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This album is a very interesting case for me. It is not an album I would have normally listened to, nor is it a band that
I have ever paid attention to. As this falls into the progressive category, it is the type of progressive album that does
not make it on to my docket.
With that prefaced, I have found myself enjoying this album. When I sit down to listen to progressive albums, I usually find
myself listening to Dream Theater clones, and that gets stale. It has been a breath of fresh air to hear this album and the
albums from Pain of Salvation, as they are forging their own ground in the progressive field.
This album is characterized by the slower starts to songs, then picking up speed in a heavily melodic chorus, and then usually
slowing down their pace as the song continues. There are not flashy guitar solos in these songs, but the guitarists are busy
forging out melody at every moment. The riffing adds to the sound, and does not detract from the main melody of the song,
which is carried by the vocalist. Inside of the riffing, there is the use of the melodic chug, which adds to the feel of the
songs. The drumming also plays a role in not outshining the melodic lines, but complimenting them. The drummer seems to have
a flair to know how to vary the rhythm and beats in a non-distracting way. It is not the same drum beat in every song, but
it changes up, and changes up inside of the songs also.
The point of contention I have with this album is the keyboards. I do not like keyboards in music all that much. They are
not over-used in this album, but I do not like the way they are used. They seem to add a techno flavor to the songs, mainly
in the intros of the songs. This seems to not be needed.
Another minor annoyance is the catchiness of the vocal lines on this disc. The songs seem to stay in my head longer than they
are welcome. This might be fine for most fans, but I want some edge to my music, and it seems that Fates Warning is lacking
that.
My judgment here is that although a solid effort, this is closer to what I hear on the radio then what is in my collection.
Therefore, they need to go into the darker side of the progressive world, instead of sitting on the happy side of life.
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