II

"II" is the second full-length studio album by US heavy rock/metal artist Ray Alder. The album was released through InsideOut Music in June 2023. It´s the successor to "What The Water Wants" from 2019 and Alder has gone for consistency and have hired the exact same musicians as on his debut album: Mike Abdow (guitars), Tony Hernando (Guitars, bass), and Craig Anderson (drums). Alder of course handles all vocals on the album.

In many ways the melodic heavy metal sound on "What The Water Wants" transported the listener back to the early 90s Fates Warning releases, which were the band´s most mainstream oriented and melodic releases. Albums like "Parallels" (1991) and "Inside Out" (1994) where Alder´s melody lines and the many great harmonies and choirs meant that Fates Warning was on the brink of a commercial breakthrough. As we know now, that breakthrough never came, and Fates Warning soon found a new more progressive path, but also a less melodic path to travel down. Therefore "What The Water Wants" was a welcome return of Alder´s melodic and more accessible vocals and vocal melodies, to the fans of the early 90s Fates Warning releases.

Sophomore albums are often difficult releases for artists, but Alder is such a skilled and seasoned singer, that it would be strange if his hands were shaking (and of course they aren´t). Stylistically "II" is in some areas a natural continuation of the melodic heavy metal style of "What The Water Wants", but it is overall a bit darker, more punchy and heavy, which is further enhanced by the powerful production style. Some of the louder chorus parts are equal in heaviness to some of the output by one of Alder´s past projects in Engine. They are even some chugging riffs here and there (check out "Hands of Time" or the main riff on "Waiting for Some Sun"). Alder still has a strong voice (at 55) and a passionate and commanding delivery. While he doesn´t hit the highest notes anymore (and haven´t for years), he still often sings in a relatively high register and there are no signs of him straining beyond his reach or old man grit in his voice. It´s also interesting to hear him sing semi-jazzy on "Keep Wandering", which is arguably one of the standout tracks of the album. 7:46 minutes long album closer "Changes" is another highlight. It´s a slow building and epic progressive metal track.

Compared to "What The Water Wants", "II" is a more diverse and dynamic release because of the increased heaviness and sometimes darker tone of the material, but it´s just as sophisticated featuring clever and powerful rhythm work, intriguing guitar riffs (clean and distorted), leads, and harmonies, and of course Alder´s strong vocals in front. "II" is definitely a worthy follow-up to "What The Water Wants" and it´s great to hear that Alder still has more to say and isn´t content to release the same album twice. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)