•
Rating:
Where has Kevin Moore gone? It's the question that many might ask themselves after listening to this "FWX", the tenth studio album by Matheos’ band.
In the two previous masterpieces "A Pleasant Shade Of Grey" and "Disconnected", which should objectively be considered the highest points of their career, the former Dream Theater prodigy lent his craftsmanship, giving the band a unique sound, likely never reached before. In those two albums, melodies and experimentation excelled as never before...
In this "FWX", however, there’s no Moore, the keyboards are entrusted to Jim Matheos himself... and it must be said that this absence is truly felt. In this record, in fact, keyboards play a very marginal role limited to some small and imperceptible background and to creating electronic effects. But even in terms of structure, the band’s sound loses much of what it had gained. At times it might even seem that the band is moving towards a more commercial direction, and songs like "Simple Human" (appreciate its power), "Another Perfect Day", the banal "Crawl", and the almost punk "Stranger (With A Familiar Face)", which I consider the worst on the record, clearly demonstrate this. The many alternative and nu-metal references are certainly not to be despised, yet they cause the album to lose some of its personality.
But the album, with its dark sounds and sad tones, is still appreciated. The songs I appreciate the most are the psychedelic "River Wide Ocean Deep", with a first part rich in electronic sounds caressed by a beautiful acoustic guitar, the nostalgic "Wish", with that beautiful piano part, the sad "Handful Of Doubt" with the acoustic guitar still prominent, but I also willingly listen to all the other songs, particularly "Another Perfect Day" and "Left Here". This doesn't change the fact that the album is a step back compared to the previous two.
I really hope that FW will return one day, but mostly I hope they will return to replicate the inimitable "A Pleasant Shade Of Grey"!
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
02 Simple Human (04:03)
Stand right there man
I can see right through you
Make me understand
The mind within my head
Yeah, I am a simple human like you
Yeah, I am a simple human too
Speak what's on your mind
A simple thought, a reason
Some self righteous blind
Deconstructive thinking
I want to rip it away
I want to tear the walls down
Don't be afraid
You can't feel anything
Yeah, I am a simple human like you
Yeah, I am a simple human too
We're all caught
It's like a giant tangled web
We're all trapped going nowhere
Now you know, now you know
Yeah, I am a simple human like you
Yeah, I am a simple human too
Yeah, I am a simple human like you
Yeah, I am a simple human too
[Music - Jim Matheos]
[Lyrics - Ray Alder]
08 A Handful of Doubt (05:06)
Seven hours and a handful of doubt
The candle burns quick now
And time is running out...
I didn't ask for this
Yet somehow here we are
I didn't ask for this
Now I can't live without
Time moves
Time heals
Time slips
Time steals
40 pages and a handful of doubt
The eyes are tired now and the words are fading out
I didn't ask for this
Yet somehow here we are...
I didn't ask for this
Now I can't live without...
Time flies
Time fills
Time wastes
Time kills
I will leave behind all of the hours
I will find a way, a way out
I will walk away from all the years
With just a handful of doubt, a handful of doubt
I will leave behind all of the pages
I will live without, live without
I will walk away far from here
With just a handful of doubt, a handful of doubt
Twenty years and a handful of doubt
The candle burns quick now
And time is running out
10 Wish (06:38)
Was standing in the darkness
I was watching over you
And all the fears came drifting back
With every little breath you drew
Wished upon a falling star
Cold and pale against the night
And all the fears came drifting back
To cloud the view and steal the light
Was underneath a falling snow
I was lying next to you
And all the fears came floating down
With every little wind that blew
Wished upon a passing cloud
Cold and pale against the gray
And all the fears came floating down
To cloud the view and steal the day
May you never know this darkness
May you never be so blind
May you always know the peace
That I could never seen to find
May you never know this darkness
May you always see the light
May you always know the peace
That comforts you tonight
[Music & Lyrics - Jim Matheos]
Loading comments slowly
Other reviews
By Giorrrrrgio
The 10 tracks of this latest effort of theirs are sterile, cold, and give the impression of not having a climactic end.
'Another Perfect Day' is a fabulous gem in the midst of this grey sea.
