Track Listing
1. Part 1 2. Part 2 3. Part 3 4. Part 4 5. Part 5 6. Part 6 7. Part 7 8. Part 8 9. Part 9 10. Part 10 11. Part 11 12. Part 12 Year: 1997 Label: Metal Blade - Official Site |
Fates Warning - 'A pleasant shade of gray' - By C. Diamantis
After having released two albums of similar musical style Fates Warning, or rather the leader of the band, guitarist Jim Matheos, decided that it was time for a profound change. This decision led to this album, �A Pleasant Shade Of Grey�, which contains one 54 minute long composition divided in twelve parts. Everything in this album, both music and lyrics, were written by Matheos and this fact is what makes this album so personal. �A Pleasant Shade Of Grey� is a concept album, but rather than narrating a story, like most concept albums do, it describes some personal feelings and thoughts of its creator. The lyrics are once again beautiful, after all anyone who knows Fates Warning, knows that Matheos is a very talented writer. Although very personal, they can really move the listener because they�re things most people have felt at one time or another. The way the album starts may surprise people that know the band, since some distorted vocals bring to mind some industrial bands, but they are over very soon. The music can be roughly categorized as progressive metal (or progressive rock as the band prefers), but over the years Fates Warning have developed a unique and original style that is like nothing else in the progressive scene. This is probably their heavier and darker (or moodier album), especially compared to �Parallels� or �Inside Out�. It�s also a lot more complex than these albums, taking us in a way to the past of the band and albums like �No Exit� or �Perfect Symmetry�. All these elements are used to give to the album a different emotional aspect, which forces the listener to be swept away by the atmosphere of the album. The albums of Fates Warning always reveal the emotions of their creator, but APSOG is so personal that it feels like a deep plunge into the soul of Jim Matheos. And this is the beauty of this band, they write music solely for themselves but manage to move everyone who listens their material. As is the case in every progressive band, every person participating here is a true virtuoso in his instrument, but they choose not to be carried away by extremely technical parts but rather try to create emotional music. Ray Alder doesn�t sing as high as in the previous album and is right in doing so, because high pitched vocals wouldn�t fit in this album. Mark Zonder is probably the only drummer in the world who can make his drums sound emotional. His performance is once again exceptional and shows that he is a very important part of the success of this band (and when I say success I mean artistic, because they have yet to discover the recognition they desrve). Joey Vera, who is also in Armored Saint, helps with his bass playing to create a fine rhythm section along with Zonder, so Matheos can spread his melodies. On the keyboards we find a very famous musician, Kevin Moore (ex � Dream Theater, Chroma Key), who helps in creating this amazing atmosphere. And, of course, Terry Brown�s production is once again flawless. I believe everyone who calls themselves a progressive metal fan should have this album, because it is, in my opinion, the best album of one of the four most important progressive bands (the other three being Dream Theater, Queensryche and Psychotic Waltz). So give yourself the chance to live an emotive experience unlike anything else� Metal Obsessive Grade: 100% |