subsignal
The Beacons of Somewhere Sometime

Joking and laughing, the Subsignal have reached their fourth album. To many, it may seem like a strange name, yet they are a band that has truly redefined the sounds and melodies of prog-rock (at times a bit metal) more typically melodic and today represent it in its truest and sincerest sense. They continue to do so with this "The Beacons of Somewhere Sometime," despite all the considerations to be made about the case.

Focusing specifically on the purely melodic aspect, I say that with every release of this band, I always remain quite calm; in my opinion, they include what I would even define as the best combination of guitar and vocals today circulating under the melodic aspect, at least in this field. Markus Steffen's touch is refined, delicate but with a bright and sunny sound, equally sharp and edgy in the sporadic metal incursions but without being dark; in this album, you often hear him insisting with brilliant acoustic passages, always present in his repertoire but never as now; very classical acoustic inserts or even vaguely close to flamenco that indeed turn out to be a strong point within the album. Arno Menses' voice is always bright and evocative, once again an efficient vehicle of emotions. Together they deliver pieces worthy of their ability in producing extremely effective melodies: let's immediately mention "Tempest," whose initial arpeggios and the final fade could immediately bring to mind "Leave The Past Behind" by Fates Warning; "A Time Out of Joint," whose edgy intro clearly reminds us of Sieges Even, particularly "The Weight"; the brilliant and extremely catchy "Ashes of Summer," a really well-crafted and classy hard-pop, with a chorus that sticks in the head almost like a summer hit (citing Fates Warning again, it immediately reminded me of "Face The Fear"); the soft ballad "A Myth Written on Water," where acoustic subtleties reach their peak of emotionality; "Everything Is Lost" where acoustic and metallic parts blend perfectly supported by a melody once again brilliant… as if a flamenco guitarist and a metal guitarist chose to duet together but both presenting themselves in a softer version of their respective genres.

This time we also have in the mix a 23-minute suite with the same name, divided, however, into 4 distinct tracks; here we only have a confirmation of what we hear but without anything more being added; essentially, we can say that what was supposed to be the main course is instead a normal dish, it was supposed to be the cake and instead is a regular plate of pasta.

The album, however, has a flaw: it disappoints concerning the use of keyboards and various sounds; already "Paraiso" wasn't really inspired in this respect, but now the change in keyboardist has made everything even more "ordinary"; the only track where there's also a sound experimentation is "And The Rain Will Wash It All Away," with those heavy electronic sounds that blend perfectly with the moderate metal of the guitars giving the track an almost "industrial" aspect. I hope that one day the greater sonic audacity of the first two albums returns, but it could be that here there was the need to produce a more "refined" album (as further demonstrated by the flute characterizing the introductory track "The Calm" or some sax parts), and this is also appreciable (paraphrasing a well-known proverb… not all defects come to harm).

But apart from this blemish, we can't help but be satisfied with this fourth release from the Germans. Once again, they have done things well and have earned a certainly prominent position in my 2015 ranking. It's a pity that their success seems too confined to their homeland (where they continue to concentrate their tours), but in time, perhaps the rest of the world will notice them and their melodies.