Review | QUELL “Hidden Eclipse”

quell 1

Hidden Eclipse” is QUELL‘s first entry in the RE:START series. QUELL used their trademark ethereal sound to their advantage, creating a never before explored soundscape in the Tsukipro franchise.

quell restart series 1
Title: SQ QUELL RE:START series vol.1 Shu&Eichi
Label: Tsukipro/Movic
Release date: 27/07/2018
Genre: Electronic-Pop/Minimal-electronica

Tracklist:

1 - Hidden Eclipse 
2 - Hidden Eclipse -off vocal-

Track analysis:

1 – Hidden Eclipse

Distorted synths, giving a broken layer to the instrumental, lead the way for QUELL‘s “Hidden Eclipse“, their first song in the RE:START series.

The theme “natural phenomena” isn’t an easy one to tackle in music composition, even if its sub-theme is more specific thing such as an “eclipse”.

However, when you listen to this song, all the glitches, distortions, clean and wet instrument parts, all play a role in creating a broken sound so frail and unpredictable that actually captures well the uncertainty of a natural phenomenon.

It’s simplistic, much like the majority of QUELL‘s songs released so far, and it’s that simplicity that makes this theme sink in and sounds this haunting yet addictive. The instrumental counts with a distorted, broken lead synth, gated reverb bass-driven drums, and ethereal synth pads, a simple formula that executes the theme to perfection.

On the vocal end, there are a couple of surprises. First off, Shunsuke Takeuchi brought to the table R&B riffing, ad-libs, and sweet mid-to-low tones.

Koutaro Nishiyama‘s performance ended up being the most unexpected thing in this whole song. He’s starting to show some consistency in his mid-tones, can tackle a bit of falsetto (noticeable in the chorus), hold longer notes without major issues, and, the biggest surprise of them all, deliver sweet ad-libs.

As impressive as Takeuchi‘s performance was, Nishiyama ended up stealing the show with a whole lot of improvements. He was even able to go head-to-head with QUELL‘s top singer and sound good while at it, something that, in past releases, wasn’t possible at all for him.

Even when harmonizing or tackling falsetto, Nishiyama held his own incredibly well. His growth is something that is certainly starting to impress.

If he ends up improving like, for example, SolidS’s Yuichiro Umehara did in the past year, we might have a shift in balance within QUELL, a shift that might take the group to greater heights. It’s certainly exciting times for their fans.

All in all, “Hidden Eclipse” is a simple song that, although not as memorable as previous releases by QUELL, managed to perfectly craft a soundscape that fits like a glove with the “natural phenomena” theme.

It’s ethereal and broken with an underlying inconsistency that grabs your attention. To top it all, the vocals stole the show. A solid entry in the RE:START series.


SQ QUELL RE:START series vol.1 Shu&Eichi is available for purchase at CDJAPAN.

SQ QUELL [RE:START] Series / Shu Izumi (Shunsuke Takeuchi), Eichi Horimiya (Kotaro Nishiyama)
Shu Izumi (Shunsuke Takeuchi), Eichi Horimiya (Kotaro Nishiyama)
Vanessa Silva
Vanessa Silvahttps://www.handthatfeedshq.com
The Hand That Feeds HQ founder, content creator, and music reviewer. Basically, the only person managing everything at The Hand That Feeds HQ. Stumbling upon Mamoru Miyano's "Orpheus" in 2011 was the start of this journey. If music is thought-provoking or deep, you may find her writing almost essays (not limited to, but it happens a lot with Soma Saito's music). She's the producer and host of the male seiyuu-centric podcast, SEIYUU LOUNGE (see Spotify link in this profile).

Latest News

Out this Week | Jun Fukuyama and High×Joker

Veteran seiyuu and solo artist Jun Fukuyama releases a concept mini-album and High×Joker joins the 10th anniversary celebrations in the SideM franchise.

THTFHQ AWARDS 2024 are back and voting is open!

Your favorite male seiyuu, your favorite music releases, and 2D music projects. THTFHQ AWARDS are back for its 6th edition!
00:01:32

Out this Week | UMake, Mamoru Miyano, cozmez and Goku Luck

UMake makes a long-awaited comeback with a new mini-album after two years without releasing music.

Mamoru Miyano to release new digital single “Mayu”

Popular solo artist Mamoru Miyano kicks off 2025 with the release of the digital single "Mayu".

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here
Captcha verification failed!
CAPTCHA user score failed. Please contact us!

Table of contents

REVIEW OVERVIEW

Hidden Eclipse

Related posts

Support THTFHQspot_img
"Hidden Eclipse" is QUELL's first entry in the RE:START series. QUELL used their trademark ethereal sound to their advantage, creating a never before explored soundscape in the Tsukipro franchise. Title: SQ QUELL RE:START series vol.1 Shu&Eichi Label: Tsukipro/Movic Release date: 27/07/2018 Genre: Electronic-Pop/Minimal-electronica Tracklist: 1 - Hidden Eclipse 2 - Hidden...Review | QUELL "Hidden Eclipse"