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Subway To Sally - Bastard review



Reviewer:
8.6

40 users:
7.62
Band: Subway To Sally
Album: Bastard
Release date: October 2007


01. Meine Seele Brennt
02. Puppenspieler
03. Auf Kiel
04. Umbra
05. Voodoo
06. Wehe Stunde
07. Die Trommel
08. Unentdecktes Land
09. Hohelied
10. Canticum Satanae
11. Tanz Auf Dem Vulkan
12. Fatum
13. In Der Stille

Subway To Sally are one of those strange bands that you can never really categorise properly, there are always bits and pieces of various different genres and styles all encompassed into one. This is one of the key points to keeping a band, or an album sounding interesting. "Bastard" is album number nine for these possibly underrated German machines.

"Bastard" is a very modern sounding album, reaching and grabbing at various different sub genres of metal to compose itself as a surprisingly solid and highly enjoyable opus of this very heavy type of metal. Think Rammstein and whisk thoroughly into a bowl of diced Die Apokalyptischen Reiter and your hybrid main course meal will be something like "Bastard". This is an album with strong German industrial influences with sprinkles of delicious folk metal weaving its way in and out of songs. Subway To Sally have provided a diverse album, each song sounding a bit more different to the last, a somewhat bizarre album sounding neither melodic nor extreme enough to be considered as just one.

"Meine Seele Brennt" is a suitably powerful opening for a very powerful album, the vocals sound superb making the whole experience sound so much more dramatic and climactic as does the very thick and heavy sound from the multiple instruments used. "Auf Kiel" and "Umbra" show of a slightly different side to the band, the first of these tracks is a fantastic song to stomp along with and both of these songs in fact show off a slightly more melodic side, mainly coming from the impressive vocal work. These are nothing compared to the beautifully crafted "Wehe Stunde" that encompasses more of the slightly more folkish elements with an elegant melody and once again marvellous singing. "Die Trommel" once again brings "Bastard" back into powerful waters and the album follows this schizophrenic trend throughout providing full metal force combined with infectious and catchy melodies until the end.

All the lyrics are sang in German which although may alienate a good chunk of non-German speakers in the way that the lyrics will have no meaning, the way they are performed makes the whole album sound that much more menacing and brings us back to the industrial side that bands like Rammstein and Oomph! have been so successful with by sticking to their German roots.

"Bastard" is an album that will appeal to a lot of people, if you love crushingly heavy music, if you love melodies along with a full metal onslaught, and if interesting diverse music always catches your attention then look no further than this epic saga brought to you by Subway To Sally.





Written on 04.11.2007 by Member of Staff since 2006


Comments

Comments: 11   Visited by: 60 users
04.11.2007 - 21:03
Queen Of Hippies
Account deleted
Ok, good job Barry, I feel like listening to it now. Your mentioning Rammstein and Oomph!, the fact that they are German and sing in German made me change my mind.
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06.11.2007 - 15:40
semmellitis

Yeah nice review! The fact that they sing in German is not annoying or confusing at all! Also the incorporation of many sounds not common between other bands makes them more unique . Almost all of the songs sound great and Hohelied is one of the best songs I have heard during this year. I can leave it playing many times in a row without getting bored.
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06.11.2007 - 17:18
GT
Coffee!!
The name has always kept me away from this band 'cause it sounded...well stupid. But after reading this I've decided to give them a try...after all if they sound a little like Rammstein, Oomph! and DAR it can't be that bad.
A very good and informative review
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Dreams are made so we don't get bored when we sleep
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06.11.2007 - 18:11
Deadsoulman

Written by Guest on 04.11.2007 at 21:03

Ok, good job Barry, I feel like listening to it now. Your mentioning Rammstein and Oomph!, the fact that they are German and sing in German made me change my mind.


Is there any particular reason why you're always the first one to comment Barry's reviews? Or do you just find him really hot? (just wondering lol)
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07.02.2008 - 02:31
ozzysong

This is an awesome album, I can't stop listening to it.
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25.01.2009 - 16:20
Rating: 7
MétalNoir
Fils du Lys
Subway To Sally would be one of my favourite melodic metal bands if they had a suitable vocalist... He has the technique and sigs very well, but his voice in itself is annoying. It's the same with In Extremo and Die Aposomething Reiter. Maybe it's just because German is a weird language, except when growled, cause Equilibrium and Falkenbach sound great and made me love the sound of German.
Anyway, from what I heard of Bastard, Tanz Auf Dem Vulkan is the most folkish and catchy song. I even manage to appreciate the vocals on it.
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Notre destinée n'est pas encore tracée....
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25.01.2009 - 21:29
Rating: 8
Bas
Retired Staff
Written by MétalNoir on 25.01.2009 at 16:20

Maybe it's just because German is a weird language, except when growled, cause Equilibrium and Falkenbach sound great and made me love the sound of German.

it's not the language itself, it's just that many of the most famous german-singing metal vocalists happen to sing in a similar way

this is a really solid album by the way, some great songs on it, especially Puppenspieler is awesome in my opinion!
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BAS - Beautifully Accented Sexiness
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25.12.2009 - 16:28
Rating: 5
Negativ

Great review!
Though I don't like this album very much I can empathize your points and it's neatly elaborated!

Subway used to be one of my favorite bands, but the last three Albums [Nord Nord Ost, Bastard & Kreuzfeuer] just aren't to my liking.
Maybe it's 'cause I'm German.
I think the lyrics aren't nearly as good as they used to be in the past. Somehow they are now very generic and the rhymes are mostly painfully forced. The themes are shallow [I think]
Also, I think they strained too much from their folkish roots - But I guess that's just a matter of taste. No song's really after my fancy. Though I like "Puppenspieler" and "Die Trommel"
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Si non te inveniet dies ultimus victorem, inveniat vel pugnantem.
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26.12.2009 - 01:51
Rating: 8
Diabolos
Space For Rent!
Written by Negativ on 25.12.2009 at 16:28

Great review!
Though I don't like this album very much I can empathize your points and it's neatly elaborated!

Subway used to be one of my favorite bands, but the last three Albums [Nord Nord Ost, Bastard & Kreuzfeuer] just aren't to my liking.
Maybe it's 'cause I'm German.
I think the lyrics aren't nearly as good as they used to be in the past. Somehow they are now very generic and the rhymes are mostly painfully forced. The themes are shallow [I think]
Also, I think they strained too much from their folkish roots - But I guess that's just a matter of taste. No song's really after my fancy. Though I like "Puppenspieler" and "Die Trommel"

I totally agree on that, although I still love their older works and listen to them pretty often
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28.12.2009 - 21:25
Rating: 5
Negativ

Written by Diabolos on 26.12.2009 at 01:51

I totally agree on that, although I still love their older works and listen to them pretty often

Yes, I still love their older works like 'Bannkreis', 'Herzblut' and 'MCMXCV', too! The music was so innovative and creative. Well, good old times.
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Si non te inveniet dies ultimus victorem, inveniat vel pugnantem.
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29.12.2009 - 22:17
Rating: 8
Diabolos
Space For Rent!
I also love "Foppt Den Dämon", "Hochzeit" and "Engelskrieger", those are the 6 albums from Subway To Sally that I really like
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