Qntal

Qntal are a German group active since 1991. Their music is generally described as dark wave, electro, electronic, gothic rock and medieval, and the band is associated with the use of medieval material, old languages and electronic elements.

Formation and members

Qntal are founded in 1991 by Michael Popp, Syrah and Ernst Horn. Popp and Syrah both study at the Mozarteum University of Music and Dramatic Arts in Salzburg, where they focus on older music. Popp also works as a freelance theatre musician and composer for the Burgtheater in Vienna and the Kammerspiele in Munich, and performs live with DEINE LAKAIEN as a guitarist and medieval instrumentalist alongside Horn. He also works with ESTAMPIE on his own interpretation of medieval music. Later line-up changes include Philipp Groth replacing Ernst Horn, and the group also includes Markus Köstner and Fil Groth among its members.

Recording career

Qntal make their debut in 1992 with QNTAL I. Their first club hit is Ad Mortem Festinamus from that album. QNTAL II includes Palästinalied by Walter von der Vogelweide. With QNTAL III, the band build the album around the Tristan and Iseult legend and reach number 2 in the German alternative charts. The group’s first DVD release captures live performance footage from the Leipzig Playhouse.

QNTAL IV – Ozymandias broadens the band’s range by setting Percy Shelley’s poem to music and including Renaissance and Baroque material, such as the lute song Flow and Henry Purcell’s aria Remember Me. The single Cupido reaches number 1 in the German alternative charts. QNTAL V – Silver Swan continues their approach to combining historical and modern elements, with an atmospheric video for Von den Elben. QNTAL VI – Translucida returns to a clearer sound and places more emphasis on Syrah’s vocals, without choral passages. QNTAL VII adds Mariko, whose violin and vocals often take lead roles, and draws on texts by Lord Byron, Meister Eckhart, William Blake and other writers.

Style and themes

The band’s work centres on the meeting point between medieval and contemporary music. Their songs draw on themes of love, mourning, longing, beauty and transcendence, and often use historical texts or references from different periods, including the 12th century, the 15th century, the 17th century and the Romantic era. Their sound also retains a clear electronic side. The band’s name is a made-up word that appears in one of Syrah’s dreams.

Collaborations and presentation

Qntal work with producer and keyboardist Philipp Groth, and for one release they collaborate with fantasy artist Brian Froud on the graphic design. Their live performances are described through a DVD recorded at the Leipzig Playhouse. The group’s retrospective Purpurea collects highlights and remixes from their career to date.