Quite simply stunning.
Born from the ashes of the wonderful Sieges Even, Subsignal are a band that defy easy pigeon holing. They fall into so many different rock genres, be they prog, melodic rock, AOR and at times metal, that it is hard to imagine just who should like them. Personally I would say that any of you now reading this magazine should – post haste – pick up a copy of 'Paraiso' (Spanish for Paradise) and rather than just listening out for those musical reference points, you should instead marvel at just what a complete, polished and powerful album this group of musicians have recorded. 'Paraiso' has it all. However, if you're already a fan of the band you might notice a slight shift away from the longer song format of the first two releases, 'Beautiful & Monstrous' and 'Touchstones'. Instead the Subsignal boys have honed everything from the song writing, musicianship and production, down to an average five minutes of musical perfection.
After a short intro first single and video 'Paraiso' starts things off and you're left bemused as to why this wonderful band from Germany aren't more well known. This song is a stunningly brilliant introduction to the world of Subsignal's music. Multi layered harmony vocals (which are prevalent on all of the album's songs) usher in a song of outstanding beauty, played with a passion and emotion few other acts in this vast genre called prog can muster. Following up this dramatic start with classy hook-filled songs that keep the quality running at the highest level, Subsignal keep you entertained with marvellous songs such as 'A New Reliance', the perfection that is 'A Heartbeat Away', 'A Giant Leap Of Faith', 'The Stillness Beneath The Snow' and 'Swimming Home' – all songs that other bands who want to play this kind of music should listen to and wonder just what they need to do to make something half as good. For me though, hands down the best track on the CD is the striking 'The Blueprint Of Winter' which features Subsignal vocalist Arno Menses dueting with Stream Of Passion's Marcela Bovio. Starting with a melancholic piano intro, the two then sing a passionate love song that sends shivers down the back of your neck as it plays.
Summing things up I have to say once again what a wonderful year 2013 has been for our music and joining the long list of great albums released during the year is 'Paraiso', which is quite simply stunning!
Ian Johnson
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