By: AvNatten

Posted: Jan 2, 2006

Hailing from Germany comes a band of seven musicians known as Subway To Sally. This is my first encounter with this band and I must say they are interesting to say the least. They combine modern guitar, bass, and effects with traditional folk instruments to create their own brand of folk laced rock. This mixture of styles of course provides lots of variation and also lends an aura to the tracks, some almost have a medieval feel to them at times.

Lyrically "Nord Nord Ost" has a consistent theme of fire and ice that runs throughout the album. All vocals are sung in the bands native German tongue which could be a turn off for some. If one approaches these tracks with an open mind they will see that the vocal delivery has been executed quite well and contains the emotional peaks and valleys that are needed. There are also a few good choir parts scattered throughout that add good effect to the atmosphere.

One of the things I enjoyed most about this album is the guitar tones. The heavy riffs have a powerful feel to them with the right level of distortion to add a bit of fierceness and the acoustics are calm and soothing even while being played beneath a squealing guitar lead. The instrument play on "Nord Nord Ost" is average, perhaps some stronger song structures would have helped out and made the songs more memorable. The traditional instruments such as bagpipes and lutes are used well and compliment the music. Upon repeated listens to 'Eisblumen' the traditional instruments seem to stick out more and give the track a lot of atmosphere and a bit of mystery.

The standout track on this disc in my eyes is 'Feuerkind'. It is an engulfing track that contains many instruments softly swirling together and great violin and lute work. The melodies that these two instruments make together seem very sad and melancholic yet beautiful in their own way. These songs are not easy to get into and require the listener to sit down and patiently give the album a few spins. As time goes by the tracks will unveil their good qualities and some may find themselves coming back for more of what Subway To Sally have to offer.

Rating: 6,5/10

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