‘La Muerta’ simply is one of the most gorgeous prog albums I’ve had the pleasure of listening to in recent times, the musicianship is right in the middle of my ‘Goldilocks Zone’.
Written by: gdmonline
ARTIST: Subsignal
ALBUM: La Muerta
LABEL: Gentle Art Of Music
SERIAL: GAOM058
YEAR: 2018
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Germany
LINEUP: Arno Menses – vocals * Markus Steffen – guitars * Ralf Schwager – bass * Markus Maichel – keyboards * Dirk Brand – drums
TRACK LISTING: 01 271 Days * 02 La Muerta * 03 The Bells Of Lyonesse * 04 Every Able Hand * 05 Teardrops Will Dry In Source Of Origin * 06 The Approaches * 07 Even Though The Stars Don’t Shine * 08 The Passage * 09 When All The Trains Are Sleeping * 10 As Birds On Pinions Free * 11 Some Kind Of Drowning
RATING: 95/100
WEBLINKS: Site Link
Background
These German progsters go back a decade or more, and were formed by a couple of members from prog-metallers Sieges Even. Subsignal first came to my attention on their 2015 album ‘The Beacons Of Somewhere Sometime’, which really should’ve been reviewed at the time. Suffice to say, unforgivable! lol.
No such missing out the second time around, as ‘La Muerta’ simply is one of the most gorgeous prog albums I’ve had the pleasure of listening to in recent times. References to Yes, Genesis, Spocks Beard, Rush, Marillion can all be applied to Subsignal, the musicianship is right in the middle of my ‘Goldilocks Zone’.
One thing I will say about this album; it’s lighter than their previous four albums, which presented more of a prog metal edge. No such heaviness this time around, bringing things back to prog rock central, which will find favour with many of the Glory Daze readership that I’m sure.
The Songs
The entree ‘271 Days’ is a short intro instrumental, which collides into the title-track ‘La Muerta’, an exquisite track which lifts to an eventual crescendo on the sublime synth solo at the 3min 30 mark. Breathtaking.
‘The Bells Of Lyonesse’ is one of many highlights onboard, from the pensive opening to the bombastic vocal choruses. It’s a proggie fans wet dream. Check out the killer synth touches to ‘Every Able Hand’; any follower of ivory overkill will enjoy this one.
It might have an unusual song-title (tell me what true prog album doesn’t?), but ‘Teardrops Will Dry In Source Of Origin’ will appeal to those familiar with Steve Howe or Steve Hackett‘s acoustic interludes. This track is brief at a touch over 2 minutes.
Progsters who are into bands like Rush or Enchant will appreciate a track like ‘The Approaches’. Not as overblown as those two bands when they are on-song, but more their technical and deep-thinking moments.
For something different, check out the total pop/AOR fluff of ‘Even Though The Stars Don’t Shine’. This is certainly new ground for Subsignal, but it sounds like these guys were born to it. You can’t help but enjoy this if melody is your thing. The tour-de-force song on the album is the gobsmacking epic ‘The Passage’. It’s technical, melodic, engaging and creative. At 7 and a half minutes, there’s much to hold onto here. Get into it!
Conversely, ‘When All The Trains Are Sleeping’ is scaled back, yes it’s prog, and in a more traditional sense of the prog genre is most of us know it.
‘As Birds On Pinions Free’ is untethered and gravitates toward a mainstream melodic magnet. It’s not quite AOR, but does show glimpses of crossover bands like Mike + The Mechanics, 80’s and 90’s era Yes, especially those Jon Anderson flavoured vocals. Very likeable nonetheless.
The regular album concludes with the mournful piano led ‘Some Kind Of Drowning’. Yes, a song of loss, and no doubt some football fans following the 2018 FIFA World Cup will face this torment in the days and weeks to come.. lol
In Summary
Most of ‘La Muerta’ is a thoroughly enjoyable listen. Like a typical prog album, emotions and musical deliverance ranges from full-on bombast, ethereal elements and poignant balladry. This is certainly the case with Subsignal, who have created one of my ‘go-to’ albums so far during 2018. Recommended without hesitation.
Subsignal on Video
Click to go to YTM album page.
