Subway To Sally - Nord Nord Ost

*=Staff's pick	Sarabande De Noir Scneekönigin Feuerland* Sieben* 74 Feuerkind Das Rätsel II S.O.S.* Eisblumen Seemanslied

Genre	Folk Metal	Eric Fish	Vocals
Tracks	10	Bodenski	Guitar
Runningtime	42 Min.	Ingo Hampf	Guitar
Label	Nuclear Blast	Sugar Ray	Bass
Release	31 Aug. 2005	Simon Michael	Drums
Country	Germany	-	Keyboards
Similar artists	---

German acts who write lyrics in their native language rarely make it big abroad. There is Rammstein, Kraftwerk and… well, not much else. This means that Subway To Sally probably won't gain many new followers outside the borders with Nord Nord Ost, their tenth studio album. In Germany though, these experienced multi-musicians have made themselves quite a name. Time to discover why.

Those unacquainted with folk metal might find Nord Nord Ost a suitable first contact with the genre. It contains instruments like flutes, oboe, violin and bagpipes, (which would seem rather unorthodox in many other genres) creating a typical Medieval-feel. Throw in a couple of heavy guitars and you have folk metal in a nutshell. Nord Nord Ost (which refers to a certain location on the compass) revolves around the elements fire and ice, which make their mark in numerous tracks on the album.

If Germany would ever consider sending a rock band to the Eurovision Song Contest, Subway To Sally would probably win it all with "Sieben", the first single off the album. It's as catchy as catchy gets. The chugging Rammstein-riffs in "Feuerland" and "S.O.S." also impress. Something that doesn't impress is the vocalist Eric Fish, whose raspy vocals take a while to get used to. Perhaps a beautiful female voice would fit some of the material better, and preventing the ballads "Feuerkind" and "Seemanslied" from going nowhere? Sadly, Fish doesn't quite manage to steer them right.

Nevertheless, Nord Nord Ost is probably solid enough to keep the fans happy, and it's a worthy anniversary. With some adjustments, Subway To Sally might even make that compass needle point straight up next time around.

Production	Vocals	Compositions
8	4	6

Summary
6 chalices of 10 - Niklas