, etc. and if you are reasonably familiar with Froud's work all of the displayed pieces will be known to you already. The Froud music video is certainly a nice treat, but one can view that for free on the World of Froud website .



What was perhaps my greatest irritation with this Limited Edition package is that no where does it state the technical requirements to view the music video or gallery. I viewed the second CD on both Mac and PC platforms which were running recent versions of their respective operating systems, and I had problems with both. On the Mac I was able to see the video, however the folder designated with the Mac version of the gallery was empty and I was unable to access it. On the PC I was able to view the gallery, but not the video. It would have been much more expedient to have both the gallery and the video in Macromedia Flash format so it could be easily read by both platforms.



I believe that the only truly valuable reason to buy this Limited Edition version versus the general one is for the additional tracks on the second CD, but even then I'm not sure if the additional 5 songs make it worth almost thirty dollars.



In closing, the music itself is georgeous, but I would hesitate to state that the additional cost for the larger, enhanced Limited Edition package is really worth it. Unless you are a die-hard Qntal fan, I would recommend the open edition CD."