FWX

Released in 2004, 'FWX' is the tenth studio album by progressive metal pioneers Fates Warning, and much like previous releases 'A Pleasant Shade of Grey' and 'Disconnected', it shows a band who are continuing to develop and experiment, with more focus on a heavier sound and more traditional song-structures.

Unlike its predecessors, there's only a minimal use of keyboards and sequencing here, which is a shame as I felt on the last two albums that the band had a great and well-rounded sound, and I was hoping they'd continue in that vein. Especially as, instead of relying on tried and tested prog metal traits such as excessive flashy guitar solos, there was a heavy emphasis on atmosphere, and a fantastic interplay between guitars and keyboards, working together instead of trying to out-perform each other in shredding competitions.

However, this is still a good release, and Fates Warning's "less is more" approach works well for them here. Sole guitarist Jim Matheos can write some incredible and compelling riffs, Ray Alder's powerful vocals suit the heavier style of the album, and the simpler arrangements make the songs easier to digest. The polished production gives the music a loud and vibrant sound too.

Overall, 'FWX' is far from Fates Warning's best album, but tracks like 'Heal Me', 'Simple Human', 'Crawl', 'Stranger (With a Familiar Face)' and the haunting and melancholic 'A Handful of Doubt' are all worth checking out, and given time, this album can grow on you, it just depends on whether you have the patience to let it or not.