Subway To Sally - Schwarz In Schwarz (2011)

Perhaps a conscious response to those who have accused them of recently going "soft," German medieval metal outfit Subway to Sally's 11th studio album, Schwarz In Schwarz, is perhaps the heaviest and darkest of their 21-year career. Indeed, the likes of "Bis In Alle Ewigkeit," a tale of a girl doomed to cry for eternity, which starts out as a sea shanty before bursting into an epic string-soaked power ballad, and the haunting orchestral rock of "Mir Allein," which tells the story of a girl kept captive in a cellar, don't exactly make for easy listening, while the crunching riffs and frenetic rhythms of "Wo Rosen Bluh'n," which also features an impassioned national anthem-style breakdown, and the progressive metal of closer "MMXII" prove they haven't lost their ability to "rawk." But while its 11 tracks are undoubtedly more bombastic and headbanging than those on 2009 predecessor Kreuzfeuer, the bandmembers haven't abandoned the invention that has helped them become the dominant force on their homeland's thriving mittelalterband scene. "Tausend Meilen" adopts a Middle Eastern flavor with its ethnic percussion and snake-charming flutes; "Schlagt die Glocken" opens with some gothic chanting before its medieval acoustics make way for a crescendo of dramatic strings, operatic backing vocals, and a theatrical singalong chorus; while the synth-brass hooks, clattering drums, and air-guitar solos make "Kampfen Wir" sound like a TV theme to a particularly ropey '80s action drama. Apart from the tender mandolin-led balladry of "Ins Dunkel," it's all unashamedly overblown, although that's not really an issue for a band that has never been known for its subtlety, but it's still a solid return to form that should win back some of Subway to Sally's previously disgruntled fan base.