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

[Samsara]

In an interview with Progcast on YouTube, Ray said that Jim might not want to write new material for FW after this. Just tour the existing FW material. Skip ahead to tbe 29:39 mark. Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7UFUl17SgZQxAHsnuyxnIA

Not a shock, and makes sense with the lyrics in The Last Song...

And for those of you who dig NUGGETS...13 songs on the 13th (and final?) studio album.   

Regarding the immediacy of the record, I also agree -- it's not as immediate as Theories. But after a few listens, you realize how deep and how incredible the album is. Too early and too few spins yet for me to "rank" the album, but if this IS the cap to FW's recording career, they finished off with an incredible album that gets better each time you listen to it.

I would be very much in favor of Jim continuing with Arch/Matheos. I feel like those two have more to say, musically. I'd also like to see OSI do another record. As for Fates Warning touring, once this pandemic is over, I do expect dates. But I will say this -- it's not easy for Fates Warning to tour the U.S. I am not sure how the touring market will look post-pandemic, but I do know that its really tough for bands at FW's level to make ends meet.

On the FW/QR tour that ended FW's last run, I saw FW headline a shopping center bar in Redding, Calif. I mean, the stage was so small they had 1/4 of their gear. And while many national acts come through and play that place, I am 1000 percent sure whatever Fates got paid that night was peanuts, even though they stuffed 150 or so people in there. (it was a great show, they played it like there were thousands.)

That said, I think FW has a unique opportunity to be a festival touring band. If my buddies in Fifth Angel can still be a band and play a handful of festivals each year, I think Fates easily could do the same, playing 6-12 dates each year for bigger festival crowds and shorter sets, with a few headline shows post or pre-festival appearance tucked in.

But as for a U.S. run as a full-on headliner...I don't see it happening. I can see a Fates Warning/Armored Saint/someone tour to do the LDGN cycle, which depending on the "someone" could put them in decent sized clubs. I mean, people loved Fates on the FW/QR tour. But that said, the bands would be playing for less and less money, unless the post-pandemic concert run ends up injecting a lot more money. It's just a big unknown.

Anyway, love the new record. Sad if this is the end of FW's recording run, and I hope I get to see them live a few more times if they end up hanging up their U.S. touring. But so incredibly thankful for their awesome catalog.

[devieira73]

I'm listening a lot this album and what to say? To me, Fates Warning is a kind of band that never disapoints. This album sure is in the same ballpark than the previous two and the Arch Matheos albums - maybe Jim is feeling a bit "trapped" into this and because of that he doesn't want to write more FW songs? But, to me, this writing's style is an excellent thing!
Just to add,  it's incredible how Bobby Jarzombeck is always beyond amazing and Joey Vera is wonderful on this one.

[Bentower]

My maiden voyage with this album was a memorable one. I put it on as the sun was about to set and went for a walk, destined for the nearby woods. My heart was feeling rather heavy and there was a definite kinship with the melancholy and themes of the album. I think I'll be connecting particular lines and parts of the songs with those thoughts and surroundings for a long time to come. Sitting down in the forest listening to The Longest Shadow of the Day as the night set in was a special moment indeed.

Later that night I gave it a more focused listen. The beauty of some of the songs came through a bit more clearly that time. This is a wonderfully epic and diverse album. If it turns out to be the band's final statement it'd sure be a fitting one.

[roa71]

Finally finished my first listen.  Loved it up to Liar.  That song just did not seem to fit the theme of the rest of the album and comes across as a bit of a political jab.  Glass Houses also did not seem to fit well either.  Reminds me of Stranger on FWX.  At 72 min length, I feel they could have cut at least Liar and it would have flowed better.

Other than that, it sounds fantastic.  I know it's not a concept record, but the music seems to have a conceptual theme and I love that as opposed to 10 random songs strung together.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Nice of them to take their sweet time for 3 minutes before the actual music starts on the FIRST TRACK. Could've very easily made that a 5 minute track.

That atmospheric build up at the beginning is great!

[WardySI]

Quite from roa71

Glass Houses also did not seem to fit well either.  Reminds me of Stranger on FWX.  At 72 min length, I feel they could have cut at least Liar and it would have flowed better...

Hmmm...

Not sure I'd agree re Glass Houses as think it's magnificent but like I said previously, Liar doesn't work and agree it could've maybe should've been ditched.

But enough negativity, the remainder of the album is tremendous and appreciate where Bentower was coming from re with his first listen.

The Way Home just playing as I type and as far outta the box as it is, Ray's wonderful vocal melodies particularly during the songs opening stages and finale?  Beautiful stuff🤘

[goo-goo]

Some thoughts about the album since there are some hints outthere this might Fates last album of new music.

Jim has always had a problem being the main writer in FW. The Parallels documentary gives you a great insight into his mind and writing. This ones does feel different because as someone here said the album feels like a blend of all previous albums. Jim reminds me of Robert Fripp to an extent where they need to reinvent themselves in order to keep writing music. As they get older, it becomes harder to write just because your mind is somewhere else. You can see in FW albums the reinvention in every two albums. The last few albums Ray has taken more of a lyric writer but still Jim write most (or all) of the music.

Having said that, Jim’s lyrics have always been about home, desolation, returning home, abandonment, etc but always “returning” from those sentiments. So this might be a concept album without having the concept label. But just the general feel of the album, it does feel like the last one. The iTunes review where Ray explains the lyrics of each track also guves some hints on this.

[erwinrafael]

So tonight I listened to Theories of Flight and Long Day Good Night back to back. ToF has the better highs (From The Rooftops and The Light and Shade of Things are perfect) but LDGN is a better listen overall because of the variety in styles while maintaining consistency in quality. Slight dip in Liar and Glass Houses but such a strong effort overall.

[Samsara]

The Way Home

>>>>This track may be my favorite on the record. It's just so incredibly moving. Great, great stuff.

Good post by Goo. If I recall that Parallels documentary correctly though, Jim became the main writer because he was at odds a bit with Aresti at the time, wasn't he? And it was decided that Jim would write the songs because of that? Then again, that was what, almost 30 years ago? So over time, as Jim has shifted, so has FW's music.

Personally, I think if you listen to Jim's solo stuff, OSI, etc., you can tell he's just not into writing a lot of lyrics. And the last few albums has shown that.

I haven't listened to Theories of Flight and Long Day Goodnight back-to-back yet. But it wouldn't surprise me if Theories of Flight got a slight edge from me. But it's really too early for me to figure out where I put the new record. All I know is -- I really enjoy it.

[roa71]

So tonight I listened to Theories of Flight and Long Day Good Night back to back. ToF has the better highs (From The Rooftops and The Light and Shade of Things are perfect) but LDGN is a better listen overall because of the variety in styles while maintaining consistency in quality. Slight dip in Liar and Glass Houses but such a strong effort overall.

well put.  my thoughts exactly.  LDGN feels more cohesive overall.  If it's their swan song, I'll take it.  what an amazing amount of quality music they have produced.  The Live over Europe release really illustrates that as well.

[Nachtmerrie]

Anyone ordered the vinyl? Does it come with a download code or CD (like Inside Out usually does)?

[romdrums]

On my first listen right now.  I dig it so far.  The Way Home is really, really strong.

[Bentower]

The Way Home

>>>>This track may be my favorite on the record. It's just so incredibly moving. Great, great stuff.

Might be my fave as well. The beginning is surprisingly pretty, in a way that's unheard of in the band's catalogue. I was enjoying it so much on my second spin that I wouldn't have minded if they'd kept that vibe going for the entire song. Of course, on subsequent listens I grew to appreciate where they went from there.

[Zydar]

First listen now. I really like Under The Sun and The Way Home.

[ozzy554]

One listen so far. While it didn't grab me as much as TOF which I consider to be one of their best right up there with APSOG but I still enjoyed it. I can tell which songs are really going to be growers. Longest Shadow of the Day may be my favorite on here.

I hope this isn't their swan song as they very quickly became one of my favorite bands recently but if it is it's certainly not the worst note to go out on.

[Samsara]

Anyone ordered the vinyl? Does it come with a download code or CD (like Inside Out usually does)?

Yes, it does.

[Evermind]

This was certainly decent and I can't wait to spin it again! Early favourites are Alone We Walk and Under the Sun. The opener is really good too. Not feeling The Longest Shadow of the Day yet, hopefully it grows on me.

Probably not going to beat ToF in my book but still miles ahead of Darkness.

[The Walrus]

Decent is definitely the word. Ray is my favorite part of this album. But it's too long. 70+ minutes is exhausting especially when your riffs aren't that memorable or interesting. This one isn't hitting nearly as hard on the first listen as Theories or Darkness did for me...

[Evermind]

Decent is definitely the word. Ray is my favorite part of this album. But it's too long. 70+ minutes is exhausting especially when your riffs aren't that memorable or interesting. This one isn't hitting nearly as hard on the first listen as Theories or Darkness did for me...

I agree with people who said they could've cut a song or two, but if it's going to be their last album, it makes a certain sense to keep all the songs on the record.

[gzarruk]

Decent is definitely the word. Ray is my favorite part of this album. But it's too long. 70+ minutes is exhausting especially when your riffs aren't that memorable or interesting. This one isn't hitting nearly as hard on the first listen as Theories or Darkness did for me...

I agree with people who said they could've cut a song or two, but if it's going to be their last album, it makes a certain sense to keep all the songs on the record.

Yep, I see it as Jim saying "this is the last one, so let's make it longer".

[The Walrus]

I would agree with that if the material justified it but so far it doesn't imo. Theories of Flight was much tighter to me.

[jammindude]

I’ve just spun it twice at work and I have to agree that while it’s not as strong as Theories, it’s still very strong and consistent to me.

Under the Sun is the only dud so far.

[Mebert78]

Under the Sun is the only dud so far.

This track came on while I was walking my dog this morning, and I was loving it!  I was singing along and put it on repeat.

[jammindude]

Meh...I never cared for any of their “singles” much.

Also, the wiki page doesn’t mention it, and I’m at work, so I can’t check my booklet, but don’t the album credits say that Gavin Harrison plays on one track?

[The Walrus]

Meh...I never cared for any of their “singles” much.

Also, the wiki page doesn’t mention it, and I’m at work, so I can’t check my booklet, but don’t the album credits say that Gavin Harrison plays on one track?

Drums on track 9, When Snow Falls.

[Samsara]

I also found it interesting that Frank Aresti didn't do any solos at all on the record.

I would have thought, if this is indeed the last Fates record, that having Frank do at least one would have made sense. I personally always thought that it would have been a cool move, if Jim knew this was likely the end, to have one track that featured both Ray and John on vocals. Separate parts, and them singing together, to "unify" the eras.

So if this IS the end, that's sort of a bummer. I was really hoping for that kind of track.

I listened to the record four or five times over the weekend. My "least favorite" tracks are probably "Under the Sun," and "Liar." I like them, but I like the others much better.

[SoundscapeMN]

maybe Ray could guest on a Arch/Matheos album, or maybe both could be on a track from a solo album of Jim's.

[Nachtmerrie]

Anyone ordered the vinyl? Does it come with a download code or CD (like Inside Out usually does)?

Yes, it does.

Thanks! First spin instantly grabbed me so it´s a buy.

[kirksnosehair]

OK, I've had 7 full listens to this now.  After about the 5th full spin, I began waiting for the inevitable "click" that usually happens with a dense album like this but maybe I'm the only one right now but to me this album is a bit of a disappointment to be honest.  I'm going to give it a few more spins to be sure, but I think it's about on par with Darkness In a Different Light.  It's not a bad album, in fact I'd even say it's pretty decent but it comes nowhere even remotely close to Theories of Flight.   3 stars out of 5.

[gzarruk]

I would have thought, if this is indeed the last Fates record, that having Frank do at least one would have made sense. I personally always thought that it would have been a cool move, if Jim knew this was likely the end, to have one track that featured both Ray and John on vocals. Separate parts, and them singing together, to "unify" the eras.

So if this IS the end, that's sort of a bummer. I was really hoping for that kind of track.

maybe Ray could guest on a Arch/Matheos album, or maybe both could be on a track from a solo album of Jim's.

I'm not a fan of Arch's voice at all (hope that changes someday as those Arch/Matheos albums have some pretty good writing), but there's still chance for Fates to make a career-spanning compilation and include one or two couple tracks, and it could happen there. Not that I think it will, but there's still chance

[ariich]

OK, I've had 7 full listens to this now.  After about the 5th full spin, I began waiting for the inevitable "click" that usually happens with a dense album like this but maybe I'm the only one right now but to me this album is a bit of a disappointment to be honest.  I'm going to give it a few more spins to be sure, but I think it's about on par with Darkness In a Different Light.  It's not a bad album, in fact I'd even say it's pretty decent but it comes nowhere even remotely close to Theories of Flight.   3 stars out of 5.

All of this, except I'd put it (and DIADL) slightly higher at 3.5 stars.

It's a good album, but nothing in it is standing out to me as very exciting or memorable.

[goo-goo]

I'm absolutely in love with this album. While it may not top Theories of Flight, it's a beast of an album. I think of it as a modern version of APSOG.

[MinistroRaven]

Ray Alder on Apple Music: "because the band is going to end sometime. I think Jim no longer wants to write new music for Fates Warning. I think this may be our last album. And this was a kind of way to say that. We all still want to tour, but as far as new music, I think it’s done.”"

[abydos]

I'd instabuy an Alder/Arch album.

[kirksnosehair]

I love Ray's voice, I'd probably insta-buy an Arch/Alder album too.