Paraiso

I have heard about this band in progressive rock circles for a while, but this is the first album of theirs that I have picked up. They hail from Germany with English vocals and music that reflects both classic progressive rock, but also incorporates modern somewhat metallic influences. Prior to reading some other reviews of this album I did not realize that some of these guys were members of the band Sieges Even which I am also a fan of. Along with the harder stuff there are several ballads here that are well done. The duet with the lead singer of Stream Of Passion, “The Blueprint Of A Winter” is especially nice and could be a song that might even be able to make a splash on commercial radio. I really enjoy this album and will definitely be seeking out more of this band’s stuff.

Not as heavy as other works, but brilliant writing, playing and great songs. Huge fan of Arno!!!

Great group, and getting better all the time! This version has a live CD as well which is excellent, giving you a chance to hear how this group sounds live.

Fantastic, excellent work. Such a good band, brilliant 3rd album. Melodic, loud, intricate, lots of harmonies. Highest praise, highly recommended.

Subsignal is my go-to group. Impressive music.

Satisfied with product quality and delivery.

WOW! After having released 2 very strong CDs in the past ("Beautiful & Monstrous + Touchstones"), Subsignal is back and if the old saying of "The Third time is the charm" is true, it could be never be more relevant here!Even though the new material (IMO) is overall less progressive than the previous releases, the songs are definitely more "Accessible" and easier to absorb after the first few listens and include some monumental songs including 2 ballads that could easily reach a larger (Top40) audience if the right marketing/WOM channel was available.All of the musicians are in top form! Markus leads with his inspiring classical guitar passages and thundering riffs, Ralf is eloquently and powerfully thundering his base, Danilo Batdorf finally gets to add his own touch to Subsignal and does it masterfully with great time changes and signatures while David Bertok always find a way to create amazing "moods" and "Soundscapes" to match each song. And then there is Arno Menses...the man with the "Majestic Voice" and someone who can take any song and make it sound great. Each member of this band contributes equally which in turn provides the wonderful "Flow" of the music and taking it to different levels and styles. You will experience "Deja Vu" moments from bands like Saga, Kansas, Yes and the Progressive greats but having said that, Subsignal has created their own style of music....perfectly blending elements from Progressive, AOR and Melodic rock genres and its music that EVERYONE can listen to!Lets get to the tracks:1. Time and Again (4/5)- This is a "intro style" song which is more of a introduction to the title track. Very experimental and great use of strings and a perfect intro for the title track2. Paraiso (5/5) - Here come the riffs baby! This is Subsignal at their finest...clean riffs, sweet groves and an awesome chorus. Bullseye!!3. A New Reliance (5/5) - This song reminds me of a classic Saga song from the riffs and structure whereas the chorus reminds me more of something else that I cant quite pinpoint. Probably my favorite track after the first few listens and a great rock song.4. A Heartbeat Away (5/5)- Here is where I see some of the (Jon Anderson) YES influences...especially at the beginning during the acoustical intro. Strong chorus and a beautiful song.5. A Long Way Since the Earth Crashed (5/5)- The first "Ballad" and something that could definitely be a "Top 40" hit and reminds me a little of Peter Gabriel. Beautiful song that can be appreciated by anyone who likes "Top 40" to any progressive rocker.6. A Giant Leap of Faith (5/5)- WOW, one of my favorite tracks on the CD. Catchy Chorus, killer riffs and classic Subsignal...not much else to say!7. The Stillness Beneath the Snow (4/5)- The beginning brings me back to some of their earlier (Arno/Markus)"Sieges Even" days (something about the riffs). Great song with a mellow chorus but beautiful clean riffs to offset some of the "mellowness" and love the way they end the song.8. The Blueprint of a Winter (5/5)- Call me sappy but this is a beautiful love ballad and if this were written by a "Pop 40" artist it would be on top of the charts. This is the "Single" from the CD and includes the beautiful and talented "Marcela Bovio" from "Stream of Passion" and "Ayreon". Her duet with Arno is a masterpiece and one of the most beautiful "duet ballads" in the last decade IMO! What a treat it would be to witness this live with both of them!9. The Colossus that Bestrode the World (5/5)- Hear comes the Thunder and Power! Probably their hardest riffs (song) on the CD and bursting with energy and maybe my favorite song now (after countless listens). A perfect mix of hard riffs, energetic vocals and integrating melody with the "Signature Subsignal Background vocals" as well as the acoustic interludes. PURE PERFECTION!10. Swimming Home (5/5)- A grand finale in classic Subsignal style! A slow starting song that turns into a Mid Tempo Masterpiece and a fireworks of vocals/background vocals and orchestration....what a song....goosebumps and already a "Subsignal Epic" track that keeps me having myself repeat "Millions of Stars, Millions of Suns" etc.This CD is an easy 5 stars and their best CD to date IMO...not one weak link or "Filler" (not that there are any in their previous work but this is definitely their strongest showing to date even though overall it may be a little more mellow than their previous work IMO).A side note as the "Deluxe Edition" also contains their song setlist they played live in Mannheim back in 2012 and is also available via DVD (which is highly recommendable so you can see how amazing they are!)I have said this to my friends in the US and when I witnessed them live in Germany. It is ludicrous and sad that this band does not receive more recognition worldwide....they are one of the best (Progressive) Melodic Rock bands in the world and deserve to be recognized. If this CD and their music speaks to you then please spread the word. Take the time and go see a show or write a blog/review and tell others (that may like this type of music) about them and get them the recognition they deserve! These guys work their tails off to bring us such incredible music and we should all "give something back" when we find the time.Thank you for taking the time to read all of this (if you did) and I hope you find the music as inspirational and beautiful as I do!

I became a fan of German band Sieges Even with their masterpiece "the Art of Navigating by the Stars" and was quite disappointed when they split up. I vaguely knew that the guitarist and singer had gone on to form Subsignal, but never got around to checking them out. Finally I picked this album and couldn't believe it had taken me this long. In a lot of respects Subsignal continues on from where Sieges Even left off; maybe the rhythm section isn't quite as dynamic, but the addition of keyboards and the use of a bit more gain on the guitars diversifies the sound a bit.This album is very pleasant, melodic progressive rock with some heavier influences and a nice balance between focus on the song and complexity. I can't really think of similar bands for comparison (other than the final 2 Sieges Even albums of course); they have their own distinctive style. My copy also came with a live CD - unlike some "bonus" live albums, this is actually a high quality recording with great sound, not something that sounds like it was recorded through someone's phone.I think this band is criminally under-rated.

Great album! This is an album full of great songs and a very good sound. This is prog a la 2016.( Well, it was released in 2013...) I turned to this band by pure Luck, as i saw their name and thought of Subsignal by Rush. On this Version, there is also a live concert recorded in Mannheim in 2012.Highly recommended!!

Great album. I'm buying all their back catalogue

item arrived in perfect condition

Nach dem 1997er-Album "Uneven" geschah mit den deutschen Progressivos Sieges Even etwas Unerhörtes: Ein Stilwechsel! Weg vom verschachtelten (ohne jeden Zweifel bis dato hierzulande beinahe konkurrenzlosen) Kopfkino, hin zu mehr Gefühl, Wärme, Melodie und "Songs". Leider war nach zwei grandiosen Alben ("The Art Of Navigating By The Stars" und "Paramount" - beides verdammte Pflichtkäufe!) dann Schluss und die Herren Menses (v.) und Steffen (g.) gründeten SUBSIGNAL, deren zwei bisherige Werke die stilistischen Merkmale nahtlos fortführten.Nun also "Paraiso". Die Platte klingt bereits nach den ersten Takten wunderbar vertraut, der Wohlfühlprog dringt wieder sofort in jede Pore, die Produktion ist abermals überwältigend gut (Leute, wenn ihr Alben zum Boxentesten benötigt, versucht es bitte mit den beiden letzten Alben von Sieges Even sowie dem Gesamtwerk SUBSIGNALS - viel größer können Platten kaum klingen!) und in die Melodielinien - bereits der Chorus zum Titeltrack (siehe Video unten) ist famos - möchte man sich am liebsten mit offenen Armen hineinfallen lassen. Probiert es aus mit dem Viereinhalbminüter "A Long Way Since The Earth Crashed", was einem trotz des Tites ein dickes Grinsen auf die Backen zaubert. Bei "The Blueprint Of A Winter" hat man sich die Dienste von Stream Of Passion-Sängerin Marcela Bovio gesichert, die ganz gut zu dem hochmelodischen Stil des Songs passt, den es übrigens tatsächlich auch als ganz echte Single auf der Bandhomepage zu kaufen gibt. Highlights hat, und das ist bei dieser Band nichts Neues, "Paraiso" zuhauf, schwächere Songs kann ich beim besten Willen keine finden. Mit dem Piano und der Akustikgitarre als allgegenwärtige melodieführende Instrumente muss man natürlich leben können, dann wird man mit Sicherheit auch an diesem Album monatelang seine Freude haben, zumal es bei aller vordergründigen Eingängigkeit einfach soviel zu entdecken gibt.Also: wer die Band bisher verehrt hat, wird auch das Drittwerk lieben. "Paraiso", und dieses persönliche Fazit sei mir gegönnt, läuft mir gar noch besser rein als der beileibe nicht schwache Vorgänger "Touchstones". Tolles Album einer wirklich großartigen deutschen Gruppe!

Es ist bei diesem Album sehr von Bedeutung auf welcher Musikanlage gehört wird. Die Produktion ist im Bereich der Drums vorallem recht zaghaft ausgefallen. Ein dazu vorwiegend breiter und wenig knackiger Snaresound läßt das Schlagzeug ziemlich schlapp erscheinen.Der Akzent liegt hier mehr auf den cleanen Gitarren und dem Gesang. Auch wenn die Gitarren mal verzerrt losbraten, hat man selten das Gefühl von "Härte" und somit wirkt das Album seitens des Sounds eher zahm.Als ich die Scheibe die ersten Male im Auto hörte (bescheidene Anlage), kam einfach keine Freude auf. Die Refrains waren nett zu hören und manche sonstige Gesangsline ebenfalls. Die Band ging hier aber unter. Das änderte sich erst mit dem Kopfhörerkonsum auf dem Sofa. Da zeigte sich das Potential des Albums schon von einer ganz anderen Seite. Da waren plötzlich kräftige Gitarren und ein passabel klingendes Schlagzeug. Der Bass war nun auch gut vernehmbar und so wurde eine relative Vielschichtigkeit von "Paraiso" hörbar. Meine Musikanlage ohne Kopfhörer bringt mir das Album leider ebenfalls nicht nahe genug um von Begeisterung zu reden. Ich denke das liegt einerseits an der mangelnden Harmonie und Qualität meiner Stereoanlage und zum Zweiten an dem bewussten Entscheiden der Band gegen eine zeitgemäße "Überproduktion". (Die Snare dürfte aber dennoch gern knackiger sein.....).Auffällig ist, dass "Paraiso" sehr melodieorientiert komponiert wurde. Spielerische Umwege, Ecken und Kanten wurden auf ein Minimum reduziert, so dass die Songs ein deutliches "Strophe-Bridge-Chorus Muster" erhalten. Es bleibt somit Geschmacksache, ob man dieses "schnell auf den Punkt kommen" oder eher ein ausschweifendes, tiefergehendes Songwriting bevorzugt.Unfreundlich ausgedrückt geht "Paraiso" im direkten Vergleich zu den Vorgängern einen kommerzielleren Weg in Richtung "AOR".Positiv ausgedrückt reduziert die Band ihre Musik auf das Wesentliche: Schöne Melodien in ansprechender Verpackung.Ein Album, das trotz der Zugänglichkeit mit der Zeit wächst. Details gibt es bei genauerem Hinhören durchaus. Das "Progepos" des Jahrhunderts liegt hier jedoch wahrscheinlich nicht vor. Auch wenn solche Aussagen eine Langzeitprüfung verlangen.Der Vorgänger "Touchstone" war jedoch deutlich vielschichtiger und Komplexer. Es gab eine Anlehnung an den sogenannten "Progmetal" und die Kompositionen waren mit deutlichen Wendungen und Tiefen angereichert.Gefällt Gut. Darf aber auch kritisiert werden. Das müssen Subsignal verkraften können.