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“So where do we begin...
And what else can we say...
When the lines are all drawn
What should we do today?”
Enclosed in these few and seemingly modest lines, yet in reality, of truly extraordinary strength, lies the meaning of the album I am about to review. A concept album, released in 1997 by Massacre Records, entirely written by guitarist Jim Matheos and centered on philosophical thoughts regarding life today. Full of light and shade, of contrasting moments, but united by an incredible humanity, of rare beauty, where a glimpse of hope and serenity can still be seen (some acoustic moments truly send shivers…), and of extreme solitude where we seem to be nothing more than, more than people, shadows in a cold and desolate city (where "industrial" sounds are skillfully used).
The voice of Ray Alder, immense in this episode, skillfully warm and touching or cold and raspy, becomes the narrator of a story that flows, relentless like time, through melodies and rhythms sometimes industrial, sometimes natural, as if drawing a dividing line between man and nature that is increasingly being marked.
The directors of this masterpiece are Fates Warning, namely: Jim Matheos (guitars and mastermind), Mark Zoender (drummer with a truly phenomenal jazz attitude), Joey Vera (a bassist of notable skill especially in slapping from Armored Saint and now Anthrax) and Kevin Moore (keyboardist formerly of Dream Theater, one of the best in my opinion in the Metal scene for taste and refinement) "last but not least" the aforementioned Ray Alder on vocals.
The choice of sounds is nothing short of spot-on and the recording quality is perfect, allowing the listener to catch every little detail (some of which are fundamental to the discourse undertaken by the album, see some whispers, the rain, etc.). FW has always been a really challenging band for many listeners; the themes addressed, the melodies created, and in general the complexity and uniqueness of their proposing progressive music, in my opinion very introspective, I think have always made them unjustly pass as a second-rate band. However, it is much appreciated that they haven't been defeated by this situation by churning out commercially constructed products because in my opinion, their works, certainly costing significant efforts, have always been what they wanted and being I think proud of them, they haven't therefore thought about the money.
This happened because for them music is not a means to earn but rather what it should be for all those who call themselves artists, which is a means to express their thoughts and creative ideas.
With this, I want to say that the album I am talking about is for me a true work of art in every detail, from the artwork (avant-garde style) with images and photographs that reflect the theme of the album, to the music and lyrics. Certainly, the proposed genre is not exactly easily digestible as a whole and I can say that this album can be appreciated in all its beauty only after a few listens because you can gradually catch more and more nuances, which gradually complete the general discourse. Nevertheless, in the end, I find that this album deserves at least as much attention as that given to others, churned out by decidedly more mediocre Prog bands.
“Rain Falling
House Crawling
All Around this Shade of Gray”
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