BEAUTIFUL & MONSTROUS

Sieges Even is still alive! If you liked the two last studio albums from Sieges Even ,The art of navigation by the stars' and ,Paramount' you will find ,Beautiful & Monstrous' excellent. I have to say it's an outstanding well composed debut album in the vain of Sieges Even. The King is dead; long live the King! When Sieges Even did split, The two frontmen ,Arno Menses vocals' and ,Markus Steffen guitars' started Subsignal. I don't miss The Holzwarth brothers from Sieges Even because the new ones does a fantastic job, and Arno Menses gets better and better with his singing! Now I find his vocal very delicate and beautiful. The album title ,Beautiful & Monstrous' is a perfect description of the music, they have put together, on this excellent album.

I discovered Sieges Even with "The Art of...". In my oppinion SE were the best example of modern Progressive Rock because they were in their own league, because "they sound like SE and SE only". The were unique due to the complexity of their music (regarding the brothers' rhythm section) and the distinctive melody of the duet guitar/voice. I don't know about the first part but the second one still breathes in this release. I agree with the previous review, Sieges Even are still alive, sort of. Arno Menses and Markus Steffen continue to paint the sky with their amazing colors. Be prepared to still have whatever trips SE used to take you with. As for the other musicians are up to the task. Surely none can expect to have the quality and excellency of Holzwarth brothers and the good thing is that they didn't try to compete that. They moved in slightly different directions in order to offer their ideas to the project. This is fine with me and it explains the "sort of" above. So this is a very good and sincere release. Taking into account the SE history this must be placed in this years best releases. I think that I will keep giving 5 stars to these guys whatever they do. And if things go well and in the future they will give us a new release, I promise that I will stop doing all these SE references :)

Not at all monstrous, simply beautiful.

Ex-Sieges Even duo Arno Menses and Marcus Steffen have written a prologue to a new chapter in the story of neo-prog by forming a project named Subsignal, hopefully to continue the legacy of its successor. The band´s debut album Beautiful and Monstrous may very well mark the rendezvous point for the band members´ musical past in SE and a promising future with yet-undiscovered soundscapes of Subsignal.

As said, Beautiful and Monstrous is undoubtedly influenced by the sound of SE, being a treat for everyone who missed the band´s music after its split in 2008. But Subsignal is by far more than that. In addition to well-composed melodies the band seems to aim for greater variety in musical expressions. This versatility is pretty refreshing. For example you can easily find similarities to the bands like IQ (in Paradigm, I Go With the Wind), Frost* (in Where Angels Fear To Tread, The Trick Is To Keep Breathing) and, surprisingly, Porcupine Tree (in Walking With Ghosts, Rain Is The Most Beautiful Color).

The album is a variation between mellow rock compositions and more complex progressive parts.Subsignal shows that they do not hesitate to play and experiment with different moods in their music. Perhaps the most noticeable example of that is the masterful use of melodies, vocals (including backing vocals) and effects.

Also, Subsignal seems to operate in a narrow field of contemporary progressive rock, a field which I call ´European´. Their powerful guitar riffs and yet slightly melancholic themes give their music a unique sound that very few bands in the field could achieve (Riverside, Porcupine Tree to name some). They get personal. This is also why I consider this album more suitable for listening with your headphones than on loudspeakers - the thought provoking content could ruin the party for some.

But what is there to miss then? At some point during the album I realised that it is two steps short from perfection. Personally, with such well-composed music I would have expected more virtuous and ripe instrumentals, especially soloing and drumming (this can be forgiven, as Beautiful and Monstrous is only the first album for this line-up of musicians). Also some of the ballads lack progressive element which somewhat lessens the overall powerful emotion from the album.

Nevertheless, Subsignal´s Beautiful and Monstrous is one of the most remarkable findings from 2009 and definitely a very strong album in the field of neo-prog. Recommended.

Some CDs you just get them because you feel they are good. This was the case of Beautiful & Monstrous. I just felt it might be good and bought it without even knowing who those guys were. Of course that when I heard it and got to know where some members came from it was clear they sound a lot like their former band, the german underground legend Sieges Even (around the time of their The Art Of Navigation By The Stars CD), but their sound is slightly more progressive, maybe because of the presence of a keyboards player (a very nice plus, I should say).

As usual their forte is the trademark minimalistic guitar sound by Markus Steffen, the gorgeous melodies and the incredible multi tracked vocals of Arno Menses (how do they handle those parts live is a mystery to me), both former members fo Sieges Even. Although there are now keyboards, they don´t get in the way of the overall sound, serving more as a background soundscape with just a few solos and without much noodling. This is clearly a guitar band. And one of the best, I should say. It´s hard to label this kind of music, it´s quite unique (neo prog? I doubt it, but they had to put the band somewhere, right?)

The music on Beautiful & Monstrous is highly emotional, with soaring guitars and vocals helped by a strong rhythm section and the subtle keys. It sounds maybe too simple and plain at first, but this impression is deceiving. All the songs are in fact a rich tapestry of sounds that hide the musicianss incredible skills and creativeness. So if you´re looking for long solos, explicit displays of virtuosity and pomp, look somewhere else. On the other side, if you enjoy a music that is powerful, very melodic, elaborated and passionate, this is a must have. Production is top otch. There are also no highlights, all tracks are good and have something to offer. Right now I´m in love with The Sea.

I really hope those guys release another album soon. Interesting enough my CD comes with an extra track, called Rain Is The Most Beautiful Color, and it is as good as the others. Rating: at least four stars. Maybe I should say 4,5 or even five stars, but this being only their debut, I believe they will develop their sound even more. For now, it´s an excellent addition to any prog collection.

A very nice sounding album, well constructed and delivered, Beautiful & Monstrous just doesn't have enough fresh/newness to be considered more than a 3 star, Good, but not essential album. There are plenty of good songs, nice melodies, a very good lead singer, an interesting and creative keyboard player, and very nice engineering and production?but nothing really reaches out and grabs me, sucks me in, gets my adrenaline pumping or goosebumps bumping. The music often sounds like a cross between GEOFF DOWNES-TREVOR HORN era YES/ASIA and SAGA/STYX/KANSAS?none of which are my favorite music producers?they're all good, but not great; not my cup of tea. My favorite songs are "Walking with Ghosts" because of its 'HORN-DOWNES plays OCEANSIZE' sound; the pleasant, melodic "The Last Light of Summer;" the spacious, darkly mooded though too heavy for my tastes "Beautiful & Monstrous;" and "The Sea"?which reminds me of PORCUPINE TREE "Fear of a Blank Planet," TEARS FOR FEARS "The Hurting," and 21st Century (Christian) NEKTAR. Nice work, nice album. 3.5 stars.

If someone described this music to me, I would have instantly (a bad habit I'm afraid) judged it to be something that I wouldn't enjoy. The modern metal approach, the double bass drum bits, the clean precise vocals, things I usually find too "premeditated" for my taste.

But I listened to some sound samples and decided to give it a try....Man am I glad I didn't listen with my head, and instead I listened with my heart! This is fine music. Much more depth to it than other offerings in this style. Lyrics well structured, the vocal presentation is somewhere (in style only) from TOTO to a modern Christian styling, again a style I usually detest, but for some reason fits the bill here. The keyboard playing is just right as it presents itself in nice layers, making the guitars sound more, in the true sense of the word, "symphonic." The drumming is clean and precise, again fitting THE MUSIC, not some predetermined idea of what a hard rock/modern prog metal drummer should sound like. The bass playing done in the perfect blending of progressive rock melodic movement and the solid, kick drum/bass guitar tightness of modern metal.

Although really I would give this first offering 3.5 stars if available, I will move it up to 4 stars, as this is just purely good music. It has purpose. It needs to exist. It also encourages this aging hippie that there is yet more examples of hope out there for a younger, moving in their own direction yet reflecting the past, generation of progressive rock artist. I can't wait for Subsignal's next presentation!

So, obviously Subsignal is a sort of spin-off band from Sieges Even. I'm hardly familiar with that band but I felt ready to explore this new band who made this sole release (until now). And so far a high average rating so that makes the investigation extra worthwhile.

I can hear where the high ratings come from listening to this album. Subsignal is a high quality band in almost all aspects (instrumental handling, compositions AND vocals). So what can go wrong ? Is this a masterpiece ? Not really in my perception. Despite the quality the whole thing sounds a bit flat and unoriginal. There is no track that really makes me go into raptures or even give me a high enthusiastic feeling. The few songs I ever heard by Sieges Even were with this same outcome to me. It's all very good going towards excellent but that's it.

And it's very noticeable that prog metalband Sieges Even is the predecessor because this album isn't straightforward neo prog by any means. This is a 50-50 case in between so beware in case you're looking for true neo prog. But to be honest Subsignal can't be placed in prog metal either because the rougher parts are scarce. The rating is not really difficult to decide for this time. It's a pretty obvious 4 star case though slightly rounded up as far as I'm concerned (3,8).

German band Subsignal started in 2007 as an offshoot Sieges Even project with singer Arno Menses and guitarist Markus Steffen trying to treat with some of their main band's leftovers they composed.However, when both left Sieges Even the next year, the project turned into a full band with bassist Ralf Schwager and keyboardist David Bertok, both coming from veteran German Prog Metallers Dreamscape, along with drummer Roel van Helden from the Dutch Prog Metal outfit Sun Caged.Subsignal signed with ZYX Records and debuted in 2009 with ''Beautiful & Monstrous''.

Far from the very complex Sieges Even style or the bombastic Sun Caged/Dreamscape sound,Subsignal is actually a melodic Heavy Prog group of talented musicians, trying to deliver elaborate arrangements, melodic solos, catchy choruses and accesible songwriting.There are a couple of moments grounded in the metal field,but the overall approach is reminiscent of bands like ENCHANT or SKY ARCHITECT and a crossover style between the two is actually a great comparison.Powerful compositions with heavy guitars, balance between normal song structures and careful solos and good switches between dynamic passages and more mellow material based on atmospheric soundscapes guarantee a fantastic listening.Additionally Menses blows out one of his best performances with some very emotional singing throughout.Remaining quite accesible for the most of its part, ''Beautiful & Monstrous'' still is characterized by most of Progressive Rock's fundamentals: Sudden breaks, changing moods, long arrangements and grandiose atmospheres are only some of them.

This is an absolutely great entry of the band into discography, showcasing Prog Metal musicians' diverisity and long spectrum.If we are talking about how modern prog should sound like, ''Beautiful & Monstrous'' is one of the best examples out there.Highly recommended.

If the idea of some members of Sieges Even indulging a love of Marillion-influenced neo-prog by making an album in that general vein appeals to you, then by all means you should give Subsignal's Beautiful and Monstrous a try because that's the precise reason the album exists. However, personally I am not so impressed. There's good instrumental performances on here and a clear love for the genre, but that doesn't translate into any compelling compositions - there's nothing on here that really stands out for me as being really memorable. It doesn't have the drama and emotional rawness of Fish-era Marillion, or the dark bombast of Arena, or the complex esotericism of IQ, or really anything - it's just a melange of neo-prog motifs that fail to establish any particular atmosphere, and to me atmosphere is crucial for a decent neo-prog album.

8/10

Emerging from the ashes of the second break-up of Sieges Even, Subsignal consists of Arno Menses and Markus Steffen vocals on guitars (both remaining SE)​​, and Ralf Schwager on bass, Roel van Helden on drums and David Bertok on keyboards. Beautiful and monstruous is the first of its three albums released so far in 2009.

Stylistically speaking, I can not say because the band is listed as Neo-Prog, when his style is a visible extension of what we saw in Sieges Even's last two albums, The Art of Navigating by the Stars and Paramount. Ok, is a prog metal not-so-metal? Yes, it is. It is a more lightweight and affordable, as well as a bit atmospheric, but also full of weight. Okay that neo-prog is not my area, but still, it was up to me they would be classified as prog-metal. But anyway ...

Musical and technically speaking, this album is flawless. The Art of Navigating by the Stars is one of my favorite prog metal albums of all time, and the band is expanding the wonderful sound that was developed in the last years by SE. The highlight is the guitar quite eclectic and minimalist from Steffen, who is obviously a very talented guitarist underrated, unfortunately. However each member shines. The crystal clear production and excellent allows one to appreciate all equally, without any being disadvantaged.

And the songs are all featured as well, although the album seems to end in either of anticlimax. That's because my version comes with the bonus track Rain Is The Most Beautiful Color, which seems to be somewhat forgettable. Three tracks stand out: Paradigm, which offers an eighties vibe tied with outstanding vocal Menses (which offers some harmonies here) and a wonderful instrumentation, atmospheric and The Sea and Walking With Ghosts. There are some passages (especially regarding guitars) that remind me of Madlin of the Well, in some ways, especially in its current phase post-rock.

4 stars. Excellent album!