Official top 50 Fates Warning countdown thread!! - #1 Song Revealed!

[romdrums]

Holy cow, I am way behind!  To catch up in one burst:

35. Something From Nothing (15).  I love, LOVE, the vibe on this song.  Mark Zonder turns in some fantastic drumming, and Ray sounds so good on this.  This song takes you on a journey, and I for one love the ride.

34. The Strand (24). Again, the overall mood is really great here.  Feels kinda slinky and bluesy, in a way.  The chorus is a killer.

33. We Only Say Goodbye (NR).  Cool song, but kind of a weaker point on Parallels for me.

32. The Apparition (44).  My favorite from The Spectre Within.

31. Another Perfect Day (34).  Close to the consensus on this one.

30. Island In The Stream (NR).  I think this one just missed my top 50. 

29. Shelter Me/Circles (NR). Shelter Me is the superior version, but Inside Out feels like it has too many songs at the same tempo.

28. APSOG X/XI (NR). Man, looking back at my list, I'm sad this didn't make my cut, because this is a great song.  If I were to redo the list today, it would be on there.

27. APSOG V (17).  Highest ranker from that album for me.  I love Mark's drumming under the "I won't apologize, I won't soliloquize," section.  That pattern is really fun to play, and very challenging!

26. Outside Looking In (20).  Man, if this song had better production, like Theories of Flight production, it would be an absolute banger.  Still, one of my favorites from Inside Out.

25. APSOG IX (NR).  Again, if I redid my list, this would end up making it.   Great ballad.

24. Part of the Machine (11).  Just missed my top 10.  Again, a great song to play along with on drums.  I love all of the shifting time changes and how all of the verses are completely different.

23. Wish (36). Great atmospheric album closer.

21T. APSOG VII (26).  I think this is a clever reprise of the Let Nothing Bleed Into Nothing chorus.  Love the almost industrial feel to this one.

21T. Pale Fire (25). This song benefited immensely from showing up on their recent live album, where it felt meatier and overall had more weight to it. 

[TAC]

21T Pale Fire (Inside Out – 7)

Appeared on 14 of 19 entries
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 4 (WardySI)


21T A Pleasant Shade of Gray VII (Stare from the Darkness/Let Nothing Bleed into Nothing Reprise) (APSOG – 7)

Appeared on 13 of 19 entries
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 7 (SoundscapeMN)

I had Pale Fire at #42. Inside Out is such a great album.

I had APSOG VII as Not Rated.


50                                                                              NR
49                                                                              Handful Of Doubt
48  APSOG IX (Stayed Up Late One Night)                     Chasing Time
47                                                                              APSOG III
46  APSOG VIII (Instrumental)                                     White Flag
45                                                                              APSOG IV
44                                                                              Firefly
43                                                                              The Destination Onward
42   Pale Fire                                                               Left Here
41                                                                              The Road Goes On Forever
40  Outside Looking In                                                 Island In The Stream
39  The Longest Shadow Of The Day                             APSOG V (Murder In Munich)
38  Face The Fear                                                        Part Of The Machine
37                                                                              Wish
36  Another Perfect Day                                               APSOG VII
35  The Apparition
34
33
32  Silent Cries
31  Don't Follow Me
30
29
28
27
26
25
24
23
22  APSOG XI (Do You Think That I)
21
20
19
18
17  Exodus
16
15
14
13  The Strand
12
11
10  Shelter Me
9
8
7
6  Down To The Wire
5
4  Something For Nothing
3  We Only Say Goodbye
2
1

[TAC]

Just a quick heads up that I'll be driving to Boston and flying home tomorrow, so I likely will not be posting anything tomorrow (Monday) (although I have a 2+ hour layover in Chicago, so maybe).

More time for some Armored Saint!!!! 

Yeah...about that....

My outbound flight was direct from LAX to Boston, so I had a good long time to listen.  I downloaded the first four albums (along with a bunch of episodes of The Good Place and most of Iliza Schlesinger's Netflix specials).  I listened to all of March of the Saint and about half of Delirious Nomad.

I feel like if I had listened to these albums in '84-'85, I'd have loved them.  However, once I got past the excerpt from Pictures at an Exhibition in the song March of the Saint, it was pretty basic stuff.  The singer was a bit screamy on March, but he seemed to have toned that down on Nomad.  All in all, it reminded me a lot of Dio, which isn't a bad thing, but I don't go back to Dio all that much anymore because it sort of feels like metal for beginners.  I'll work through the rest of the albums at some point.

I believe you were told to start with Symbol Of Salvation and Raising Fear.




March Of The Saint and Delirious Nomad aren't going to convince you of anything, objectively speaking, and I love Armored Saint.

The Lovely Mrs TAC once surprised me with a CD after I received some tough news, and I am still amazed by it.

TAC, which CD it was it if you don't mind me asking?

I was diagnosed with Diabetes when I was 30. (I'm 54 now). We had a local record store in the next town over, and my wife wanted to get me something to cheer me up. So she went there having no clue. She talked to the guy working there and he asked her what I liked, having no idea what I already owned. She mentioned that I liked UFO, and thankfully the guy was well versed in UFO. He mentioned that Michael Schenker had just released a new album and recommended it, so she got it.

To say I was shocked when I got home....my wife.. talk about a blind squirrel finding a nut.
I had no idea it even existed.

The album was.. Michael Schenker-Adventures Of The Imagination.

[The Realm]

21T Pale Fire (Inside Out – 7)

Appeared on 14 of 19 entries
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 4 (WardySI)

21T A Pleasant Shade of Gray VII (Stare from the Darkness/Let Nothing Bleed into Nothing Reprise) (APSOG – 7)

Appeared on 13 of 19 entries
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 7 (SoundscapeMN)

Pale Fire - my number 25. This is is my top rated song from Inside Out, always liked this one.

APSOG VII - my number 16.

[pg1067]

I believe you were told to start with Symbol Of Salvation and Raising Fear.




March Of The Saint and Delirious Nomad aren't going to convince you of anything, objectively speaking, and I love Armored Saint.

I remember you saying that Symbol was the best of the four, but I also recall Glasser saying that the first four are where it's at, so I figured I'd start at the beginning.  I guess that means I have something more than a slog to look forward to.

[TAC]

Don't listen to Glasser.

[Samsara]

Don't listen to Glasser.

LOL.

Symbol of Salvation should always be the starting point with Armored Saint, IMO.

[wolfking]

Had Pale Fire at 12.  Wonderful track.  I love Aresti's guitar playing.

[Mister Gold]

Alright…back to it!

21T Pale Fire (Inside Out – 7)

Appeared on 14 of 19 entries
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 4 (WardySI)

Another excellent song from Inside Out.  Love the main riff and the chorus in particular.  I ranked this song at #24, just behind Face the Fear and Shelter Me, which means I had five songs from IO in my top 25.


21T A Pleasant Shade of Gray VII (Stare from the Darkness/Let Nothing Bleed into Nothing Reprise) (APSOG – 7)

Appeared on 13 of 19 entries
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 7 (SoundscapeMN)

One of the more interesting things about running this countdown was seeing where all of the parts of APSOG ranked.  I had VII as my #46 song.  However, I love the piano introduction and the rest of the intro section before the vocals start.  However, the vocal section is just ok – primarily because much of it is a reprise of V.


A few random bits of information before we start the top 20:

-One list included all 11 parts of APSOG, while three lists only included two parts.

-Three lists included nothing from Long Day Good Night.

-As previously mentioned, seven lists included at least one song from every album.

-Six albums are represented by the top 10.

-Seven albums are represented by songs 11-20.

-NINE albums are represented by the top 20, which means….

-Four albums will not be heard from in the top 20.

God, I love Pale Fire. It was #9 for me. One of the band's finest "short" songs ever. The drumming on that song is ridiculously good.

[Lethean]

I didn't have Pale Fire ranked but it's a great song.

#8 for APSOG VII.  I kind of agree with jammin that it's more than just a reprise.

[Glasser]

Don't listen to Glasser.

LOL.

Symbol of Salvation should always be the starting point with Armored Saint, IMO.

Yes, SoS is their 4th album as I said to start with all 4 (excluding the '83 ep) so trust the process. Hearing these albums as they were released is the way to go. SoS is great but Raising Fear is my fave. Trying to get into them from scratch in 2022 might be tough. If you give MotS a chance and its not doing it for you at all I doubt any of them are going to blow you away. But I have no clue what I'm talking about. 

[jammindude]

Pale Fire just missed my list at #54. It is one of my favorites from IO.

APSOG VII just cracked my top 20 at the 20 spot. I think it is the true centerpiece of the concept. And no….it’s not a “reprise”. This is the actual song. The full embodiment of what was only hinted at in part V. If anything, that part should have been labeled “Let Nothing Bleed Into Nothing (Leitmotif)” (it’s a classical term for a short, reoccurring musical phrase) and then Part VII is that theme fully realized and fleshed out.

Anyway…amazing song…er, part of the song. 

[Zoom E]

I didn't rank Pale Fire. I have APSOG VII at #23.

[The Realm]

So with only 20 songs to go I can't remember seeing anyones, or maybe just one persons number 1 song be revealed so far? Just wondering as I really have no idea what is going to be the consensus number 1 in this countdown. In all the other countdowns, I had a fair idea of what it could be.
 

[WardySI]

So with only 20 songs to go I can't remember seeing anyones, or maybe just one persons number 1 song be revealed so far? Just wondering as I really have no idea what is going to be the consensus number 1 in this countdown. In all the other countdowns, I had a fair idea of what it could be.

I had 3 pegged as #1 candidates but as the countdown has gone am already doubting my picks 😂

The Lovely Mrs TAC once surprised me with a CD after I received some tough news, and I am still amazed by it.

TAC, which CD it was it if you don't mind me asking?

I was diagnosed with Diabetes when I was 30. (I'm 54 now). We had a local record store in the next town over, and my wife wanted to get me something to cheer me up. So she went there having no clue. She talked to the guy working there and he asked her what I liked, having no idea what I already owned. She mentioned that I liked UFO, and thankfully the guy was well versed in UFO. He mentioned that Michael Schenker had just released a new album and recommended it, so she got it.

To say I was shocked when I got home....my wife.. talk about a blind squirrel finding a nut.
I had no idea it even existed.

The album was.. Michael Schenker-Adventures Of The Imagination.

Nice one mate very cool story cheers 

Pale Fire #4
So yes love this song nothing particularly out of the box or complicated but the chorus is so addictive it's sublime and Ray sounds phenomenal.

APSOG VII NR
And was shocked honestly thought I had that in there as it's another fave from the Grey album but nope I missed it. A bit disappointed with myself to say the least great song fully on board with all your comments above!

[pg1067]

Top 20!




20 And Yet It Moves (Darkness in a Different Light – 2)

Appeared on 14 of 19 entries
Top 10 finishes: 4
Highest Ranking: 3 (pg1067)

As far as I’m concerned, this is the best thing Fates did in the last 30 years of their career and caps off the criminally underrated Darkness in a Different Light in fine fashion.  It has everything that makes Fates great.  Classical themed double acoustic guitar and bass intro.  Heavy, odd-time riffs that absolutely crush.  Shifting moods.  Great vocals. Excellent chorus.  Not for a second do I think this 14-minute behemoth is too long.


19 Seven Stars (Theories of Flight – 2)

Appeared on 15 of 19 entries
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 2 (WardySI)

Seven Stars sits nicely among four songs that start off Theories of Flight with a bang (although I think it’s the least of the four).  Great double guitar work and some great vocals from Ray.  It’s really quite amazing how, deep into his career, Ray’s vocal performances got stronger and stronger.

[pg1067]

So with only 20 songs to go I can't remember seeing anyones, or maybe just one persons number 1 song be revealed so far? Just wondering as I really have no idea what is going to be the consensus number 1 in this countdown. In all the other countdowns, I had a fair idea of what it could be.

We have seen one person's #1 song revealed so far:  Zoom E had Silent Cries ranked as her #1 song (it was #41 on the overall countdown).  I don't think it's too much to reveal that the 19 first-place votes were distributed as follows:

Song A - 2
Song B - 2
Song C - 1
Song D - 1
Song E - 6
Song F - 2
Song G - 1
Song H - 3
Silent Cries - 1

Interestingly, Song E is not in the top 3 and was not mentioned on every list.

We'll see another person's #1 song in a couple days, and the rest are in the top 10.

[Dublagent66]

No.  Ranked Songs                             Not Ranked Songs
50                                                       Face the Fear
49   Left Here                                       Don't Follow Me
48                                                       Exodus
47   Another Perfect Day                       Handful of Doubt
46                                                       Down to the Wire
45                                                       Chasing Time
44                                                       White Flag
43                                                       The Destination Onward
42                                                       Something from Nothing
41                                                       We Only Say Goodbye
40                                                       The Apparition   
39                                                       Wish
38      
37   The Strand   
36   Outside Looking In   
35   Pale Fire
34      
33   The Longest Shadow of the Day   
32   Part of the Machine   
31      
30   Silent Cries   
29   Firefly   
28      
27      
26   APSOG III   
25      
24      
23   APSOG VII   
22   APSOG V   
21      
20   And Yet It Moves   
19      
18      
17   The Road Goes on Forever   
16   Seven Stars   
15   Don’t Follow Me   
14   Island in the Stream   
13   APSOG VIII
12   APSOG IX   
11      
10   APSOG X/XI
  9      
  8      
  7      
  6   Shelter Me/Circles   
  5      
  4      
  3      
  2      
  1

[Lethean]

36   Seven Stars
24   And Yet It Moves

I could have sworn And Yet It Moves was higher on my list.  Maybe it will be next time I attempt to make one.  I think both of these songs are excellent.

[romdrums]

20. And Yet It Moves (8).  This feels like a companion piece to Still Remains.  Similar structure, and just about as good.  Bobby Jarzombek's drumming is outstanding on this tune, as it feels like this is where he channels his inner Mark Zonder to great effect.  Jim and Frank's guitar work shines as well, and Joey Vera does such a great job holding everything down.  Ray sounds really good on here as well.  So much to love about this track.

19. Seven Stars (14).  Just a solid late FW track.  As you said, Ray's vocals are in top form here, and really the whole band is in great form. 

[nick_z]

And Yet It Moves - My rank: #43

And here it is, the one song from Darkness...that made my list. Note that it's not by default because it's the longest so "it has to be good". If anything, when this came out and the album was falling a bit flat on my first listen, I was wary of the length of And Yet It Moves. Well, as it turns out, there's a lot of cool stuff going on, and the melodies are among the very best on the record. My favorite on DIADL by some margin.

Seven Stars - My rank: #22

Great song, punchy and melodic. It's a good example of why I like ToF so much more than DIADL - stylistically, it's not a huge departure from the more immediate, hard-hitting songs off DIADL, but the guitar work is more "colorful", the production pops and and the vocal melodies are way more compelling. Alder sounds fantastic.

[Samsara]

And Yet it Moves - I had this at #37. It's probably a tick underrated by me. Probably should have been in my top-30 for sure. I don't enjoy the intro. It's not that I hate it, it's quirky and for some reason it just takes something away from the tune for me. Once the song kicks in, I like it a lot.

Cool story - so on the U.S. tour preceding the European swing where Fates would record its Live Over Europe album, I did a bit of a roadtrip with a friend and we took in shows in San Diego and Los Angeles. During the San Diego soundcheck on January 13, 2018, they played "And Yet it Moves" for one of the first times in the "public" eye. (it was not really public, and it may not have been the absolute first, I'm not sure.) The funny thing was while it sounded great, it was awesome to see Ray having to pull out his phone to get a refresher on the lyrics. When I asked him later about it, he said that they are running a few things through soundcheck on the tour in prep for European tour.

Anyway, I recorded it, and you can check it out here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=203YJniZDXY

Seven Stars - this has always been a favorite of mine off Theories of Flight. It came in at #16 for me. Loved it from the moment I heard it. Passionate vocals by Ray.

Here's a video I took from the January 13, 2018 gig in San Diego:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFjgs8SFdps

[The Realm]

So with only 20 songs to go I can't remember seeing anyones, or maybe just one persons number 1 song be revealed so far? Just wondering as I really have no idea what is going to be the consensus number 1 in this countdown. In all the other countdowns, I had a fair idea of what it could be.

We have seen one person's #1 song revealed so far:  Zoom E had Silent Cries ranked as her #1 song (it was #41 on the overall countdown).  I don't think it's too much to reveal that the 19 first-place votes were distributed as follows:

Song A - 2
Song B - 2
Song C - 1
Song D - 1
Song E - 6
Song F - 2
Song G - 1
Song H - 3
Silent Cries - 1

Interestingly, Song E is not in the top 3 and was not mentioned on every list.

We'll see another person's #1 song in a couple days, and the rest are in the top 10.

Wow! That is really interesting. Really looking forward to the top 10 reveals,

[The Realm]

20 And Yet It Moves (Darkness in a Different Light – 2)

Appeared on 14 of 19 entries
Top 10 finishes: 4
Highest Ranking: 3 (pg1067)

19 Seven Stars (Theories of Flight – 2)

Appeared on 15 of 19 entries
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 2 (WardySI)

And Yet it Moves - ok so I was going back over my list just yesterday and listening to some random Fates songs and then And Yet It Moves came on and I am like - oh no I have somehow left this out of my top 50.....this is a big miss for me as I love this song. Unfortunately unranked.

Seven Stars - my number 4. Surprised I am not the high ranker (well done Wardy). Just love this song, just a great heavy upbeat tune, love that main guitar melody, simple but really engaging and the chorus of this song always has me singing along.

[TAC]

20 And Yet It Moves (Darkness in a Different Light – 2)

Appeared on 14 of 19 entries
Top 10 finishes: 4
Highest Ranking: 3 (pg1067)

19 Seven Stars (Theories of Flight – 2)

Appeared on 15 of 19 entries
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 2 (WardySI)

I had And Yet It Moves at #24. I think this is an excellent song, and I bet if I spent more time with it, it could go even higher. As good as it is, I still feel like I've under-listened to it.

I had Seven Stars as Not Rated. It's good, probably a little underrated on my part, but I generally feel like their last three albums all blend together for me, and this just doesn't stand out enough like As Yet It Moves to me.


50                                                                              NR
49                                                                              Handful Of Doubt
48  APSOG IX (Stayed Up Late One Night)                     Chasing Time
47                                                                              APSOG III
46  APSOG VIII (Instrumental)                                     White Flag
45                                                                              APSOG IV
44                                                                              Firefly
43                                                                              The Destination Onward
42   Pale Fire                                                               Left Here
41                                                                              The Road Goes On Forever
40  Outside Looking In                                                 Island In The Stream
39  The Longest Shadow Of The Day                             APSOG V (Murder In Munich)
38  Face The Fear                                                        Part Of The Machine
37                                                                              Wish
36  Another Perfect Day                                               APSOG VII
35  The Apparition                                                       Seven Stars
34                                                                              Eye To Eye
33
32  Silent Cries
31  Don't Follow Me
30
29
28
27
26
25
24  And Yet It Moves
23
22  APSOG XI (Do You Think That I)
21
20
19
18
17  Exodus
16
15
14
13  The Strand
12
11
10  Shelter Me
9
8
7
6  Down To The Wire
5
4  Something For Nothing
3  We Only Say Goodbye
2
1

[wolfking]

AYIM came in at number 18 for me.  What an amazing track so late in their career.  Love the different sections and especially the lovely shift in the last few minutes.  An appearance from Mr Aresti is always an added bonus too.

Seven Stars came in at 16.  What an amazing catchy, solid track.  Never gets old.

[TAC]

Seven Stars came in at 16.  What an amazing catchy, solid track.  Never gets old.

It's not old.

[wolfking]

Seven Stars came in at 16.  What an amazing catchy, solid track.  Never gets old.

It's not old.

Ummm....hence why it never gets old. 

[pg1067]

A bonus track for today!


18 Eye to Eye (Parallels – 4)

Appeared on 15 of 19 entries
Top 10 finishes: 4
Highest Ranking: 4 (Dublagent66)

Here we have the second of FW’s two “Eye” songs, both of which I assume were written with the specific purpose of writing a “hit single.”  I guess timing is everything.  Had this song been on Perfect Symmetry, instead of Parallels, it might have gotten some traction.  However, while I recall it getting some play on MTV, it came along just as grunge was breaking, and I’m not sure I ever heard the song on the radio.  Lyrically, the song is one of at least two on Parallels to discuss the perceived divide between Jim Matheos and fans of Fates Warning.  In this regard, it’s quite reminiscent of Rush’s Limelight, which I suspect Jim could relate to quite well.  Amazing performance by Ray.  I had it at #38 on my list, and I’m a bit surprised it made the top 20.

[wolfking]

Gotta love bonus tracks.  This one came in at 33 for me.  It's a fine song and works perfectly in the album.  I much prefer the other 'eye' song though.

[TAC]

As much as I love Parallels, Eye To Eye didn't rank.

Also, the explanation of a performer on a stage, even if true, makes no sense to me. maybe I've heard it for so long with an assumed meaning in the context of Parallels, but it just reeks of a relationship song.

[Lethean]

Eye to Eye didn't make my top 50 either.  I do like it, and enjoyed it when they played it live.

[devieira73]

Eye to Eye (#45) - It’s an amazing and capitvating song, except the chorus, that is really bland.

[Zoom E]

My rankings:
And Yet It Moves - 34
Seven Stars - 33
Eye II Eye - 5

I was really surprised when I checked my list and saw that I had Eye II Eye so high.

[nick_z]

Ooooh, a bonus...nice 

Eye to Eye - My rank: #16

With any of the songs I have in my top 20, it's obviously Fates Warning "rarefied air" for me. This is no exception and it's wonderful. That opening, it's just beautiful. And when they reprise it for the solo, it elevates the song even more. Yes, the chorus is clearly meant to be radio-friendly...but even the main riff, which starts so "basic", resolves in such a cool way, with the guitars dancing around Zonder's drums.