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

[pg1067]

His solo album Tuesday the Sky is great if you like post-rock and it's very soundscape oriented.

What's "post-rock"?

I don't "get" A Pleasant Shade of Grey and I feel like I'm missing out.  It doesn't strike anything with me, it's just... dull.

I absolutely love APSOG, but I get this perspective, and even I'm admit that the first half of the album has a fair amount of "sameness."  For me, the album really kicks it into the stratosphere with Part VIII to the end.

I just remembered I own a Jim Matheos solo album on cd that I have never listened to.  Not even ounce.  Wouldn't even know the name of it, I just know I have it.

I have what I think is his first solo album, First Impressions.  It's all acoustic/classical guitar with violin and/or cello.  Really good stuff when you're in the right mood.

[MoraWintersoul]

His solo album Tuesday the Sky is great if you like post-rock and it's very soundscape oriented.

I fangirl over this project because it is very good and features Kevin, obviously, but for one bonus reason.

Kevin Moore spent the second half of the 90's writing for his solo project Chroma Key, and he selected a number of these songs and reworked/rerecorded them for Chroma Key's first album in 1998.

I always wondered if there was anyone at all (except all of two dozen Kevin Moore fans who congregate mostly on this forum  ) who cared about the songs that were left off the album, because some of them were really good. But even the finished albums are very obscure.

One of my favorite songs in this pile of demos is called Wednesday The Sky.

So it's cool Jim cares about these songs and remembers them and maybe even listens to this one every now and then. Warms my heart.

[goo-goo]

Mora:

I'm a HUUUUGE KM fan. I've been a Patreon contributor since he started that (only artist I support in Patreon) and have most of his CD rarities (signed copies of Shine), a radio show he did (can't remember the details..), etc. My personal favorite is Dead Air for Radios and OSI (my favorite is their last record). There is a lot of cool stuff in the music he is releasing at Patreon.

[Nick]

The more time goes on the more I realize just how much I absolutely adore Jim Matheos as a songwriter and guitarist. I have my preferences, but Fates Warning have been consistently fantastic forever now.

Arch material has some great stuff, but wasn't quite all there yet, and PS wasn't quite fully adapting to Alder yet.

But then you have a string of great albums, including two top tier works in Parallels and A Pleasant Shade of Gray, made all the better by just how different they were. After that I personally love both Disconnected and FWX. Darkness is perhaps a minor step down, but then they return with an album of the year with Theories.

Add to that the fact that the Arch/Matheos discs are amazing and that the first two OSI albums are also two favorites of mine and Jim really is one of my favorite songwriters.

And they are still killer live as well.

[Phoenix87x]

Jim has been my favorite guitar player and songwriting ever since I discovered him.

Stuff like The road goes on forever, island in the stream and at fates hand just knock me on my ass emotionally. And that just naming a few.

[MoraWintersoul]

Mora:

I'm a HUUUUGE KM fan. I've been a Patreon contributor since he started that (only artist I support in Patreon) and have most of his CD rarities (signed copies of Shine), a radio show he did (can't remember the details..), etc. My personal favorite is Dead Air for Radios and OSI (my favorite is their last record). There is a lot of cool stuff in the music he is releasing at Patreon.

Love all of these, too  it makes it so much better that Jim really loves and respects his music. They have one of the coolest musical partnerships ever - when the Patreon demos are rerecorded/mixed/mastered and the album comes out, bet you that Jim will record guitar for some album tracks too,

The more time goes on the more I realize just how much I absolutely adore Jim Matheos as a songwriter and guitarist. I have my preferences, but Fates Warning have been consistently fantastic forever now.

Arch material has some great stuff, but wasn't quite all there yet, and PS wasn't quite fully adapting to Alder yet.

But then you have a string of great albums, including two top tier works in Parallels and A Pleasant Shade of Gray, made all the better by just how different they were. After that I personally love both Disconnected and FWX. Darkness is perhaps a minor step down, but then they return with an album of the year with Theories.

Add to that the fact that the Arch/Matheos discs are amazing and that the first two OSI albums are also two favorites of mine and Jim really is one of my favorite songwriters.

And they are still killer live as well.

Same, man. Jim is so underrated. I think he should be rated as high as Steven Wilson, though he would probably find that amount of attention tiresome. But the elements are all there. An immense string of albums in his main band, longevity, genre versatility in his projects, the attention he gives to minute details like setting up the tracklist and the sound of the albums... he's real.

[goo-goo]

The more time goes on the more I realize just how much I absolutely adore Jim Matheos as a songwriter and guitarist. I have my preferences, but Fates Warning have been consistently fantastic forever now.

Arch material has some great stuff, but wasn't quite all there yet, and PS wasn't quite fully adapting to Alder yet.

But then you have a string of great albums, including two top tier works in Parallels and A Pleasant Shade of Gray, made all the better by just how different they were. After that I personally love both Disconnected and FWX. Darkness is perhaps a minor step down, but then they return with an album of the year with Theories.

Add to that the fact that the Arch/Matheos discs are amazing and that the first two OSI albums are also two favorites of mine and Jim really is one of my favorite songwriters.

And they are still killer live as well.

Pretty much my sentiment about Jim. Disconnected, FWX and Theories are my favorite FW albums. Jim has become pretty much my favorite songwriter in the last ten years.

Mora: Personally, I think Jim tops Steven. That's a personal preference but Steven's best output has been HCE but his other solo offerings have been a bit underwhelming. With Porcupine Tree, imo, he had more "music palette" to choose from and again, my thoughts, made him a better writer.

[Ben_Jamin]

Mora:

I'm a HUUUUGE KM fan. I've been a Patreon contributor since he started that (only artist I support in Patreon) and have most of his CD rarities (signed copies of Shine), a radio show he did (can't remember the details..), etc. My personal favorite is Dead Air for Radios and OSI (my favorite is their last record). There is a lot of cool stuff in the music he is releasing at Patreon.

The Radio Show is Memory Hole 1. I love that, hearing peoples comments and along with his soundscapes makes some of them more impactful, Why Is It? Is a good one.

[goo-goo]

Mora:

I'm a HUUUUGE KM fan. I've been a Patreon contributor since he started that (only artist I support in Patreon) and have most of his CD rarities (signed copies of Shine), a radio show he did (can't remember the details..), etc. My personal favorite is Dead Air for Radios and OSI (my favorite is their last record). There is a lot of cool stuff in the music he is releasing at Patreon.

The Radio Show is Memory Hole 1. I love that, hearing peoples comments and along with his soundscapes makes some of them more impactful, Why Is It? Is a good one.

That's the one. Thanks for the reminder. Jim and Kevin are masters at setting up the mood for a song. That's one of the things I love about them.

[pg1067]

The more time goes on the more I realize just how much I absolutely adore Jim Matheos as a songwriter and guitarist. I have my preferences, but Fates Warning have been consistently fantastic forever now.

Arch material has some great stuff, but wasn't quite all there yet, and PS wasn't quite fully adapting to Alder yet.

But then you have a string of great albums, including two top tier works in Parallels and A Pleasant Shade of Gray, made all the better by just how different they were. After that I personally love both Disconnected and FWX. Darkness is perhaps a minor step down, but then they return with an album of the year with Theories.

. . .

And they are still killer live as well.

This is the great thing about a band like FW (same with DT).  Everyone has favorites.  I think Disconnected and FWX were the clunkers and that DIADL is significantly better than TOF,   But all of the highlighted stuff is so true.

And I'd argue that they're better now than they were in the late 80s.  I first saw them tour for Perfect Symmetry, and Ray's voice was REALLY rough.  When I met them in the parking lot and Ray was sucking on a cigarette, I knew why.  When he quit that and started singing in the sweet spot of his range (rather than shooting so frequently for the top part that he couldn't hit consistently), he became a much better singer (and he was a favorite of mine from the first time I spun No Exit).  Jim is a great songwriter and player who has such a unique perspective on things.  I wish Frank had stuck around and become more active in writing.  I dug Joe, but Joey is really an upgrade, and Bobby is a worthy successor to Mark.

[LudwigVan]

The more time goes on the more I realize just how much I absolutely adore Jim Matheos as a songwriter and guitarist. I have my preferences, but Fates Warning have been consistently fantastic forever now.

Arch material has some great stuff, but wasn't quite all there yet, and PS wasn't quite fully adapting to Alder yet.

But then you have a string of great albums, including two top tier works in Parallels and A Pleasant Shade of Gray, made all the better by just how different they were. After that I personally love both Disconnected and FWX. Darkness is perhaps a minor step down, but then they return with an album of the year with Theories.

Add to that the fact that the Arch/Matheos discs are amazing and that the first two OSI albums are also two favorites of mine and Jim really is one of my favorite songwriters.

And they are still killer live as well.

All of this. Jim Matheos continues to amaze me. While so many of our favorite bands peak and then hit that steady decline, Fates Warning and all its incarnations continues to blow me away. After all these decades and great past work, Theories of Flight might be their best album. And Arch / Matheos is basically a reincarnation or early FW, only much much better. 

Yes Arch is an acquired taste, but I think he’s learned to rein in the oversinging and phrase his vocal lines so that they’re not quite as all over the place as you hear on Awaken the Guardian.

Bobby Jarzombek on drums doesn’t hurt matters either. He works to bring the band into the 21st century. As much as I love  Mark Zonder, he was a little .... out there.

For me, this is like the golden age of Fates Warning.

[Samsara]

The more time goes on the more I realize just how much I absolutely adore Jim Matheos as a songwriter and guitarist. I have my preferences, but Fates Warning have been consistently fantastic forever now.

Arch material has some great stuff, but wasn't quite all there yet, and PS wasn't quite fully adapting to Alder yet.

But then you have a string of great albums, including two top tier works in Parallels and A Pleasant Shade of Gray, made all the better by just how different they were. After that I personally love both Disconnected and FWX. Darkness is perhaps a minor step down, but then they return with an album of the year with Theories.

Add to that the fact that the Arch/Matheos discs are amazing and that the first two OSI albums are also two favorites of mine and Jim really is one of my favorite songwriters.

And they are still killer live as well.

All of this. Jim Matheos continues to amaze me. While so many of our favorite bands peak and then hit that steady decline, Fates Warning and all its incarnations continues to blow me away. After all these decades and great past work, Theories of Flight might be their best album. And Arch / Matheos is basically a reincarnation or early FW, only much much better. 

Yes Arch is an acquired taste, but I think he’s learned to rein in the oversinging and phrase his vocal lines so that they’re not quite as all over the place as you hear on Awaken the Guardian.

Bobby Jarzombek on drums doesn’t hurt matters either. He works to bring the band into the 21st century. As much as I love  Mark Zonder, he was a little .... out there.

For me, this is like the golden age of Fates Warning.

G - I couldn't have said it better. Totally their golden age. And Nick is dead on about Jim.

Bobby brings a more metal vibe to Fates. Which I think in this era, better suits things. Zonder is awesome. But Bobby's playing is both heavy and nuanced. I think Zonder was perfect for the headspace Jim was in, in the late 90s, and early 2000s. But modern Fates has its perfect drummer, who does everything in the catalog justice and then some.

I am really excited for the new Fates record, and I'm glad they went forward with doing one. As an aside, I'm still waiting for Ray's solo album to arrive (did the CD/LP combo pre-order on Laser's Edge), but when I hear Promised Land be mentioned as a sort of vibe of sorts, that got my ears perked up. Can't wait to listen. The first tracks he shared were great.

[Samsara]

*bump*

Fates touring guitarist Mike Abdow has a new album coming out. It is called Heart Signal - https://www.michaelabdow.com/

Crossing my fingers Fates has a new album and tour ready to roll in the fall. 

[TAC]

Just doing some cross thread promotion for The Riot Discography & Listening Party Thread:
https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=54957.0


For fans of Bobby Jarzombek, we will begin his tenure with the band on Monday with Thundersteel

[EPIC Outro]

I've always considered Disconnected a classic.

[goo-goo]

Joey posted in his FB that he finished the Armored Saint record and he is going to start recordingbass tracks for the new FW record. Stoked!

[jammindude]

I've always considered Disconnected a classic.

Agreed.  I think it even outdoes APSOG.   

[Samsara]

I've always considered Disconnected a classic.

Agreed.  I think it even outdoes APSOG.

For me, it easily does. I love APSOG, but I think Disconnected just has overall better songs in "Still Remains" and "One" in particular. It's a bit more accessible, but still totally progressive at the same time.

[TAC]

I've always considered Disconnected a classic.

I've always considered Disconnected an EP.

[jammindude]

I've always considered Disconnected a classic.

Agreed.  I think it even outdoes APSOG.

For me, it easily does. I love APSOG, but I think Disconnected just has overall better songs in "Still Remains" and "One" in particular. It's a bit more accessible, but still totally progressive at the same time.

A late grower for me was Something from Nothing.    The slow build up of atmosphere in that song is one of the most amazing things JM has ever done.   There's so many little things happening in that buildup.   It has to be played at full volume to be fully appreciated.   It's something you can deeply immerse yourself in.

[wolfking]

I've always considered Disconnected a classic.

I've always considered Disconnected an EP.

Please not again Tim.

[wolfking]

I've always considered Disconnected a classic.

Agreed.  I think it even outdoes APSOG.

For me, it easily does. I love APSOG, but I think Disconnected just has overall better songs in "Still Remains" and "One" in particular. It's a bit more accessible, but still totally progressive at the same time.

A late grower for me was Something from Nothing.    The slow build up of atmosphere in that song is one of the most amazing things JM has ever done.   There's so many little things happening in that buildup.   It has to be played at full volume to be fully appreciated.   It's something you can deeply immerse yourself in.

The whole album was a massive grower for me.  But the whole thing is just bloody brilliant.

[romdrums]

I've always considered Disconnected a classic.

I've always considered Disconnected an EP.

Please not again Tim.

Yeah dude, we're "so tired" of this. 

[TAC]

Oh have we had this discussion before?

I like Disconnected. Just feels a bit short.

[pg1067]

The only nice thing I can say about Disconnected is that it's better than FWX.

Even when you exclude the completely pointless two parts of "Disconnected," it's 44 minutes long.  Short for a CD-era album but not really an EP.

[SoundscapeMN]

Disconnected is amazing. When I rank the FW catalog, I often have a hard time not ranking it #2 behind APSOG.

Still Remains alone makes it a staple; it's probably the greatest piece Jim ever composed.

[jammindude]

The only nice thing I can say about Disconnected is that it's better than FWX.

Even when you exclude the completely pointless two parts of "Disconnected," it's 44 minutes long.  Short for a CD-era album but not really an EP.

Oh man, I LOVE Disconnected Part 2!!! Again...totally about building atmosphere. Must be cranked up to be fully appreciated. Playing that song is like the same feeling I get when my subwoofers are cranked up for the T-Rex scene in Jurassic Park...but like, sustain that feeling for 6 minutes.

[Ben_Jamin]

The only nice thing I can say about Disconnected is that it's better than FWX.

Even when you exclude the completely pointless two parts of "Disconnected," it's 44 minutes long.  Short for a CD-era album but not really an EP.

Oh man, I LOVE Disconnected Part 2!!! Again...totally about building atmosphere. Must be cranked up to be fully appreciated. Playing that song is like the same feeling I get when my subwoofers are cranked up for the T-Rex scene in Jurassic Park...but like, sustain that feeling for 6 minutes.

That's the only way to really feel that atmosphere. A good Subwoofer makes Disconnected PT.2 hit you hard.

[Samsara]

A late grower for me was Something from Nothing.    The slow build up of atmosphere in that song is one of the most amazing things JM has ever done.   There's so many little things happening in that buildup.   It has to be played at full volume to be fully appreciated.   It's something you can deeply immerse yourself in.

YES! Glad someone else shares that same thought about that particular song. Incredible piece of work.

Also agree with you and Ben on D pt. 2! TURN IT UP.

[wolfking]

Oh have we had this discussion before?

I like Disconnected. Just feels a bit short.

Yeah, you've mentioned it before haha.

[MoraWintersoul]

If I ranked albums post-Parallels (sorry I can't even rank all of the Ray era together, let alone all of them, these albums are so different), for me it goes like this:

Disconnected
APSOG
Parallels
Theories of Flight (sometimes above Parallels)
Inside Out
FWX
Darkness in a different light

I'm sorry, I like Kevin Moore too much not to put the album most clearly influenced by him on the top. He played on APSOG, yes, and it was incredible. But Disconnected has his playing and just that bit of something extra.

[Ben_Jamin]

Mine would be

Disconnected
Theories of Flight
APSOG
Parallels
DIADL
FWX

Pretty funny because 2 of my top 5 songs are from FWX (Wish) and DIADL (Falling Further).

[jammindude]

Mine would be

Disconnected
Theories of Flight
APSOG
Parallels
DIADL
FWX

Pretty funny because 2 of my top 5 songs are from FWX (Wish) and DIADL (Falling Further).

That would be my list as well. Though my favorites from FWX would be Crawl and Left Here.

[Samsara]

Ben -- your post-Parallels list includes Parallels? 

Mine (POST-Parallels - heh) would go:

Theories of Flight
Disconnected
APSOG
Darkness in a Different Light
FWX
Inside Out

Don't get me wrong, I love them all, but if forced to list em, it probably goes like that.

[Ben_Jamin]

Ben -- your post-Parallels list includes Parallels? 

Mine (POST-Parallels - heh) would go:

Theories of Flight
Disconnected
APSOG
Darkness in a Different Light
FWX
Inside Out

Don't get me wrong, I love them all, but if forced to list em, it probably goes like that.

Haha. That's funny, was going off of Mora's post. Just take it out and that's mine.