Whelp, I unfortunately made it to the third page. AND I COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT...
Album: Darkness in a Different Light
Artist: Fates Warning
Genre: Progressive Metal
Suggested by: The Batlord
Familiarity: I've heard one of their other albums, and remember quite enjoying it.
1. One Thousand Fires - Starting out heavy, I see. No quiet intros for them, it's straight into the onslaught. Which honestly isn't too much considering most pseudo-prog metal bands are full on death metal, or at least atmospheric black metal. These guys are somewhere in there, though maybe not as heavy in general. After a little while, the madness resolves into a short intro, and then the main verse. "Ray Alder" has a bit of a James LeBrie touch to his voice. He has quite a bit of that operatic quality to his voice. Excellent guitar solo in the middle, perfect mix of virtuosity and listenability. Lyrics, as far as I can tell, are pretty much the normal Prog Metal fare; some sort of love story. Won't let that ruin it for me though, I thought that was great.
2. Firefly - Alright, now this just sounds like a glam metal love ballad with prog influences thrown in. There is a middle section I enjoy quite a bit. A solo comes after that. This song sort of reminds me of the classic Boston structure. And I really want it to work here. The great thing about Boston is that all of their songs were written so superbly, both lyrically and musically. Some of the lyrics in this song are sort of generic, but the songwriting is good. I just don't think it's good enough for a blue.
3. Desire - Another sort-of ballad. I feel the same way about this one as I do the last.
4. Falling - Yeah, really delving into more power/glam metal territory here. This one is another ballad, pretty much just acoustic guitar and vocals. Alright, I guess.
5. I Am - Excellent intro, it has a Tool sort of feel. Then the vocalist from Pearl Jam makes an appearance. Just kidding, but it sounds that way. It's like Tool made a supergroup with some of Pearl Jam. Really nice songwriting all around, I love the influences on this one as well.
6. Lighthouse - Another one that starts quieter. Sort of tiring, but it picks up towards the end a bit. Enough to guarantee a green at least.
7. Into the Black - Next one gets going quick. I like it. Lyrical section, instrumental bit, and then lyrics again. Good structure, and the licks are really solid. (Why does my mind always go to the dirtiest things?)
8. Kneel and Obey - No. But I will listen to your music. Not much to say, in the heavier vein.
9. O Chloroform - A bit more of a progressive song. Again, it's not spectacular songwriting, but it's not terrible. Par for the course.
10. And Yet It Moves - Longest track, I believe. Starts with some acoustic guitar before diving into a metallic instrumental section. Just sat back and listened really. Great instrumental bits, great verses, great choruses. Great songwriting overall. Really, really enjoyable song.
This was another good album from them. I have to say, it was not nearly what I'd expect. However, it was still good, which is more than some can provide. Great instrumentation all around, but some of the songwriting was a bit bland and lifeless. However, overall, this album was really excellent. It wasn't a tome of perfection, but it was at least a must-listen for fans of prog metal.
OVERALL RATING: 8/10