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Fates Warning - Darkness In A Different Light CD (album) cover

DARKNESS IN A DIFFERENT LIGHT

Fates Warning

 

Progressive Metal

3.85 | 340 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

Gatot
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
4 stars Having been vacuum for about nine years since its FWX album in 2004, finally Fates Warning released its eleventh studio album last year (October 2013). Actually my emotional relationship with the band started long time ago when I found a bunch of CDs of their albums at second hand market at Jalan Surabaya, Jakarta. I was actually at a big surprise with the band as the music was quite different then typically labelled progressive metal sub-genre. For sure, this is not the kind of Dream Theater or Symphony X or Threshold and the like. The key attraction of the music to me was the accentuated vocal line of Ray Adler combined with stunning guitar work of Jim matheos, known as the band leader, and of course with its drummer. But now the drummer has been changed in this album. The album itself took so long from its first creative work of composing since 2009 until it hit the store in 2013 - so it's about four years.

But, the result is something worth waiting for as the music is really carefully composed using the norms of what have been the characteristics of the band's music. I personally enjoy the music from start to end. It kicks off with a blast of One Thousand Fires (7:20) in fasst tempo with heavy but thin guitar riffs and powerful drumming. The Ray Adler vocal is still powerful and fit very well with the music. The second track Firefly (4:57( is even heavier in riffs but slower ini tempo with much groove than the opening track. The riffs sometimes remind me to the classic rock typical riffs. The third track Desire (3:58) starts in an ambient mode through soft guitar fills. The music is now slower with clearer vocal line. On the fourth track you would be surprised with a very nice musical break Falling (1:34) with only guitar and vocal, serving its role as a bridge to the next track I Am (5:05) which is a kind of psychedelic in style at the intro part. But then it moves to a heavy riffs music to welcome Adler's vocal work. It sounds really good after the tracks that start with something heavy and then moves slowly until musical break and returns back to heavy riffs. Until this I am really excited with the music.

What follows is then a mellow music with nice guitar fills combined with vocal in under Lighthouse (5:22). Right here I feel like not under the progressive metal mode as it sounds like a symphonic prog. It's really beautiful this break at 6th track and then it moves to Into the Black (5:07) in medium tempo at the beginning, it then moves in crescendo. I really love the 8th track Kneel and Obey (5:05) because it combines the heavy part of progressive metal through the guitar riffs but also it has guitar fills in the vein of psychedelic. The music is very enjoyable with medium to slow tempo music. To me this sounds like the first time Fates Warning has ever made this kind of style. I really enjoy from start to end of this track even though it sounds quite simple. I would say this is a radio-friendly track. The chorus is heavier especially when it features stunning guitar solo ( I guess it's played by Matheos). I always replay this track when the album reaches this. It's cool. The concluding two tracks are also excellent: O Chloroform (4:13), and And Yet It Moves (14:03).

Overall, this is an excellent addition to any prog music collection. If you want something different from progressive metal sub-genre, this is the best choice, I believe. I salute the band for making this well-crafted album after a very long vacuum period. It's a four star rating album, for sure. Keep on proggin' ...!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

Gatot | 4/5 |

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