From: messick@crowe.seas.ucla.edu (Tim Messick)
Newsgroups: alt.rock-n-roll.metal
Subject: Re: Fates Warning ================
Date: 17 Apr 92 18:46:09 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: SEASnet, University of California, Los Angeles

In article <14APR199208421785@lims01.lerc.nasa.gov> scam@lims01.lerc.nasa.gov (JOE JR. SAGGIO) writes:
>I had nn idea who Fates Warning was, and I bought the "Parallels" tape and 
>I kind of like it. It does'nt slay me like "Under Lock & Key" or "Ride the 
>Lightening" but it is mature and has excellent guitar. I would like to know 
>the titles of other FW stuff and maybe some reviews so I can try more.
>
>thanx

Fates Warning have been one of my ultimate favorite bands for about 6 years,
and I feel kinda like you do about "Parallels".  It's good, but It doesn't 
SLAY you.  It's not really metal, and it's their least well done release, I 
think, though I do like it.  I suggest you try "No Exit".....you will be
slayed....

Their releases are:

~1984   NIGHT ON BROCKEN   -very good, though they haven't yet developed some 
                            of what they EXCEL at later

 1985   THE SPECTRE WITHIN  -very good again; a bit more advanced than NOB,
                             excellent vocals.  With NOB, they were already
                             "progressive" early metal, a la Maiden (People
                             say they sound like Maiden on NOB; I don't think
                             so, but I 'spose I can see how they'd get the idea.                             John Arch is an awesome vocalist.) 
 1986   AWAKEN THE GUARDIAN  -I didn't get into this as much at first, 'cuz
                              my friend had it, and I didn't, so I didn't
                              get a chance to listen to it 'till later.
                              It still (of course) has that mystic, undeniable
                              Fates Warning quality to it, but now they're 
                              really diving into the bright-but-strange
                              musicality they started before.  The vocal mix on
                              this album are a little weak, but the vocals
                              themselves are excellent.  I'd like to know what
                              happened to John Arch.  He had an eerie style, 
                              nobody else could touch.  Unfortunately, this was
                              his last album with FW.  

 1988   NO EXIT           -I didn't buy this for a few months after it came out,
                           because I was scared to think of what Fates Warning
                           would be reduced to without John Arch.....but then
                           when I finally bought it, I was amazed.  Ray Alder is
                           a very different style singer than John, but he is
                           great.  His singing is a little more mundane, style-
                           wise, but his range and feeling in his voice are
                           incredible.  This may be their best album.  They're
                           still heavy metal (obviously!) at this point, and
                           the musicality is more varied and developed than 
                           maybe anything else I've heard.  Especially on 
                           "The Ivory Gate of Dreams", an 8-part, 21 minute 
                           epic.  If you were impressed with the musicality
                           of "Parallels" and the intensity of "Ride the
                           Lightning" like you said you were.....you need this.

Those 4 albums I have trouble rating, because they are all excellent.

 1989  PERFECT SYMMETRY    -Excellent, of course, but perhaps not so much as
                            the first four.  They keep the musicality, and it's
                            good to see a band keep their feel, yet explore
                            as much as these guys do.  The first 5 albums are
                            all really different from each other.  They discover
                            here the base for what will be their next album,
                            "Parallels", in songs like "At Fate's Hands", which
                            I consider to be in the "Parallels" style, but 
                            better.
   
 1991  PARALLELS           -good, but nothing to hold to their other albums.
                            Good production, but they've *always* had that.
                            A very mellow album, but the Fates Warning feel is
                            still there, just a bit watered down.  I miss their
                            heavy stuff, 'cuz noone could do it like they could.
                            Songs like "the eleventh hour" come close to parts
                            of perfect symmetry, but on the whole, the band's
                            latest turn isn't as impressive as previous work.

...oh my.....I'll shut up now...



 
                               
--
                                                        Tim Messick 
                                                      messick@seas.ucla.edu 
..I *like* that little guitar change   
                Ty did there, that was *nice*....
Newsgroups: alt.rock-n-roll.metal