SUBWAY TO SALLY, founded in the year 1100 AD at the court of Albrecht the Bear, and once again a new album! I myself have only known this medieval rock combo since the time they incorporated electric guitars. Well, jokes aside, they have been around under this name since the 90s, and I really enjoyed their music back then. I had never heard anything like it, a mix of rock and dramatic lyrics about legends and witchcraft, complemented by instrumentation with bagpipes, lute, and violin. It fit perfectly in my world between Pen&Paper role-playing games, KISS, and Social Distortion.
And so I suddenly run into an old acquaintance from school, someone I haven't heard from since then. "Ascension," the new album, starts with a track that makes me fear the worst. "Was ihr wollt" is a typical big balls opener. Accompanied by a thumping idiot beat for people who can only count to 1. Perhaps RAMMSTEIN and German rock haven't completely passed SUBWAY TO SALLY by, and this concept will reappear on the album. However, there is quickly room for relief again. The band showcases their weapons, the versatile instrumentation, and sorrowfully beautiful intros with violin that could serve as film music. They create images before the listener's inner eye. Multi-voiced church choirs. Tales of seafaring, of hope, of courage, heroic and mythical. One must engage with this to enjoy the music. If you like that, the world of SUBWAY TO SALLY creates a very special blend of pathos, poetry, imagery, and goosebumps. And pathos. Did I mention pathos? You might find it silly – I find it admirable how the concept is carried through to completion.
The Christian motifs are a prime example of this. Don't worry, this is not White Metal. It's more of a vehicle for more drama through the incorporation of archaic motifs. When the creator in "Gott spricht" expresses his disappointment in humanity, you can already feel the apocalypse rolling in.
Throughout the album, there are fantastic compositions to be heard again and again. All the musicians are virtuosos, and as an ensemble, they present playful details upon repeated listening that you hadn't noticed before. I like how the band puts their strengths in the service of an atmospheric piece, and how conversely, the songs are composed so that instrumental passages fit in without being intrusive ("Now the solo!"). It's almost an hour of varied escapism, with a few drawbacks for cheap grabs into the blunt rock effects box. And last but not least, maintaining this level for over 30 years is no small feat. Congratulations!
This article was automatically translated by AI.
