'Subsignal' is a German progressive rock band who have already released four studio recordings, a live recording and a compilation from 2009/2015 which are all available on their spotify page, the last one being the live ' A Song For The Homeless - Live In Russelsheim 2019' dating from 2020. I discovered them with this new album 'A Poetry Of Rain' which was produced by the label 'Gentle Art of Music' of 'Kalle Wagner' and 'Yogi Lang' members of the group 'RPWL', label which is generally a guarantee of quality of the artists produced. Musically, 'Subsignal' offers us fairly classic progressive rock with limited composition durations since the longest does not exceed seven minutes.
We are welcomed by the very short eponymous title of the album in a calm and serene acoustic atmosphere with just a dry guitar and a few layers of keyboards, then, a complete change of scenery with 'The Art of Giving In' which begins energetically with a muscular and lively rhythm section which leads the dance throughout the track, the whole benefiting from remarkable sung parts (very beautiful vocal arrangements in the choirs), the instrumental finale falling into a more tranquil atmosphere with a guitar with slide sounds. New change of style with 'Marigold' which is a magnificent ballad with a slight crescendo in a slow tempo on which we let ourselves be lulled with a melodic chorus superbly sung by 'Arno Menses'. With 'Silver (The Sheltered Garden)' (see the video above), we navigate between rock and progressive metal with heavy guitar riffs alongside quieter parts, the long instrumental section in the second part bringing a disturbing climate , then, alternately, 'Impasse' is a new ballad with a first part in refined acoustic which continues in the same gentleness with the arrival of electric instruments and drums. 'Embers Part II: Water Wings' begins in the same atmosphere as its predecessor but gradually gains momentum to take off halfway through and then alternate acoustic breaks with more muscular parts, the vocal harmonies being everything quite admirable. Rougher in its introduction, 'Melencolia One' shows a catchy first part with many rhythmic breaks and continues in a slower second part with a catchy melody, then, 'A Wound Is A Place To Let The Light In' offers us a melodic jewel in the form of a new ballad with luminous choirs, the second part integrating a very beautiful, more progressive instrumental section and the whole bringing a certain lightness. 'The Last Of its Kind' unfolds a new catchy melody on a marked rhythm with a jazzy aside followed by a beautiful break with a few piano notes bringing us back little by little in the finale to the starting theme. And to close the album, 'A Room On the Edge of Forever' (see the video here)
is a refined ballad with the accompaniment of a Hispanic acoustic guitar highlighting one last time the beautiful vocal harmonies à la 'Crosby, Still, Nash & Young'.
In summary, the Germans from 'Subsignal' release a remarkable album which takes us on a beautiful progressive journey and which offers us very beautiful vocal harmonies, and 'A Poetry of Rain' should please a progressive rock audience quite broad loving compositions with predominantly calm and serene atmospheres tinged here and there with an endearing melancholy... | |
