The Official Fates Warning thread v. Elsydeon hasn’t been around

[Phoenix87x]

I truly love Perfect symmetry. A pleasant shade of grey will always be my favorite, but perfect symmetry is a very close second. Its got a foot in No exit and a foot in parallels and at fate's hands is a top FW song for me. I absolutely love it.

[bosk1]

For me, I STRONGLY feel that their past three albums (X, Darkness in a Different Light, and Theories of Flight) are far and away the best things they have ever done.  Kattelox, I think you will like the more modern production on those albums. 

If you like Arch's voice and want to hear "Fates" with his voice and modern production, the closest you can get to that is the Arch/Matheos album, Sympathetic Resonance from 2011.  I love that album and still play it somewhat regularly.

[Samsara]

If I had to do the "ranking," I'd probably go (separating by singer)

(Arch)

Awaken the Guardian
The Spectre Within
Night on Brocken

(Alder)

Parallels
Theories of Flight
No Exit
Disconnected
Perfect Symmetry
Darkness in a Different Light
X
A Pleasant Shade of Gray
Inside Out

>>>>>>>>>But that list is very misleading. Particularly the Alder era. I LOVE all the records. I just have to be in a mood for APSOG, because it is very dark and introspective. But I love it. Inside Out, to me, is the weakest, but it still has some outstanding songs on it (Island in a Stream, Pale Fire...and...of course...Monument). I love it too. So the "list" here is very, very fluid. I love 'em all. But find I typically go to Parallels, Theories of Flight, and No Exit the most.

[Lethean]

Ranking them is really hard; A Pleasant Shade of Gray is my favorite and No Exit is my least favorite of the Ray albums, but the others move around in the rankings a lot.

A Pleasant Shade of Gray
Disconnected
Theories of Flight
X
Inside Out
Perfect Symmetry
Darkness in a Different Light
Parallels
No Exit
Awaken the Guardian
The Spectre Within
Night on Brocken

[SoundscapeMN]

For me, I STRONGLY feel that their past three albums (X, Darkness in a Different Light, and Theories of Flight) are far and away the best things they have ever done.  Kattelox, I think you will like the more modern production on those albums. 

If you like Arch's voice and want to hear "Fates" with his voice and modern production, the closest you can get to that is the Arch/Matheos album, Sympathetic Resonance from 2011.  I love that album and still play it somewhat regularly.

A TWIST OF FATE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VS8FHsHdyTk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVL36KtLbf8


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[The Walrus]

I'll be sure to check out the Arch/Matheos album. That sounds really cool!

[devieira73]

I'll be sure to check out the Arch/Matheos album. That sounds really cool!

I love the last 2 albuns from Fates, but the Arch/Matheos album to is so incredibly perfect that I don't know if it's even fair to compare.

[TAC]

The Arch Matheos album is one of the best albums released this decade. It is amazing.

[Lethean]

I like the Arch Matheos album a lot, and much more than the Arch Fates albums, but I do find that I have to be in the mood for his voice, or perhaps vocal melodies. Sometimes it works for me, sometimes it grates on me.

[TAC]

I like the Arch Matheos album a lot, and much more than the Arch Fates albums, but I do find that I have to be in the mood for his voice, or perhaps vocal melodies. Sometimes it works for me, sometimes it grates on me.

Yup. Totally fair.

[RodrigoAltaf]

I like the Arch Matheos album a lot, and much more than the Arch Fates albums, but I do find that I have to be in the mood for his voice, or perhaps vocal melodies. Sometimes it works for me, sometimes it grates on me.

Yup. Totally fair.

I agree. It's like a King Diamond album: awesome, but you have to be in the right frame of mind to listen to it.

[Samsara]

I like the Arch Matheos album a lot, and much more than the Arch Fates albums, but I do find that I have to be in the mood for his voice, or perhaps vocal melodies. Sometimes it works for me, sometimes it grates on me.

Bingo. Perfectly sums up how I feel. Arch is incredible and extremely distinct.

[Kwyjibo]

The Arch Matheos album is one of the best albums released this decade. It is amazing.

Quoted for truth.

[The Walrus]

Got a bit sidetracked the last couple days but got to Parallels and just finished my second spin of it. Wow. That might be my favorite FW record yet. Some really strong songs on there, We Only Say Goodbye is one that I like a whole lot. Eye To Eye and Life In Still Water also stand out after 2 listens.

Each record seems to be getting better and better with Parallels and Perfect Symmetry as my favorites so far. The Arch albums are pretty good although they all sound very similar. No Exit was an interesting and noteworthy transition, still sounds like the old stuff but with that progressive tinge. PS and Parallels are going straight to prog metal (and much better production). I'm very much looking forward to checking out the following albums but... I think I need to go listen to Parallels one more time.

[Phoenix87x]

My favorite thing about parallels is The road goes on forever which is my favorite FW song and one of my favorite songs ever written.

[PowerSlave]

Kattelox, I'm going to be very interested to see what your take on the next few albums is going to be. I don't want to say anything to color your impressions of them, but in many ways I consider the next album to be the end of an era due to approach and line-up changes that will occur afterward. It's going to be an interesting journey for you, musically.

[jammindude]

Parallels is certainly "easier listening"....but I suppose that's why I prefer PS.   By nature, I'm just drawn to music that jars me and challenges me.   Music for me is almost like a "puzzle box" that I have to figure out.   There isn't much to figure out about a radio friendly pop song like Eye to Eye, but I still think it's nice for a fluff piece.    I do love what Zonder does on Life in Still Water, and that makes that a much more interesting song to my ears, but still more polished. 

[The Walrus]

I didn't hear too much poppy about Eye To Eye. It has a memorable melody and a catchy chorus, does that make it so? Not that being poppy is a bad thing, hell, my gym playlist regularly switches from black metal straight to new age back to prog and then even Katy Perry and Lady Gaga, I just heard a good catchy tune 

PowerSlave, I got to Inside Out today. Great album. And I'm keeping myself blind to news about band history, lineup changes etc. just so I can focus on the music - I've tried learning to treat music like I used to when I was younger, simply playing the albums and then learning about the people behind it after I'm familiar with the material, if I like it enough. That said, I thought Inside Out was a great album. "Monument" was the highlight for me. Just a great prog metal song, complete with odd MIDI ending. I need to hear the album one more time though because Parallels is still rattling my brains - and I think Parallels is definitely my favorite album so far, with Perfect Symmetry and (potentially) Inside Out right behind it. I'm really enjoying this era of the band, they seem to have embraced prog metal entirely, the speed metal sound is gone - which makes me curious to hear the Arch/Matheos album after all the FW albums. I wonder what that will sound like.

Really happy I dug into this band. Been a long time since I've heard so many albums in a row from one band that I enjoy so much.

[emtee]

Can't wait until you get to Disconnected and go forward from there. Many people love A Pleasant Shade Of Gray and I like it too
but it's gone a bit of a monotone feeling, which I think was part of the overall plan due to the nature of the album, but I have
to be in a certain mood for it. From Disconnected forward I love all the albums and they seem light years better to me than
the early stuff.

[Lethean]

Island in the Stream. One of those tracks that gets overlooked at first but then really makes an impact.

[The Walrus]

Island In The Stream left me with the impression that it would click with me after a few listens, I clearly remember that one being interesting. In fact I'm going to have to play all these albums more than once - the only ones I've done repeat listens with are Night on Brocken, Perfect Symmetry and Parallels I believe. The proggier the material gets the more listens it'll take to click but I try to latch onto one or two songs that are noteworthy enough to remember when I return to them. Ray Alder did some different stuff with his voice on that album which I enjoyed. I love the high pitch singing but - especially with the Arch albums - it all blends together after a while.

Also special shoutout to We Only Say Goodbye from Parallels. I just can't get that song out of my head. New favorite FW tune so far, hopefully something on the next few albums comes along to best it

[Tomislav95]

Also special shoutout to We Only Say Goodbye from Parallels. I just can't get that song out of my head. New favorite FW tune so far, hopefully something on the next few albums comes along to best it

Love it! I think it often gets overlooked on masterpiece of an album Parallels is

[abydos]

Parallels was the first FW album I ever listened to. Bought the cassette tape probably around 2000-2001 but I couldn't listen to it cos it got late in that evening. Next morning (aroudn 5am), I hit play when I woke up to get ready for school and it was so hard to stop it once I really had to go (and almost ran from the bus stop back home after school to continue to listen to the full album) - I was in my early days of being a DT fan but the melodies in Parallels caught me by surprise. Even though I can see why some people might think it's too "poppy" because of the hooks and seemingly more simplistic structure, I just can't understand how someone can hear that and not be grabbed by it.

It's so good, for me at least, that if I had never heard it and that same album came out by some pop star or w/e I would still love it as much.

[pogoowner]

"Monument" was the highlight for me. Just a great prog metal song, complete with odd MIDI ending.

What the hell is up with that, anyway? Has anyone ever heard an explanation for it? It makes me cringe every time. 

[Phoenix87x]

I thoroughly enjoy Inside out. Island in the stream is so incredibly beautiful and is my second FW song. Monument is a killer track as well.

I forgot to mention during the No Exit discussion how absolutely badass Anarchy divine is, and the Ivory gate of dreams in incredible as well.

One of my favorite bands ever.

[jammindude]

I'll admit that if I had heard Parallels first, I probably would have loved it far more.   But I had purchased The Spectre Within on the new release rack.  So I had been a fan since 1985.   After having been through AtG, NE, and PS as brand new releases (I even had a prerelease cassette of PS almost 2 months in advance IIRC), Parallels just seemed a bit of a shock by comparison.   I had been extremely "underground" since I had first bought Ride the Lightning in 1985, and I had almost completely stopped buying anything on a major label (except for all the Combat, Megaforce, and Metal Blade bands that had already been signed).  So the 90s were a bit of a bummer to me. 

[Lethean]

I think Parallels is a fine album.  I like most of the other Ray albums better, and I do think maybe it's a little too Queensryche-y at times, whereas the other albums seem a little more unique to FW.  But it's still a great album.

[Samsara]

Island in the Stream. One of those tracks that gets overlooked at first but then really makes an impact.

I tend to forget about it, and then when I listen to it, BOOM, I am reminded of just how awesome it is.

Many people love A Pleasant Shade Of Gray and I like it too
but it's gone a bit of a monotone feeling, which I think was part of the overall plan due to the nature of the album, but I have
to be in a certain mood for it.

I agree on APSOG. I like it, but I really have to be in a mood for it.

[The Walrus]

Sorry I can't keep up with the comments, there are people I want to respond to personally but I'm making progress today. Already got two new Fates Warning records in - APSOG and Disconnected. 

And wow, wow, wow.

A Pleasant Shade of Gray - awesome prog album. It's different, in a good way. It's dark, it's somber, it's brooding, it's a different animal than all the previous albums. And I loved it. I just loved it. The long moments where the bass kept pounding away and the songs would build and build... lovely. I didn't pay attention to what song was what (since there are no names, just 'parts'), but I did make note of Parts 7 and 8 having killer piano parts, and 8 had some awesome instrumental stuff going on. Part 10 was really nice too. Overall, a great record, one that demands a couple more listens. I can't wait to revisit this one after I've caught up to the current material.

But we have a new favorite Fates Warning record for Kat, ya'll, and that's Disconnected. I loved hearing the album kick off with that almost Alice in Chains-y groaning guitar. When Pieces of Me came on, I immediately knew this would rank high. And then Still Remains came and kicked my ass hard. What an epic tune! This album rocks, plain and simple. Ray Alder's voice is fantastic, I've really come to love his singing and that's a big reason why I like this band so much, and he knocks it out of the park on Disconnected, especially on Pieces of Me. I'm not sure how or why but after the first listen I really do enjoy Disconnected a bit more than Parallels. It's the sound of a mature band knowing what they do best and just hitting the mark from start to finish. Not sure what the popular consensus is on this one, but that's where I'm at right now.

I'm putting on Fates Warning X right after I post this. I may even get to the one after that this afternoon, because it's a productive day here.

[abydos]

Still Remains being the highlight, don't forget about Something From Nothing. It's easy to overlook it and it seems that a lot of fans do, I rarely see it mentioned, but it's an absolutely killer song.

[Samsara]

Ima tellin' ya, no Fates record is "bad." They are all good! Disconnected is amazing. Still Remains and One are my favorites, but I enjoy the whole disc.

X is great too. A Handful of Doubt is VERY under-the-radar and shouldn't be. Fates had it in its set this summer, I am hoping they carry it forward in January.

[The Walrus]

Man, Something From Nothing was so good. I was thinking, "Okay, just gotta get through Still Remains and the last track and I'm good" but then Still Remains revealed itself to be a monumental epic. Now I don't remember SFN, except that I know it rocked! But now I'm 8 tracks deep into FWX and holy shit this album rocks! I can't believe I haven't heard a single record I dislike from these guys. Since I've gone through all three this early I'm going to replay some tracks from APSOG, Disconnected, and FWX this afternoon. Some REALLY good music this morning - beats the f out of the same old boring grunge we listen to every day lately at my job. Need to put on some early Fates to get the morning going!

EDIT: Just finished Handful of Doubt, how can that be under the radar? It's so damn good!

[emtee]

Cool! Glad you like the newer albums. Still Remains is one of my favorite songs. Gives me goosebumps every time I hear it.

[Lethean]

Firewings OMG what's the Rush? Slow down. Take your time. Get to know the albums. They'll still be here tomorrow.
 As for Handful of Doubt - it probably is overlooked. I feel like the whole X album is, in a way.

Island in the Stream. One of those tracks that gets overlooked at first but then really makes an impact.

I tend to forget about it, and then when I listen to it, BOOM, I am reminded of just how awesome it is.

Indeed.

[The Walrus]

Firewings OMG what's the Rush? Slow down. Take your time. Get to know the albums. They'll still be here tomorrow.

  I love this band! I usually have a problem diving into bands with decades of material because if I dwell on a particular album, I am always dogged by this nagging thought: "What else am I missing out on? What's the other stuff sound like?" instead of focusing on the music. This way I can be familiar with all the albums, then I can zero in on one or two at a time from there. I had to take the very same approach with Helloween, Iced Earth, even Dream Theater once upon a time! I need to do it with Vanden Plas and Queensryche next...

Also I'm almost finished with Darkness In A Different Light, so... might as well go to Theories of Flight at the gym tonight