'Bookmarks' is the third album from Hungarian rockers Subscribe and, having never heard of the band until a fellow Über scribe asked if I fancied reviewing them, I must admit I was both intrigued as to what they may sound like and also a little dubious. Having spent a large part of the Nineties working in Eastern Europe I became exposed to the full spectrum of the burgeoning metal scene that was emerging. Some was mind-blowing and some was utter bollocks.

So the album arrived and duly got its debut in my Grind, D-Beat and Crust hardened CD player and upon pressing the play button I must admit my first impression was "Oh shit." A few weeks down the line I must admit I feel slightly shallow for having such initial thoughts as, having then listened to the entire album and then repeated many, many times since, I can easily say Subscribe have produced an album of amazing depth and variety.  

Part of that variety, of course, encapsulates the opening song which brought forth my initial reaction. Unfortunately that first song proper, 'Anxiety found shape in contradictions Act. II. Delusion' starts off as the kind of technical smart arse metalcore I have come to detest in recent times. However, that false start soon gives way to a quite amazing album. The reminder of said song is actually a very good alternative metal song with some real Faith No More references, particularly in the vocal stylings of Tilk Mate, and there's even a bit of theremin thrown in for good measure. Next song 'Anxiety found shape in contradictions Act. III. The final Relief' brings to mind prime time System Of A Down and has some great atmospherics mixed in with the angular riffing and soaring vocals. 

'Bitter Boundary' follows a similar path and is one of many songs on here that wouldn't sound out of place at a massive summer festival. Subscribe really do have a knack of taking the listener beyond the music contained herein and actually put you there at that festival, sun on back, utterly shitfaced and totally consumed in the moment. I might be spurting some right bollocks here but this album really is something else.

They're not afraid to rip it up as well as 'Orchitis' readily demonstrates, and then you've got the organ-tinged groove of 'Ringside Seat' which also gives way to a lounge section! The closing quartet of songs then leads you through light and shade, heavy and mellow, aggression and melancholy. At times it's like listening to an amalgamation of thrash, The Police, Jean Michel Jarre and Avenged Sevenfold. Seriously, if someone had described this album (or at least tried to) beforehand I probably would have run a mile. But the seven artists that comprise Subscribe have succeeded in making one of the most entertaining and varied albums I have heard or am likely to hear. Give them a listen, you'll be amazed, entertained and very glad you did. There's also a "making of" DVD included with the very lavish digipack version of the album which is a very interesting insight into the band, and also adds to the appeal of the album even further.

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