There are very few bands, who can claim themselves being involved in the beginning and foundation of Progressive Metal. Dream Theater can do so, also Queensryche and (with exemptions) Watchtower. FATES WARNING without any doubt belong to the three or four legends of this genre and have lost nothing of their importance to the Music scene even in the seventeenth year of their history. The new album “DISCONNECTED”, the tenth album in their exciting career, the musicans Jim Matheos (guitars), Ray Alder (vocals), Joey Vera (Bass), Mark Zonder (drums) and Kevin Moore (keys) prove yet again, that they are real champs in their genre. “DISCONNECTED” goes well deep and is packed with creative variety. An album which is both well arranged and brilliantly recorded and produced. An opus that you need to explore. No music for people who like musical fast-food but a compilation of seven great new songs who deserve an intensive heeding. Especially the complex arrangements between guitarist and bandleader Jim Matheos and singer Ray Alder build up fantastic thrills, go deep into the song and lead to pure emotions. When Alder - almost desperate - sings “so tired” on and on in the song “One”, the listener suffers with him and you can feel the physical and psycological exhaustion. In comparison with the more introverted previous album “A pleasant shade of gray”, “Disconnected” comes out as a heavier and more agressive opus. “Pieces of me” for example lives from the rigorous guitar riff and the powerful groove, which proves Mark Zonder an excellent drummer. But for sure FATES WARNING also know to impress with hypnotic and spheric scenes in their music. The song “Something to nothing” lives from his inner ember and the atmospheric keyboard sounds by Kevin Moore as well as from the crying vocals by Ray Alder. All facettes of their music FATES WARNING deliver in “Still remains”, a song which includes all colours of Progresssive metal. “It’s my favourite song on the album”, comments Jim Matheos - who wrote all songs and did all lyrics in connection with Ray Alder, “ it includes really an enormous number of different elements and styles”. The final “Diconnected Part 2” must be described as a colourful painting of progressive rock music. “DISCONNECTED” was recorded and mixed in diverse Californian studios between February 17th and April 16th as well as in Conneticut. It was produced by FATES WARNING themselves in connection with Terry Brown (a.o. Rush). Starting in 1984 with the release of their debut “Night on Bröcken” FATES WARNING are a solid rock in the metal scene. The band was founded one year earlier as Misfits. With their original singer John Arch FATES WARNING released a debut, which caused a fantastic feedback. After the second album “The spectre within”(1985) FATES WARNING released a masterpiece of Prog metal in 1986 with “Awaken the guardian”. Afterwards the first line-up changes took place. One guitarist and singer John Arch left, he was replaced by Ray Alder, coming for the Texas band Syrus. On the 1988 album “No exit” Ray could prove his enormous potential, the album is still a classic in the genre. Beginning of 1989 drummer Mark Zonder (ex-Warlord) joined the band and with him the band released “Prefect symmetry”. In 1991 the Terry Brown-produced “Parallels” was released and proved the band’s reputation as excellent composers and performers. After a four-year break “Inside Out”(1995) turned in a straigher musical direction, amost a little bit too commercial. A step, which fans didn’t like too much. In 1996 the line-up changed again: Joey Vera (ex-Armored Saint) joined on bass and Kevin Moore (ex-Dream Theater) took over the keyboards. With this line-up FATES WARNING recorded the 1997 album “A pleasant shade of gray”, an unsually calm and melancholic FATES WARNING album. Now album number ten “DISCONNCTED” will give the many fans ofthis US-band progressive metal at it’s finest. Hopefully the band will also do a large European tour also soon.
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Massacre Releases:
» A Pleasant Shade Of Gray
» Disconnected
» Inside Out
» Still Life
Discography:
1984 Night On Bröcken
1985 The Spectre Within
1986 Awaken The Guardian
1988 No Exit
1990 Perfect Symetry
1991 Parallels
1995 Chasing Time
1995 Inside Out (Massacre Records)
1997 A Pleasant Shade Of Gray (Massacre Records)
1998 Still Life (Massacre Records)
2000 Disconnected (Massacre Recors)
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