DISCONNECTED

Shrinking down to 3 full-fledged band members, Fates Warning continue with what they designed with their previous album and they still succeed. The band could update its sound to absorb alternative metal, even with an industrial metal keyboard texture (in the second track, "One"). The band also got heavier, a lot of riffing is present. Keyboards are more present, act as a normal band instrument. Untypical to the band, there are several laid-back keyboard driven instrumental moments, someone would call them dull, the other one an important atmospheric element.

After the first instrumental into, the second track offers a waving rhythm that sticks with you and suits the melody. It is well developed and kudos to the ornate drumming style. "So" is a slow heavy ballad and quite dramatic thanks to the synth texture. The long tracks belong to the better half of long FW output mainly thanks to good playing. Another solid FW progressive metal album.