For some reason I bought a 2CD/1DVD set of this at a NEARfest a few years ago but have yet to unwrap it. Is it any good? I think I was intoxicated when I bought it.I've always been scared to open it.
In the picture on the back, one of them looks like he's about twelve.
It's not bad. Before Alder and Zonder joined so it's more metal than what they did later. I've never seen that set, so I don't know what's on it, but a early days FW live dvd would be cool as I've seen little of those days. They were better than most metal of the day but hair metal still ruled the day back then, so that's not saying a lot.
Still fun to listen to every ten years or so.
What are you waiting for? An all time classic! John Arch puts on a vocal clinic for the ages with highly original melodies over complex and heavy music. Wildly underrated album and band. The DVD isn't great quality I'm just speaking of the album itself.
great record, although I've always favored Spectre Within slightly.
Isn't it some sort of primitive prog metal though?Originally Posted by TheLoony
I always imagine that Awaken the Guardian is what young John Petrucci and Mike Portnoy listened to after band practice every night when they were teenagers.
American Hollow - my prog band.
You're right on about Portnoy. He's in the audience on the live DVD from this reissue. There would likely be no DT without Fates Warning for better or worse!
It's proto-prog-metal. Overly dramatic vocals, somewhat obscure lyrics....Think Shadow Gallery's first album but with better riffs as Matheos has always been underrated in that dept. I remember really enjoying it at the time, since I was familiar with this band since the release of Night On Brocken, but I haven't heard it in so long that I can't remember most of it.
"Corn Flakes pissed in. You ranted. Mission accomplished. Thread closed."
-Cozy 3:16-
“Awaken The Guardian” is an example of an album I bought because of the cover. I remember seeing it the store and thought the cover art was really cool. Looked over the song titles on the back and thought they looked like something I might like so I took a chance on it. Unfortunately the album itself did not do that much for me. I am one of those people who much prefer later date Fates Warning over the early John Arch stuff. You have nothing to lose by listening to it, but it is quite different from more recent Fates Warning albums.
Far from their best effort. They have a few phases. For the proto prog metal (i like that term) see No Exit. For a classic prog metal album, see Perfect Symmetry. For modern prog metal see FWX (opinions will vary here).
If you like Arch (which I do), see the Arch Matheos album and the John Arch ep (with Portnoy on drums) as great efforts.
Awaken showed the promise of what was to come with Fates, but will still a little raw to my ears. was definitely in the Maiden vein of metal with hints of the prog to come.
That is a very good way to put it. Pretty much my thoughts as well.
I'm similar to Yves in that I was discovering Fates Warning real time from the beginning. I still think "The Spectre Within" was a groundbreaking album. If you want to call it proto-prog metal, go ahead, but back in the day it was exciting that a metal band was trying their hand at being progressive. In the NWOBHM era, there were a few bands that had gone off the rails as well (Legend, Shiva, heck even Iron Maiden), and then the "technical metal" genre was born with Watchtower (since they were from Texas, I probably had a head start on that genre). So "Awaken the Guardian" fits very well in this historical context. When it was released, I felt it was a progression from "The Spectre Within" - though in retrospect I feel their sophomore album is the true gem in the rough. But, yea, "Awaken the Guardian" is great - and agree that Dream Theater no doubt was heavily influenced by it. Even if they sound different. I like the later Fates Warning too, but they do miss the reckless creative abandon of their youth for sure.
Fates is my favourite Metal band and this album along with Perfect Symmetry and Disconnected are my top three from them, all five star albums in my opinion and all three are so different from one another.
Awaken The Guardian is heavy, dark and dirty, very grungy(not talking about 90's grunge) and Arch kills on it. Prelude To Ruin and Guardian never fail to move me emotionally in some manner, I can't play them loud enough.
"The wind is slowly tearing her apart"
Sad Rain
Anekdoten
not to forget Fata Morgana. A favorite of mine anyway.
I'd say it's actual prog-metal, not just "proto-". It's metal, it's progressive, it's prog-metal. It's quite a bit different from the later techie and bombastic bands that would take over the genre, though. It's definitely more NWOBHM-flavored than anything from the 90s and beyond. Lots of chunky riffage, lots of harmonized guitar leads. But there's enough changes in dynamics and time signatures to make any metal-minded prog-head (or prog-minded metal-head) happy. Arch's voice kind of an acquired taste (somewhere between King Diamond and Bruce Dickinson), but his vocal melodies are great, and his fantasy/mystical lyrics make for some great geekery. I like it a lot, but if you're averse to anything resembling metal (especially of the Priest/Maiden/Venom variety), I'd steer clear.
flute juice
I cannot really get into the John Arch FW album though I've tried several times, but it's well worth trying, especially if you bought it!
Count me as one of the people, though a prog fan I will always be, when it comes to Fate's Warning I'd rather hear the metal era. Their take on prog makes me sleepy.
So tear that thing open and BANG YOUR HEAD!
Only on PE will you get someone asking if they should open a cd they already have to find out other peoples opinion on the cd, when you could just go to youtube and listen to it and form an opinion yourself!
It's like a co-dependant support group.
By the way, it's the best Arch era and the best Alder is Perfect Symmetry
If I wasn't interested in other peoples ' opinions, I'd have very little use for PE. I have many unopened CDs and just happened to come across this one, I don't always have time to sit down at a PC with access to YouTube.
So bite my shiny, robot ass!
You could pull up youtube and play it in another tab while you read posts on PE.
Anyone who looks at this website has more than enough time on their hands.
So listen and decide for yourself robot
I do almost all my PE reading and posting on my phone.
Great album I actually only really got into their first three which I still go back.
I do like the new one quite a bit, though, too.
flute juice
yeah, i like Darkness, but i think FWX was a little more consistent.
I do like the new one quite a bit, though, too.
again, regarding Arch, i would check out his ep, A Twist of Fate and/or Arch Matheos. as he has aged, i think his voice as gotten easier to take. really like his later stuff. pretty unique voice overall.
I was into Fates Warning from the "Night on Bröcken" and exited at "No Exit".
Last edited by spacefreak; 07-26-2014 at 12:28 PM.
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