I wanna give these guys one more chance. Back around '97 I bought their A Pleasant Shade of Gray (on tape!) & wasn't impressed. I had high hopes because Terry brown was at the production helm.
I'm looking for good, melodic prog metal outta them.
I wanna give these guys one more chance. Back around '97 I bought their A Pleasant Shade of Gray (on tape!) & wasn't impressed. I had high hopes because Terry brown was at the production helm.
I'm looking for good, melodic prog metal outta them.
Perfect Symmetry is the only one I ever owned. Some of those songs hold up, killer drumming. Or do you mean post-'97?
Then your best bet may be Sympathetic Resonance by Arch/Matheos (which is Fates's original vocalist teamed with the band's present-day lineup, much like Heaven and Hell in relation to Black Sabbath). Complex, punchy, high-energy and rock-solid writing. John Arch's voice may take some getting used to, although no more so than a lot of metal screamers out there.Originally Posted by Rickenbacker
For FW itself, Parallels may be the way to go. It's their most accessible, where they focused on solid writing and scaled back all the frills without dumbing it down (a good analogy would be what Queensryche did with Empire). Or if you like prog metal in a more heavy early-Ryche 80s style, you could go back to No Exit or Awaken the Guardian.
I'm also pretty partial to their latest FWX. Noticeably more energetic than Gray, albeit in much the same vein in terms of mood and feel, so be warned if that's the part you didn't like.
Last edited by Spiral; 03-08-2013 at 10:08 PM.
Perfect Symmetry is my favorite by them.
My favorite Fates Warning album is "Disconnected". It is a very melodic, albeit dark, progressive metal album.
My three favourite are Awaken The Guardian, Perfect Symmetry and Disconnected. All very different from one another and as was already mentioned that Arch/Matheos album is amazing ! Check out Arch's Twist Of Fate solo album as well with Portnoy on drums. A very melodic and emotional album.
"The wind is slowly tearing her apart"
Sad Rain
Anekdoten
Worst album of theirs to start with. Perfect Symmetry and Parallels, released back to back, are the way to go. The former is edgier and in your face, the latter is more melodic and refined but just as good. They scratch different itches. You can't go wrong with either.
Fates has had 3 distinct eras through their career: heavy thrash/power chord (up to and including No Exit), still heavy but with more finesse and musicality (PS-> Inside Out), keyboard laden industrial type junk (APSOG-> present). guess it depends on which you like better. my favorite is the middle period (Alder, Aresti, Zonder).
Last edited by UnephenStephen; 03-09-2013 at 07:35 AM.
"She said you are the air I breathe
The life I love, the dream I weave."
Unevensong - Camel
A Pleasant Shade of Gray is a difficult entry album, but it is a good album. It's quite a unique concept album in the realm of metal. But it has a bare bones feel that may put some off. I also recommend starting with Parallels, which is a more typical prog metal album and their most accessible.
I like them all except for the last one, FWX. I agree that the Arch/Matheos record is pretty great.
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I LOVE that one (and it was the album I started with). It took a little time to click, but man, that and Disconnected are still my all-time favs. I'm sure it's a minority of us that say that, but it seems those of us who love that phase really love it.
I'll second that recommendation for Arch's solo EP too.
What,no love for The Spectre Within? My first listen to that was with my friend Mike Patton,when he was working at my favorite record store,The Works in Eureka,Ca. I think I liked it more than Mike,who was still immersed in Metallica's Ride The Lightning. Yep! it was 1984.
BINGO!
Sampled Parallels & Perfect Symmetry so far & I liked the sound of Parallels. I'll try the others too.
FWIW,I hated No Exit. It was Ray Alder's debut singing with them and he sounded so much like Rob Halford I couldn't stand it,but that was 1988. Mark Zonder joined on Perfect Symmetry and he really gave them a boost. I bought the 3 disc ed. of that and somehow misplaced aka lost the original album aka disc 1. I need to download that someday.
A Pleasant Shade of Gray is not only my favourite Fates Warning disc but also a desert island album for me. It is certainly not instantly accessible and it does take time to grow on you, though. When I first heard it, I was sorely disappointed. To me, Fates Warning's sound is hard to categorize because each period of the band is vastly different. From their earlier era with John Arch on vocals, you could check out Awaken the Guardian for a heavier sound that marked their entry into the progressive metal sound. Arch's vocals are amazing on this one. From their Alder era, you could check out Perfect Symmetry with the great Mark Zonder on drums and a very unique prog sound. A more melodic version of this disc would be Parallels, with James Labrie on backing vocals on one song , and great melodic delivery by Alder. From their mid- to late-90s period, APSOG is their pinnacle while 2000's Disconnected finds them exploring deeper sounds with a slightly industrial-tinged keyboard presence by Kevin Moore. I think these are all fantastic releases, but if you're strictly after a guitar-heavy band with soaring vocals and complex song structures, I'd recommend the aforementioned Awaken the Guardian and Matheos' recent project Arch/Matheos.
new album is likely coming later this year.
not sure if they're still even a band anymore. what is it just Matheos and Alder with a bunch of fill-in's now?
"She said you are the air I breathe
The life I love, the dream I weave."
Unevensong - Camel
I understand they're back to a lineup of full-time members now - Matheos, Alder, Frank Aresti, Joey Vera and Bobby Jarzombek.
I agree with the above poster who suggested the Arch/Matheos disc Sympathetic Resonance. It's one of the best metal albums in years, IMHO.
As far as Fates Warning albums proper, it's hard because they have so many phases. I guess I would start with Perfect Symmetry.
NP: Big Big Train English Electric (Part One)
Who has Booby Jarzombez played with? I recognize that name from That Metal Show. I only have two(remastered) Fates Warning CDs:No Exit and Parallels. I listen to Parallels more. I don't that album smells of "sell out" at all.
Last edited by JIF; 03-11-2013 at 01:23 AM.
Yes, you hit the nail on the head. I am not a big fan of the band's first phase, but love phase #3. The middle sutff is hit and miss for me. Depending on one's taste the experience can be very different from album to album.
Steve Sly
My synopsis:
Awaken the Guardian exemplifies their mid-80s approach: heavy, yet strangely melodic. Like a more colorful and complex Metallica, with lyrics steeped in occult and mysticism. Good stuff, but not for everybody.
Perfect Symmetry is a transitional album. The crunch is toned down, and the writing is a bit more concise, but still plenty of grit, and strangely melodic. There's a certain kind of personal, introspective moodiness that starts creeping in around this time, which I assume is Jim Matheos's increasing prominence as the band's creative lead. The sound is kinda like Mindcrime crossed with Permanent Waves. Good starting point.
Parallels was their commercial breakthrough (but was still overshadowed by Dream Theater) that produced a minor hit or two. Songs are quite a bit poppier and catchier, but very good. More moodiness. Another good starting point.
I like Inside Out, but I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority. It's pretty much pure moody pop-metal anymore, but it's the mood that I like so much. I suspect their hearts weren't really into it at this point.
Grey is okay, but it feels like there's something lacking. It feels like a lot of intro and transitional material, without a lot of "meat". And the "meat" that is there, I don't really care for.
I do like the Still Life live album though. But "side four" (if it was a double LP) is by far the best.
It's been a while since I heard Brocken, Spectre, No Exit, or Disconnected. The former two I seem to recall were fairly generic proto-metal. No Exit is the first album with Ray Adler, and it's pretty standard heavy metal fare. Didn't care for it. Disconnected felt kinda half-assed and boring. Haven't heard FWX.
I also liked Jim Matheos's solo album "Away with Words" quite a bit.
flute juice
from their website:
This note, just in from Jim:
"I'm happy to say that all the music for FW11 is now written (finally!). Still some lyrics to do, but we're close. Looking forward to sharing this with you in 2013."
~Michael Kizer (webmaster)
They are notoriously slow with releases (most likely due to day jobs and side projects), however, looking forward to this.
Rick..
I tried 3 albums of theirs and gave up. PLEASANT SHADE should have been made for me, as a sufferer of chronic insomnia, the lyrics spoke directly to me.
But there's just not enough melodies to keep me interested in their stuff. Just a parade of riffs with not much going on in between.
The absolute nadir is a live album of theirs that I plucked out of a bargain bin. Should have left it there. After EVERY SINGLE RIFF on the ENTIRE thing, the crowd goes ABSOLUTELY INSANE like they've NEVER HEARD SUCH AN AMAZING RIFF BEFORE.
If their crowds are actually like that...erm. nOt sure what to say. But it sounds more like studio fakery, done in such an over-the-top manner it made me just crack up.
High Vibration Go On - R.I.P. Chris Squire
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