A quetzal is a brightly coloured bird found in forests and woodlands, especially in humid highlands. They live in central America and are known from way back as in the Aztec culture there are already mentions of these birds. But Quetzal is also a French band playing instrumental progressive rock. The band was formed in 2001 by Christian Laur (guitars) and Denis Louvel (drums). They feature a diverse and dynamic instrumental sound that makes full use of acoustic piano, analogue synths, Hammond organ, and even a Mellotron-like sound at times, as well as fast-playing hard rock-leaning guitars. The line-up is completed by Daniel Borrego on bass and Frederic Schneider on keyboards. Their first real album has been released in 2024 and as I have never heard of them I had no idea of what to expect. I am not a big fan of completely instrumental albums since they almost never keep my full attention for the duration of a complete album. There are of course some exceptions. What might help this time is the fact that the album is relatively short with 7 songs spread over just under thirty-nine minutes. Amazona is the opening track and it is clear from the start that we are dealing with skilled musicians. There is a very present classic rock feel and the melodies differ from easy to follow to more intricate. Some early Deep Purple shines through in the middle part but the piano brings back the more romantic feel towards the end. A little over five minutes have passed and the next track Quiscale keeps just within the five minute mark. Lush keyboards are the driving force behind this track and the guitar is less prominent this time and has a more supporting role. I am beginning to miss vocals despite the fact that it all sounds pretty good. Genese is even shorter and contains a nice guitar solo in just over three minutes, but otherwise lacks some impact. But don't worry, the more than nine minutes long Pithui is on the schedule next and I am curious how they keep such a long track interesting. The birds chirp happily while an acoustic guitar provides the intro with some careful Mellotron-like tones woven through. Shortly before the four-minute mark, the mayhem starts, the guitar rips away and duels with heavy keystrokes. Pure old fashioned hard rock with the Hammond organ to the fore and heavily distorted guitar outbursts provide the needed change. The seventies are greeted and I am reminded of Uriah Heep without vocals or even a little bit of Jimmy Hendrix. But without vocals I think it lasts a little too long and as I said you have to like the somewhat dated sound and I don't really like that too much if I'm honest. The short Colombinae is an acoustic guitar-based piece with some supporting keys in the middle, which makes for a nice little interlude actually. How different Harpie starts, heavy guitars in a pounding rhythm slowly turn into a very nice piece with some big keyboards and then again contain a short bass solo and a long guitar solo. This is my favourite track of the album and this time I didn't miss the vocals in just over seven minutes. Closing track Paruline is a somewhat rippling track until a shrill guitar solo takes it to the next level. In the end we hear birds, presumably the Quetzal, although I don't know what they sound like. With this fully instrumental album, this French quartet has made quite a good impression and showed that they are very skilled musicians. Yes, I do miss the vocals but for those who don't experience this as a problem I would say, listen to Quetzal because they really deserve it. *** Erik Fraanje (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
