The long, long, loooong awaited Fates Warning album, Darkness in a Different Light, is finally here on InsideOut Music – and not a moment too soon. I have been a fan since Night on Bröcken was released, nearly three decades ago. Yes, I am old. Over that span, Fates Warning proved they are nothing if not consistent in the sheer quality of their musical output. That said, I think this album is easily the best thing they have done in 20 years. Consider that they have released only 4 albums after 1991′s Prog Metal defining album Parallels. Not exactly prolific. In fact, it’s been 9 years since the last studio effort, FWX. Saying this is the best thing in 2 decades might offend some (especially those completely enthralled with A Pleasant Shade of Gray), but I knew this was going to be one of my top albums this year with the very first notes of the opening track. Fates Warning is back with quite possibly the best album in their catalog.
The choice of One Thousand Fires as the opener was perfect. The urgency the band exhibits is refreshing and puts a huge smile on my face every time I hear it. For an album with about 57 minutes of music (not including the 4 bonus tracks – another 22 minutes), this 7 and a half minute song occupies critical territory and excels at setting the right tone for the album. They follow with a typical slower paced song in Firefly, featuring a chorus much like one that can be found on any of their last 6 albums. Of note is Bobby Jarzombek’s drumming on this one. Although solid on the opener, he really puts his signature on Firefly. His performance, in fact, is simply outstanding from beginning to end. He makes the complex seem so effortless. They keep it going with Desire – heavy, progressive, and compelling. Ray Alder’s vocals once again hook you and reel you in. He creates such a great atmosphere with his phrasing and tone. This is a relatively simple song, but absolutely catchy and entertaining. The minute and a half of the acoustic Falling comes across less as a stand alone song as an introduction for the best song on the album, I Am. Fates Warning refuse to shy away from odd time signatures. This track is in 5/4 time (actually quite a bit of the album is) which keeps it interesting through the heavy riff-laden verses, into the less aggressive acoustic sections, and back to the heavier guitar driven chorus. Check out the drumming at the end of the song – killer! It’s a song of contrast and very well done. They wrap up the first half (time wise) with a haunting and nicely executed ballad, Lighthouse, a quintessential Fates Warning piece.
Into the Black features some cool time signature changes, an excellent chorus, and stellar guitar work (especially the solo) by long time axe slingers Jim Matheos and Frank Aresti. The crushing Kneel and Obey follows, showing the band able to play some killer, almost doom-laden Heavy Metal. The odd time signatures keep coming and really break up what could be a monotonous song. Also of interest in this and the next song are the hints of OSI I hear – not really surprising since both Matheos and bassist Joey Vera have played with that project. O Chloroform is that following song and it continues the string of outstanding songs on the album, although if forced to choose, I would call it the weakest. The proper album concludes with the 14+ minute And Yet It Moves. This is essentially a three-part work with the first minute being a light acoustic guitar piece with classical overtones. Immediately following, they launch into several minutes of instrumental Progressive Metal awesomeness. The final five minutes are a superb wrap up to the album, starting with more acoustic playing, morphing into something heavier.
A couple of the bonus tracks are live tracks recorded at Fates Warning’s appearance at ProgPower USA a couple years ago. While they are well done, I am not typically a big fan of live recordings. The other two songs, however, are modified songs from this album. The Firefly recording is expanded by a couple of minutes, adding a mellower section onto the end of the song. The original is just fine with me. Falling Further is a metallized and lengthened version of the acoustic Falling. Same melody and lyrics, just musically quite a bit different. Frankly, I like this version better.
Here is I Am:
If you have made it this far, you must realize that I love this album. Darkness in a Different Light is one of the best releases of 2013. Right now, I have to say that it is quite possibly my album of the year. With three months left this year, and not much on the horizon (maybe Dream Theater or Death Angel), I think this album is looking like a safe bet to be at or near the top. Plus it is getting my first perfect score as a reviewer here at WLM. I don’t hand these things out to just any album!
Darkness in a Different Light: 10/10 – Perfect
I hear the sound in a METAL way.
Let me know how you hear it – harley_wlm@zoho.com
-Harley