Subsignal
Touchstones

At the end of the year, it's customary to compile the ranking of the best albums of the year just passed, both in general and for a particular genre or trend. Going through the personal charts of progressive music lovers related to the year 2011, I found, rightly, the works of Steven Wilson, Haken, and Dream Theater (plus Leprous, which I haven't heard yet), but I've rarely heard this second album by the German band Subsignal mentioned.

Born from the collaboration of former members of Sieges Even, Dreamscape, and Sun Caged, they already had one album under their belt, "Beautiful And Monstrous," released in 2009, which I welcomed as a masterpiece where the melodic and delicate sound of Sieges Even (from which the singer and guitarist come) met new sounds for a truly unique sound. Needless to say, the release of this second work was eagerly awaited by me.

And honestly, I have to say that I was practically sure that this new work wouldn't be a disappointment, probably because the first album gave me the image of a band that truly has a sense of melody and non-repetitiveness.

"Touchstones" roughly follows the melodic coordinates of the first work without being a mere photocopy. It has the melodic lines typical of the Sieges Even sound but without ever falling into self-referencing. There are metal insertions that often contaminate the various tracks but only serve as a backdrop, never turning the sound into a true progressive metal.

Once again, the work done by the guitar and voice duo is brilliant and sunny; Markus Steffen knows how to delight with delicate and melodic phrasing that is never dark - as was already the case with Sieges Even - and he manages to perform work that’s a little varied at the same time, giving space for example to more metal solutions or delay effects that could remind one of U2 (such as in "Wingless"), just to name a few. And vocalist Arno Menses does not disappoint: his performance is what we have always been used to: his singing is lively and always oriented on medium-high tones and personally, I say it has always put me in a good mood. Perhaps he has a not very varied tone and never surprises the listener but not everyone is Daniel Gildenlow or Ray Alder. In any case, listening to him sing is always a pleasure. And I believe that the melodic coupling between guitar and voice is the strength of this band, especially emotionally, and it is precisely from this point of view that I judge the Steffen-Menses duo as one of the most beautiful I have ever heard.

However, I think it's fair to emphasize that from a creative standpoint, the strength lies in the keyboards: sounds that are always well-studied and never out of place, very varied and different from song to song, as already happened in the previous album. The quasi-industrial effects of "Feeding Utopia", the sweetly distorted ones of "Echoes In Eternity," the reverbs in "Finisterre" and the delicate and relaxed sounds of the title track. The whole album without the keyboards would lack that extra touch of originality, even though perhaps the guitar-voice duo would already suffice to make it a good work.

Summarizing, Subsignal continues to affirm itself as one of the most interesting realities of today's prog scene, often underrated but more than ever valid, which is why I recommend reevaluating them.

"Touchstones" is another masterpiece you cannot miss. I'm still debating whether to consider it the best release of 2011 or place it behind Steven Wilson's monument, but I consider it better and fresher compared to new albums by names like Andromeda, Pendragon, Beardfish, Redemption, and even Dream Theater and Haken! 

I'm sorry to think that they came to Bologna during the tour for their first album and had to settle for an audience of only 8 people (!) but for a progger like me, knowing that a group is very unknown and/or underrated becomes immediately an extra reason for appreciation.

Recommended for those who still believe in prog and its journey and are looking for something that can offer at least a slight breeze of freshness.