I would have been content with a decent Fates Warning album.
But I will gladly take a five star album of the year contender instead!
After having listened to this album several times now... We may have just gotten
the Fates Warning album. No joking here. It's a top contender imo. Very catchy like Parallels, but it's also
a lot heavier and proggier too- Even more so than the Arch/Matheos album was. Any of the "weaker" songs on this album would have been considered a top highlight on DiaDL, I think. This album is really freaking consistent.
Also the hype for The Light and Shade of Things is real; it's definitely going to be on most people's shortlist for Best Fates Song Ever. I'm very tempted to give it that title already myself. Been listening to that one over and over for the past several hours. It reminds me a lot of A Pleasant Shade of Gray, especially the quieter parts.
And yeah, the band and label will be shooting themselves in the foot if they don't put out White Flag as the next single. I love Like Stars Our Eyes Have Seen just as much, but WF is more suited to be a single and make a music video out of, I think.
I'll need to listen to Ghosts of Home a few more times to really wrap around my thoughts on that one- it isn't as good as The Light, but like I said earlier, it would have been a huge highlight on DiaDL, I think. Moreover the subject matter for that song resonates really deeply with me, having been someone who grew up in a military family and moved all around all throughout my childhood, adolescence and young adult life. Both Ghosts and the instrumental title track reminds me a lot of Disconnected. Very Floydian and I think Kevin Moore rubbed off on Jim for that ditty; plenty of soundscapes that weave alongside Jim's guitar work.
Actually, I'll say this much more on Ghosts of Home: It's like if Still Remains and Stained Glass Sky conceived a baby while listening to Porcupine Tree. The only reason I think it might be seen as a letdown by some folks is because it's got the misfortune of being the "other" epic on the same Fates Warning album that has The Light and Shade of Things.