2016 Albums Thread

[Postulate]

OK, new FW. There's nothing wrong with it, it's immaculately produced and perfectly played, sounds super 'modern.' But I just don't feel anything listening to it. And I think the guitar is kind of drab and suffocating, and Jarzombek's drumming is not as tasteful as Zonder's.

 

[Kenneth R.]

I can agree. Seems Zonder = FW.

RIP.

 

[Postulate]

I can agree. Seems Zonder = FW.

I think Jim is more essential, but I really did prefer the band's music when Mark was playing. I also like their later stuff as a one-guitar band better than two. Their early material demands two guitars, but this later stuff doesn't, even if I do like Frank.

Running Wild is releasing a new album next month. A good RW album would be just what the world needs...fingers crossed.

 

[AsoTamaki]

OK, new FW. There's nothing wrong with it, it's immaculately produced and perfectly played, sounds super 'modern.' But I just don't feel anything listening to it. And I think the guitar is kind of drab and suffocating, and Jarzombek's drumming is not as tasteful as Zonder's.

Haha, you sound like me talking about the last record.

This new Fates is an improvement over it, I think. Most of what I criticized that album for is still an issue with this one, but I think it's a just a little bit more ambitious and creative overall. Biggest thing for me is probably how good Alder sounds. On the whole, the melodies are a lot more varied and dynamic and even though his upper range is shot, he still managed to match the best of what he's ever been able to do post-APSOG. I honestly thought he was done after how weak his performance seemed on this year's Redemption album (but I guess that had more to do with the songwriting after all).

The problem with switching back to the no keyboards/two guitar configuration is that Matheos is still writing and recording everything himself (aside from some shoehorned in solos). It just forces the songs to become too riff-centric for the sake of it and he often ends up reusing the same odd-time rhythms over and over in trying to come up with another guitar part. It's been years now since he's done anything with OSI so I hope he'll have tired of this guitar-only thing in time for the next Fates.

"From the Rooftops", "SOS" and especially "The Light and Shade of Things" are the highlights for me. That last one is probably as close to a masterpiece as it can get at this point. Great song that does the best job of finally balancing the "modern feel" with made the old material work so well. I'm not really feeling the stuff on the second half of the album as much though.

 

[Kenneth R.]

My problem with it is, while it is undoubtedly an improvement, all of the songs sound like they were filler tracks left over from great albums that were never released. None of the songs seem to be the best this band can do.

I miss APSOG.

 

[Detective Beauregard]

I actually like the new Fates Warning album quite a bit. Granted, I don't know too much about their back catalog, having only heard APSOG and FWX (both a LONG time ago).

What albums would you all recommend?

My favorites from this new album are Seven Stars, SOS, Light and Shade, and Ghosts of Home. However, I didn't really hear any filler songs.

 

[Kenneth R.]

I also like Disconnected and Parallels. The Live in Athens recording is great too.

 

[nckissfan]

check out The Spectre Within, with their first singer John Arch. I don't like him as much as Ray, but there are some really cool songs on that album. Take into account that it was put out in 1986. ha. damn I'm getting old

 

[AsoTamaki]

Those first two Arch albums never seemed too special to me. Most of it's a pretty standard NWOBHM kind of style that I don't care for. Awaken The Guardian is fantastic though and I'd put it ahead of No Exit and these recent ones.

For me, Perfect Symmetry, Parallels and APSOG are their three masterpieces. I would probably recommend Parallels first. Similar in a lot of ways to this new album (although far, far less "metal"). A lot of proggy stuff, but overall a very mainstream and commercialized sound relative to the time period. Everything was just executed so perfectly. Incredible, lush production and the songwriting is brilliant. It's just great music.

 

[Durakonis]

Infinite Spectrum's sophomore is quite enjoyable. I haven't found it as awesome as people seem to have, but it is quite enjoyable to listen. (I liked the vocalist a lot, has a great tone and especially his lower register is very impressive.) There are really awesome parts in it, but overall it seems to lack a real flow from beginning to end. Some vocal parts and instrumental shows seem a little misplaced and/or forced but I recommend it anyway to people who like conceptual progressive albums that have some "rock opera" vibe.

 

[Kenneth R.]

I've been here since 2002. This account since '04. Think it's time to move on. This forum (and UM) isn't what it used to be.

 

[_Gentleman of_the Snow_]

Place is so dead now. I've gone long times without visiting.
This forum says 'unofficial' now...when did that happen?

 

[EyeballKid]

Yeah, we're the final remnants of a dying city. The band wanted to get rid of the forum all together a couple years back and I think making it "unofficial" was the way of saying, "Meh, you can keep using it, but we won't acknowledge it." But mostly, Facebook comments, Twitter, and reddit have kind of made individual band message boards obsolete. It's unfortunate.

 

[Kenneth R.]

It was a great place once. It's a shame the band's bizarre PR practices have stifled a once thriving community by forcing discussion to be largely confined to pre-set topics. Especially given their inability to manage PR with even amateur facility, it's a tragic outcome.

This will be my last post on UM.

 

[Talos of Atmora]

The band hasn't really been at their best for quite a while. It's a shame, I liked their '90's records as well. As for their pinnacle, I believe that was Awaken the Guardian. It's a true classic, in my opinion.

 

[Progbass]

Yeah, this forum has been slowly dying in the last few years. I joined here sometime after The Odyssey had just come out, I still remember how some people were complaining how King of Terrors sounded "too brutal" and not their kind of style...little did they know that would be the bands future direction, heh.

 

[ABQShredHead]

Word.

 

[Detective Beauregard]

I still remember how some people were complaining how King of Terrors sounded "too brutal" and not their kind of style...little did they know that would be the bands future direction, heh.

I still love that song more than approximately 78% of songs they've released since.

 

[Postulate]

Those first two Arch albums never seemed too special to me. Most of it's a pretty standard NWOBHM kind of style that I don't care for. Awaken The Guardian is fantastic though and I'd put it ahead of No Exit and these recent ones.

For me, Perfect Symmetry, Parallels and APSOG are their three masterpieces. I would probably recommend Parallels first. Similar in a lot of ways to this new album (although far, far less "metal"). A lot of proggy stuff, but overall a very mainstream and commercialized sound relative to the time period. Everything was just executed so perfectly. Incredible, lush production and the songwriting is brilliant. It's just great music.

Night on Bröcken is pretty much NWoBHM, but Spectre Within is more USPM, which is a subtle but important distinction. It's also really, really fucking good.

For me, Perfect Symmetry, Parallels and APSOG are their three masterpieces. I would probably recommend Parallels first. Similar in a lot of ways to this new album (although far, far less "metal"). A lot of proggy stuff, but overall a very mainstream and commercialized sound relative to the time period. Everything was just executed so perfectly. Incredible, lush production and the songwriting is brilliant. It's just great music.

Parallels is sort of to blame for the direction prog metal took away from the edgy, slightly thrashy and experimental tone it had up through the early 90's to the more polished, poppy and AOR-friendly Dream Theater sound it took on after that. I like that sound as well, but the previous style was one of my absolute favorites, so I'm a little upset about how the genre changed, and never thought Parallels was all that great in its own right. Perfect Symmetry and APSoG, though, are masterpieces, and irreplaceable. APSoG is to me everything modern prog metal should be, but its style never caught on, unfottunately.

 

[Baroque]

I just want to say feel free to join General Metal Discussion to the remnants here. We're part of the same site so you keep your post counts and avatars, and it's a lot more active. Also we could use more prog fans around there.

http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/forums/general-metal-discussion/