Arch/Matheos - Guardian live

[J. Golden]

Have you never listened to the Awaken The Guardian album front to back? Arguably one of the best progressive/power metal albums of all time, due in part to Mr. Arch.

Anyone else with me on this? I cannot be alone.

 

[FatesFan]

Have you never listened to the Awaken The Guardian album front to back? Arguably one of the best progressive/power metal albums of all time, due in part to Mr. Arch.

Anyone else with me on this? I cannot be alone.

This times 10.

 

[FatesFan]

I have got to be the biggest Fates Warning Fan on the planet. I have be listening to them since Night on Broken and they have always been my # 1 band. John Arch was amazing to me in the early years and his EP of a few years back and the work put forth on the new Arch Matheos album are just amazing to me. The new album was everything I could have hoped for and more. And as sad as I was when he left fates, I was an instant fan or Ray once I heard that man sing. I love all things Fates Warning. I was killed when Zonder left but Bobby has left me speechless with the work he turned in.

I have to agree with the comments about Rays voice of course. It is not what it was although I love what he does with Redemption. He has struggled live for some time now but it is a crime to call the performance at PPUSA a Painfully struggling set. That was a killer set by any standards. Perfect vocally? no. Brilliant otherwise? yes. I would pay good money to see that same set over and over again.

Now to the video posted above. After ready the glowing reviews of John's live performance above I was giddy as I couldnt wait to watch this thing. I imagined that I was about to see something that could make a grown man cry. Well, it actually pains me to say that I was not blown away as much as other have been. I wanted more than anything to be blown away but I can't see how people can say things like " he nailed it". He was all over the place and like ray, can no longer hit the same high notes. It is understandable of course given his age, and complexity of the melodies from years ago. I don't think it was bad, I just don't think it lived up to all the hype. John can obviously still bring it and he does so in glorious fashion in the studio. The dude was and still is a monster. I just don't understand how one could give Ray shit and not call John out on his mistakes as well. Is johns vocal above closer to original than Rays current vocals are to his original tracks? Yes. These are two bad mother fookers that have and continue to help me thru the day regardless of what they sound like. I hope they keep on keeping on. For me, Fates Warning at PPUSA was THE highlight of my attendance.

 

[J. Golden]

i seem to remember that there was that stretch of time when John was basically out of the game and Ray was still playing ball. Well as Ray was still in, those DVDs showed up like that Open Air fest (I forget the name but can go over to the self to look) and well the vocals weren't to hot there. I remember first borrowing that video from Matt and him telling me it wasn't that good, I figured he was just f@#kin with me, after all it was FW and has to be good. Well Matt you were correct Sir.
Now John at this point still seems like he has been away for a while and I think that is what is so impressive. Look at him on stage he looks like he was just randomly spotted in the audience and they asked him to come on stage.
I like Ray's vocals a lot in the studio but live not so much.
And one last thing about John; I always heard him compared to Bruce but for my money what John did on the second two Fates albums runs circles around anything Bruce did in Maiden or outside off. NO ONE can weave melodies like John Arch

 

[Rider of Theli]

Have you never listened to the Awaken The Guardian album front to back? Arguably one of the best progressive/power metal albums of all time, due in part to Mr. Arch.

Anyone else with me on this? I cannot be alone.

remains a top ten album to this day, and the song Guardian my fave from the album - hence the fan-boy reaction stated above.

 

[mattbrood]

Have you never listened to the Awaken The Guardian album front to back? Arguably one of the best progressive/power metal albums of all time, due in part to Mr. Arch.

Anyone else with me on this? I cannot be alone.

My favorite Fates album hands down

 

[jaimek]

Have you never listened to the Awaken The Guardian album front to back? Arguably one of the best progressive/power metal albums of all time, due in part to Mr. Arch.

Anyone else with me on this? I cannot be alone.

Hate it.

I appreciate the history he has with Fates, but his voice is like nails on blackboard to me. (and while I love Ray, I'm not terribly fond of No Exit either, for the same reason. I didn't start really enjoying Fates until Perfect Symmetry, and even that took a while to grow on me.) I was willing to give it a shot, though. Alas, the passage of time has not changed my dislike of John's voice.

I don't like Circus Maximus or Pagans Mind either, for the same reason. Go ahead, crucify me now. :Smokedev:

 

[FatesFan]

I have always loved John's voice and more specifically, his style. However, I have always said that his voice is not for everyone so I understand when folks like jaimek don't like it. Dream Theater would not be the popular band they are today had they given the job to John. Having said that, for me, the guy is brilliant.

 

[imaskinbeater]

I don't like Circus Maximus or Pagans Mind either, for the same reason. Go ahead, crucify me now. :Smokedev:

I "used" to like you

 

[sccaldwell]

I don't like Circus Maximus or Pagans Mind either, for the same reason. Go ahead, crucify me now. :Smokedev:

<Mutters to self...I know that hammer's around here somewhere...>

 

[Berek2000]

I don't like Circus Maximus or Pagans Mind either, for the same reason. Go ahead, crucify me now. :Smokedev:

I got your back. I was introduced to Fates via Perfect Symmetry. After hearing PS and then listening to the older material, I was never able to get into it. And, like Jaimek, I am not a CM or PM fan.

 

[Formerly known as Chris F5]

I got your back. I was introduced to Fates via Perfect Symmetry. After hearing PS and then listening to the older material, I was never able to get into it. And, like Jaimek, I am not a CM or PM fan.

I also don't see the "genious"or "brilliance" in John Arch,what I hear instead is what sounds like a kitten getting raped by an elephant at times.
His good moments(the song Guardian)are so few and far between.
Shame because musicly the Matheos/Arch CD musicly is brilluant,but the vocals are so annoying that this is mostly unlistenable.
And I do love CM and Crimson Glory so its not just high pitched vocals I dislike

 

[Matt Crooks]

This show was one of the best shows I have ever seen. John was amazing, and the set list was nearly perfect.

If you are a John Arch era Fates fan, do what ever you need to do to get to Connecticut next weekend.

 

[TribunalRecords]

I also don't see the "genious"or "brilliance" in John Arch,what I hear instead is what sounds like a kitten getting raped by an elephant at times.
His good moments(the song Guardian)are so few and far between.
Shame because musicly the Matheos/Arch CD musicly is brilluant,but the vocals are so annoying that this is mostly unlistenable.
And I do love CM and Crimson Glory so its not just high pitched vocals I dislike

THE ONLY THING that saves the A/M from being the boring piece of crap it was destined to be is John Arch. That record, musically, is like the three Fates albums before, boring pieces of crap. hahaha. Arch actually put life into it for us older fans.

Ray was never the true downfall of FW, but Jim writing progressive nu-metal. There is said it. Just boring riff after boring riff after boring riff after boring riff, ad naseum.

 

[TribunalRecords]

I have always loved John's voice and more specifically, his style. However, I have always said that his voice is not for everyone so I understand when folks like jaimek don't like it. Dream Theater would not be the popular band they are today had they given the job to John. Having said that, for me, the guy is brilliant.

They still aren't the band they were before getting LaBrie. I like him but he has only gotten more annoying over the years. And WDADU is the BEST Dream Theater album because it is. hahaha, give me a chance to strike and i will take it! BOOM!

 

[TribunalRecords]

I got your back. I was introduced to Fates via Perfect Symmetry. After hearing PS and then listening to the older material, I was never able to get into it. And, like Jaimek, I am not a CM or PM fan.

it's understandable, one is commercial music and one is not. hahaha, i kid, but not really, but i do.

 

[mattbrood]

I was sad when Arch left Fates, but then I was happily surprised with the thrashier direction of No Exit..only to be letdown by Perfect Symmetry..which I eventually learned to like and appreciate.

 

[edgeofthorns]

Personally, I prefer Ray over John, simply because FatesFan got me into the band by introducing me to Ray first. No Exit remains one of my favorites in the entire catalog, with A Pleasant Shade of Gray being a close second. That's odd, because those two albums are on complete opposite ends of the spectrum! I guess the the variety is why Fates Warning is and always will be a top tier prog metal band in my opinion.

~Brian~

 

[DustyV]

Jaime, sounds like you just don't like higher pitched singers, (which is cool by the way). Although I'm a bit perplexed by your dislike for the vocalist for Circus Maximus as he's known as one of the best technical singers of prog metal around today..Man that guy can really wail sometimes!! I put him in the same camp as Tommy of Seventh Wonder as far as technical ability is concerned....... I can understand you not liking higher pitched singers though as years and years ago I use to feel the same way, but now I can appreciate them more and love how many of them use their voice as an instrument as opposed to singing the same way all the time.

Liking singers that sing in the higher octave range is an acquired taste though....
Now when it comes to John Arch, I put him in the same boat as I would Kate Bush. I happen to absolutely LOVE Kate Bush. People either love her or hate her, their's no in between and that's how it is with Arch it seems....

I'm the same way with James Labrie. I absolutely can't stand his voice! But I know many people love the guy, so it's all good as they say.....

 

[J. Golden]

'Images' I think is the best DT album, certainly my favorite seconded by the first album.
As for LaBrie he seemed average at best but it worked; well until it comes to a live setting.
I'll say no more about DT; after the one guy at a record show went holistic on me and started crying I have learned that Dream Theater fans can be very sensitive.