Rumoured to be finished, Subway To Sally, the German grandmasters of folk metal, prove they are very much alive with their 15th studio album! Post Mortem, set for release on 20 December via Napalm Records, arrives not even two years after their 2023 predecessor, Himmelfahrt, was secretly intended to be the final album of their over 30-year career.
In hindsight, this explains the symbolic title. However, things turned out differently. Subway To Sally had struck a chord with its music, as fan and critic reactions to Himmelfahrt were overwhelmingly positive. Following a nearly sold-out tour, it became clear that the 14th album was not the final chapter. The release of Himmelfahrt unleashed an untamable lightness and energy that ignited their creativity so strongly that Subway To Sally now stands ready to unveil its brand-new masterpiece, Post Mortem, created in the fastest production process in the band's history.
Subway To Sally comments: "The world around us is still in flux. The prevailing feeling is that nothing is getting better; on the contrary, it seems to be getting worse. The 'Black Death' is over, but the long-awaited Freedom Day after COVID never came. Instead, one problem seems to replace the next. We are living in times of grand failure. Everything swings between darkness and euphoria. People long for distraction, for forgetting, for celebration and freedom - even if only for a moment. In our music, we address the desires and fears of people, but also their hopes and dreams. In a time when the world seems to be falling apart, we want to be a constant - a voice of authenticity and humanity amidst the turbulence of life".
The new masterpiece begins with the explosive track "Phönix", which celebrates the creative rebirth of the folk metal institution. On Post Mortem, Subway To Sally neither looks back nor into the future but delivers a sharp analysis of the present. Songs like "Wunder", "Nero", "Lumpensammler", and "Die Erde bebt" offer the band's signature soundscape while exploring socially critical themes without moralizing. This serious side is contrasted by captivating tracks that celebrate life and the simple joy of music. The anthemic title track "Post Mortem", the rousing "Unter dem Banner", and the poetic ballad "Herz in der Rinde" unleash an uncanny joy of playing. All songs unite the band's familiar trademarks of great melodies and profound lyrics but never feel redundant. The haunting "Atlas" melancholically draws on Greek mythology, while the folk metallers showcase a heavier yet melodic side on "Stahl auf Stahl". For this piece, they enlisted their labelmates Warkings as guest performers, whose power metal adds a unique flavour to the track. With English lyrics in the chorus, Subway To Sally returns to its roots. With "Kummerkind", the septet tackles mental struggles that many people cannot escape, once again proving its precise grasp of the zeitgeist.
Subway To Sally adds: "In this world of contradictions and changes, finding a voice seems difficult. But upon closer inspection, one finds parallels in history and art. What do Putin and Nero, Oppenheimer and Prometheus have in common? What rises from the ashes of Rome? Does history truly repeat itself - once as tragedy, the other time as farce?"
Subway To Sally skillfully explores this tension between past, future, and present, art and political reality with its music. Link
Post Mortem tracklist:
01. Introitus
02. Phönix
03. Post mortem
04. Wunder
05. Nero
06. Unter dem Banner
07. Herz in der Rinde
08. Lumpensammler
09. Stahl auf Stahl
10. Atlas
11. Kummerkind
12. Eisheilige Nacht
13. Die Erde bebt
Subway To Sally live - Eisheilige Nacht 2024:
w/ Warkings, Support: The O'Reillys & The Paddyhats + Harpyie
13.12.24 CH - Pratteln / Z7
14.12.24 DE - Stuttgart / Im Wizemann
20.12.24 DE - Dortmund / PLWM
21.12.24 DE - Giessen / Hessenhallen
22.12.24 DE - Dresden / Alter Schlachthof
26.12.24 DE - Braunschweig / MEG
27.12.24 DE - Würzburg / Posthalle
28.12.24 DE - Bielefeld / Lokschuppen
29.12.24 DE - Bremen / Pier 2
30.12.24 DE - Potsdam / Waschhaus
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"The speech that they hate is my speech, but my speech is not a hate speech. What can you do? You can just mirror/reflect them - hopefully, they will see how grotesque..." - Dero Goi
"I can call our show an emotional exhibitionism. If you want to drink beer and cry, please come to our show, haha." - Nokt Aeon
"You know, the music and songs just come, and we don't distance ourselves from the music that comes out." - Jyrki 69
"Art isn't meant to always be pretty and make us feel comfortable and good about ourselves. I'm not afraid to broach difficult emotions and to express the beautiful ones too." - Martin Saint
