Post Mortem - Black LP

black Vinyl in Gatefold

Rumored 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 December 20, 2024 via Napalm Records. 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. The release of the album unleashed an unstoppable lightness, energy, and contagious enthusiasm that everyone involved could feel. SUBWAY TO SALLY had clearly struck a chord with their 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. But how does one continue Post Mortem?
The Potsdam-based band provides an impressive answer with their new masterpiece, opening with the explosive track "Phönix", which celebrates the creative rebirth of the folk metal institution. On Post Mortem, SUBWAY TO SALLY neither look back nor into the future, but rather deliver 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. SUBWAY TO SALLY comment: "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." This escapism is reflected in the anthemic title track "Post Mortem", the rousing "Unter dem Banner", and the poetic ballad "Herz in der Rinde". 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 flavor to the track. With English lyrics in the chorus, SUBWAY TO SALLY return to their roots.
"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." With "Kummerkind", the septet tackles mental struggles that many people cannot escape, once again proving their precise grasp of the zeitgeist. "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 explore this tension between past, future, and present, art and political reality with their music, making it clear with Post Mortem that they are more alive than ever before.