SUBWAY TO SALLY

A pioneering force in folk metal since the early '90s, SUBWAY TO SALLY are true diehards. Anyone who has attended a festival in Germany will surely have seen them multiple times and had an excellent experience in the process. Beloved in their native land and across Europe, they have never had an international breakthrough, primarily due to their heartfelt insistence on singing in German. Not that it ever hurt RAMMSTEIN, but they have do have more fireworks. We are a shallow species, let's face it.

Not many bands get to make a 15th studio album, and SUBWAY TO SALLY very nearly passed on the opportunity themselves. Last year's widely lauded "Himmelfahrt" was actually supposed to be the band's last album, capping off 30 years of folk metal militancy with an exuberant bang. Instead, the response to "Himmelfahrt" was so effusive that, not unreasonably, they simply kept the ball rolling. "Post Mortem" is not a comeback, but it is an album that nearly never was. Surfing on the waves of acclaim and the thunderous clangor of their own tunes, SUBWAY TO SALLY still have momentum. Much like its predecessor, album number 15 is a celebratory rush of euphoric, medieval rowdiness, and anything but the sound of a band on its last legs.

A few formative years aside, SUBWAY TO SALLY's sound has always been straightforward in approach but detailed in execution. Growing heavier as the decades have flown by, they remain a distinctive proposition. Songs like opener "Phonix" and the title track are bullish and punchy, with gritty riffs that thrive amidst an array of non-conventional instruments. There is earthiness to everything the septet create, and while the likes of "Wunder" and "Unter dem Banner" are unashamedly direct, their delivery is so passionate and colorful that it scarcely seems to matter. Strategically designed to send fields full of drunken Europeans into a whirling frenzy, SUBWAY TO SALLY songs defy cynicism by creating an unstoppable tsunami of speaker-busting joy — with bagpipes! And even for those who cannot comprehend a lick of German, frontman Eric Fish is a formidably inspirational force. The band have stated that they would like to be "a voice of authenticity and humanity amidst the turbulence of life" and that noble intent is palpable and heartwarming. Plus, of course, Germans know how to do heavy metal. Deceptively heavy and always slightly gnarlier than their bright, uplifting melodies suggest, "Post Mortem" is a great heavy metal record, too: songs like "Nero" and "Lumpensammler" step aside from overt folkery and dare to dabble in darker waters. At the other end of the scale, "Herz in der Rinde" is an atmospheric, acoustic rock marvel with a crushing, cinematic denouement. Tears will be shed.

Once again, SUBWAY TO SALLY have delivered an album that promises to prolong their career for, at the very least, another year or two. Throughout "Post Mortem" there is a strong sense that they simply can't help themselves. Diehard to the bone.