INSIDE OUT

Maybe the less complex album of their prog career. After the success they experienced with parallels they presented an album that tries to sound like parallels but is so far away from it. I am not saying that the album is not good, it includes tracks that other bands can only dream of ( outside looking in, pale fire, afterglow, shelter me) but it is not the album that I personally expected from them. I expected something completely different from parallels (because fates always changed their style from album to album) and inside out didn't satisfy my expectations. If someone wants to get into their music he should first try parallels or awaken the guardian and then inside out. 3.5/5

As Fates Warning's most un-metal album, Inside Out has done little more than garner criticism from metal for being "an album of ballads." While I can't say the album is all that heavy compared to its metal contemporaries, FW did certainly not alienate all of heavy rock to be a Michael Bolton clone. Inside is much more musically refined than it's predecessors and features much more streamlined production. While Dream Theater was taking a more bombastic approach (Awake was released the same year), FW were getting more focused on mood than technicality here although some of the music here isn't so simple to execute. Ray Alder has arguably the one of the strongest, most captivating voices in all of prog metal/rock (and I'd argue anywhere...even Michael Bolton though I can't see why people like him so much).

The songs that really stand out to me include The Strand, Shelter Me, and Monument (which seems to be a consistent choice for live material for the band). There's not much on heavy metal here, but if you're into the Kevin Moore-influenced sounds of early Dream Theater, you'll enjoy this album (sans blinding instrumental sections and solos of course).

3.5 stars. Very similar to the "Parallels" album but not as strong. There is a theme to this record as the band lyrically looks at our thoughts and feelings we all have hidden inside. The album title attests to this as well as Hugh Symes' art work. There is a picture of a turtle hidden inside his shell on the back of the liner notes, and the front cover is the same colour as the turtle's shell with some white symbols going vertically down the left side. If you turn the front cover sideways you will see these symbols are really the words "Inside Out". The band thanks guest musicians George Hideous, Fidel Horrendous and Sal Mortadelli. Haha !

"Outside Looking In" is I think a good example of a song that doesn't fit Ray's vocals very well. His vocals on "Parallels" and "Perfect Symmetry" are amazing, but like on "No Exit" there are some misses here, very few though. In Ray's defence he has really improved the range of his vocals as witnessed on the REDEMPTION record where he has wowed any who have heard it. "Pale Fire" would have fit well on the "Parallels" album. It's a mid paced tune with great vocals and guitars."The Strand" was written by Frank Aresti and the lyrics are incredibe as is the chorus.

"Shelter Me" is a beautiful song with some terrific guitar. "Island In The Stream" is one of their best songs ever. Jim's lyrics are amazing and the music he created to go with these words do them justice.The guitar is delicate and so tastefully done. The song just seems to drift away down the stream until the music ends.The next two songs, "Down To The Wire" and "Face The Fear" are ok but don't do a lot for me. "Inward Bound" is a way too short instrumental that is emotional and beautiful. "Monument" is one of my all time favourite FATES WARNING songs. Enough said. "Afterglow" is a mellow song with reserved vocals. I like the way the guitars slowly grind it out in the background at times.

Overall I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this record to anyone even though it may not be one of their strongest.There are too many songs here I just can't do without.

Well after now listening to all the work of Fates Warning i feel i have to say a few words about them. Fates Warning are no more than a AOR band with extended songs,,,,so does that make them prog rock,,,,I think not. On this album as the previous albums are the vocals are terrible,,,,screaming or singing in high notes does the vocalist no favours. Yes they started out as a heavy rock band and in my opinion they should have stayed as that as they may have acheived more success as that. Have they ever written a classic,,,,no they have not,but in saying that they have done some pretty decsent songs but no more than that, All in all they are no more than AOR and really thats the truth

"Inside Out" is the 7th full-length studio album by US progressive metal act Fates Warning. The album was released in July 1994 by Metal Blade Records. Fates Warning had enjoyed some commercial success with "Parallels (1991)", which is arguably the most accessible album release by the band, and in some ways the sound on "Inside Out" follows the same formula. Ultimately I think "Inside Out" sounds very different from "Parallels" though.

The much colder and harsher production (courtesy of Fates Warning and Bill Metoyer) sounds very different from the warm and polished Terry Brown production that graced "Parallels". The technical playing is also more prominent on "Inside Out", than was the case on the more subtle progressive "Parallels". There are even a couple of relatively long instrumental parts on the album. Most notably the closing minute of "The Strand" and the middle section in "Monument". The drumming in particular is more prominently technical this time around. Drummer Mark Zonder hits more off-beat notes on this album than what you hear on a standard Bob Marley release and I guess that speaks for itself. Mark Zonder´s playing is as always very tasteful though and his drumming style unique.

Tasteful is actually a very good way to describe the music on "Inside Out". While the vocal melodies are not as memorable as they were on the last album and the playing is more focused on technical details than was the case on "Parallels", the band still create clever compositions and they sound like they play everything with ease. There is a unique flow in the songs that, along with the simultanious clean electric and distorted guitar playing, is one of the defining characteristics of this era Fates Warning. One of the other defining characteristics is of course the distinct sounding vocals by Ray Alder. His performance here is confident and he possesses great skill and the ability to create great emotional impact. The lyrical content hasn´t changed much since "Parallels", and still deal with thoughts and emotions in general.

The songs on the album are generally accessible and memorable. There are several standout tracks on the album but I´d mention "Outside Looking In", "Pale Fire", "The Strand", "Island in the Stream" and "Monument" among the highlights.

"Inside Out" is another outstanding release by Fates Warning and while it´s true that the album is often mentioned as a release that stands in the shadows of "Parallels", I think "Inside Out" in it´s own right is a unique release that deserves a lot of praise. "Inside Out" fully deserves a 5 star rating in my book.

"Inside Out" marks the end of an era in Fates Warning´s career as long- time members Frank Aresti and Joe DiBiase would leave the band after the tour supporting the album. The loss of especially Frank Aresti would have a major impact on how the next couple of albums would sound as Fates Warning opted to continue with only one guitarist. But bassist Joe DiBiase´s contributions to the unique sound that Fates Warning had in the late eighties/ early nineties definitely shouldn´t go unnoticed either.

Parallels part 2

As I mention in my review of Fates Warning's previous album, Parallels, that album saw them changing their sound a little bit from the breakthrough of Perfect Symmetry. Inside Out, on the other hand, is a straightforward continuation of Parallels. Indeed, the two albums are so similar in sound and quality that any song from this album could have appeared on Parallels and vice versa. This means that we again get a very polished Metal album, slightly less complex and more melodic than albums like Perfect Symmetry and No Exit, but still very good. I rate this lower than Parallels, but if you enjoyed that album you will surely enjoy this one too.

The ambition here was probably once again to attract a wider audience without alienating the already converted. There is once again a nice variation between slower and faster tempos and between riffs and melodies. The band again sound confident and professional. A stand out track is Monument with its superb acoustic (Flamenco-like!) mid section.

A good addition to any Fates Warning collection, but it adds little new to previous albums

3.5 stars really

Inside out issued in 1994 is one of the lesser known albums from Fates Warning catalogue who hasn't recive the praise it desearves across the years. Wonder why, because to me is a great album, maybe litle less intresting in parts then Parallels but for sure fans of the band needs to know this album. The musicianship is all solid as always, nice smooth complicated parts, very good druming , the guitars are all awesome, the voice, so no need to not like this one. Some excellent pieces here like opening title track Inside out, Island In The Stream and for sure the best track of the album and among the best FW pieces ever Moniment, super inventive with all ingredients of high class prog. Also this album is the last featuring long runners bassist oe DiBiase and guitarist Frank Aresti. So, to me a good towards great release, as I like all Fates Warning albums with Ray Alder on mic, those with John Arch I had hard times digesting them. 3.5 stars for sure.

With Plenty to Inspire

Re-phrasing the refrain from "Pale Fire", I deny to accept that Inside Out has been overlooked just because it falls between two legendary Fates releases, Parallels and APSOG. Rather than tagging this as a continuation of Parallels, we'd better take a look inside - shall we?

Inside Out has a great fundamental advantage: it flows uninterrupted from the first moment you hit play till the last notes of "Afterglow". The music and melodies follow the recipe of Parallels, while the inspired lyrics continue the deep emotional search of their makers. The majority of compositions are restricted to 4-5 minutes without extended solo sections, overly virtuoso passages but rather treading safely on beautiful melodies and one of the best vocal performances Alder has delivered. The distinct Fates character with the trademark twin-guitar metallic sound is enriched with an AOR and 80's Rush feeling, investing heavily on an accessible sound.

A characteristic example is "Pale Fire" as the backing (clean) and front (distorted) layers of guitar-playing mingle so successfully that most of the tunes in the album stick to your mind and you replay that album once more - this happens with only a handful of albums in my collection. There are no real highlights in Inside Out as all songs seem to be part of the same story-telling; an album that shows Fates at their most mature, even if the super-elaborate/technical aspects have taken a back seat.

Highly recommended.

Fates Warning's Inside Out takes the overall compositional approach of Parallels and gives it a rather more harsh and edgy production style, which feels like an attempt to hop on board the sort of grimier aesthetic that had become popular in the mid-1990s. Between this and the fact that this doesn't really show much development over Parallels (to the point where if you presented this as a collection of off-cuts from the Parallels sessions, perhaps with a remix to suit the smoother production of that album, you could probably persuade people that was the case), and this just doesn't feel like such an essential part of the Fates Warning discography.

The follow-up to the highly successful 'Parallels', 'Inside Out' is almost identical in sound and style to its predecessor, so much so that it is often regarded as "Parallels Part 2", though I find it is an unfair assumption as this album does contain material of some merit, even going as far as to say it's some of the bands tightest and most consistent songwriting.

Musically, this album follows on where 'Parallels' left off, which a strong emphasis on duel-guitar melodies that allow both players to shine, Mark Zonder's incredible drumming that adds so much flavor to the music, without dominating or taking too much spotlight, and Ray Alder's vocals which truly peaked here, especially in terms of range and capability.

The production is neat and tidy, with no musician being given preference. It does a good job of being a metal album, while also emphasizing the melody of the band.

With songs like 'Outside Looking In', 'Monument', 'Pale Fire', 'The Strand' and 'Face the Fear', it's clear that 'Inside Out' is an underrated classic, which is often overshadowed by the strengths of what came before. It's got some of the bands strongest material and is definitely a worthy addition to the collections of metal and prog fans.

Review Nº 141

When progressive rock appeared during the early of the 70's, it contained elements of hard rock, but few bands crossed the line into heavy metal. This all changed during the 80's, when bands such as Queensryche, Dream Theater, Crimson Glory, Watchtower and Fates Warning merged their love for Yes and Rush and with a great admiration for Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. These bands were responsible for creating, developing and popularizing the progressive metal genre.

This Fates Warning's 1994 release continues the style of their previous studio album 'Parallels', which made the group more known to audience all over, getting radio plays and appearing as their most commercially successful album to date. With 'Inside Out' they tried to continue this road, but the album never achieved the same attention as its predecessor had. It combines the heaviness of traditional heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden with some lush, heavy rock melodies and a constant flow of progressive ideas. 'Inside Out' displays the band's mid-period style. It's often linked to their classic 'Parallels' album. Even Matheos sustained that idea in an interview. He said that all Fates Warning albums are somehow different and that 'Inside Out' is the only who followed the same steps of 'Parallels'.

'Inside Out' is the seventh studio album of Fates Warning and was released in 1994. The line up on the album is Ray Alder (vocals), Jim Matheos (guitar), Frank Aresti (guitar), Joe DiBiase (bass) and Mark Zonder (drums and percussion).

'Inside Out' has ten tracks. All tracks were composed by Matheos, except 'The Strand' composed by Aresti and Matheos and 'Down To The Wire' composed by Alder and Matheos. The first track 'Outside Looking It' involves sad, sailing melodies and a similar rhythmic mechanism to the verse of the previous album's opener. It's a solid track with enough variety in the drumming and riffs to please. The second track 'Pale Fire' is another of those single worthy tracks very similar to 'Through Different Eyes' from 'Perfect Symmetry'. Lyrically, 'Pale Fire' is quite a success, for the chorus evokes a pretty powerful image that haunts long beyond the closure of the music. The pretty mesmerizing words and maybe an unintentional soliloquy show maybe the band's direction in the future, in the 90's. The third track 'The Strand' creates an almost folkish platitude through in its sombre, bluesy rock verse. But I like the bouncing bass rhythm and it builds to another great chorus part, which simply rages into existence like many of the better moments of 'Perfect Symmetry'. The fourth track 'Shelter Me' feels very similar to 'Pale Fire', but it lacks to it the staying power of that track and the title and chorus feel perhaps a little too accessible. Anyway, the music is pleasing enough for my ears. The fifth track 'Island In The Stream' is a big rock ballad that has much in common with 'The Road Goes On Forever' from 'Parallels'. It's immersive and pretty for its acoustics, piano and atmosphere. It starts out perfectly calm and relaxing, and progresses beautifully into a chillingly heavy latter half of the song. It has a perfect performance of Alder, he sings with a lot of passion, the guitars are breathtaking and tug at your heart and the keyboards add a final perfect atmosphere. The sixth track 'Down To The Wire' develops through the verse, though the chorus reminds me of a more rocked out spin on 'We Only Say Goodbye' of 'Parallels'. The seventh track 'Face The Fear' is an awesome track with great passages throughout of the song and is especially emotional. It begins with a flow of shining melodies that transform into a pretty complex pattern, with acoustic cleans and a beautiful melody under Alder's vocals. The chorus is likewise interesting. The eighth track 'Inward Bound' is a brief, bluesy atmospheric instrumental. It's almost a linking track between the previous and the following track. The ninth track 'Monument' is the best track on the latter half of the album, cautiously escalating into an insanely catchy hook after 2:00, which rekindles the atmosphere of 'Perfect Symmetry'. It's a classic that seems to be a crowd favourite for their live shows. It's the heaviest and progressive song on the album. The tenth track 'Afterglow' is a nice closing for the album. It's a brooding acoustic piece laden in slim electric melodies and an eerie narrative, interspersed with happier bits and a quiet momentum.

Conclusion: Basically, this is another solid release by Fates Warning. Overall, it's not Fates Warning best album but there are a bunch of tracks which could easily hold their own in a 'Best Off...' collection from the band. But, the fact that it's one of the less celebrated Fates Warning albums only underscores the band's enduring legacy. It's maybe the less complex album of their progressive career but it still is a great work. There are too many songs here I just can't do without. Fates Warning here invested on a heavily and accessible sound. So, I'll end my review by saying that this is an album that falls between the progressive and the mainstream rock category. For some it's confusing but for others it can be interesting for the very same reason. But, if one thing we can't deny, is that 'Inside Out' is a professional and mature work from a very strong and important progressive rock/metal band. This album comes highly recommended.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Agree with most of reviewers who call it "Parallels 2". The sound is the very similar, there are strong progressive moments and on the flip side, the weaknesses of the previous album such as certain awkward radio-friendly (fortunately) short compositions. After many years, we don't have any song overlapping 7 minutes. Ironically, I'm not able to pick one song that stands above the pack; it's rather proficient drumming and versatile electric guitar playing that draws your attention from the first track onward. Having said all the above, there isn't a significant drop of quality either, having this album about half a star lower than Parallels.