Fates Warning's "Awaken The Guardian"

[Alex78]

what a great album!!! I already bought this one some months ago, but somehow I needed some time to get over the vocals. Now I love the vocals, I even think they're the best thing about the whole album. there are only killer tracks on this one, I think. great solos (the beginning of "Guardian" is one of the best), great songwriting, awesome vocal melodies.
This is actually the only really "old" metal album I have (1986). That might explain why it took so long for me to get into it. Really, really good!
When I listen to newer material like "Disconnected", I think that it's quite boring compared to ATG. APSOG and FWX are good, though.

 

[ElectricWiz]

Fair enough that John Arch could take some getting used to, but I think you'll find he has some devoted followers here, including myself. I HIGHLY recommend you pick up his fairly recent solo EP - A Twist of Fate. For my money, it's one of the single greatest modern/old-school CDs ever. It easily rates with Bruce Dickinson's best solo stuff, and even eclipses it in my book. It's one hell of a fine CD.

Of course, there's the other Fates' stuff too, ala Night On Brocken and The Spectre Within.

 

[eaeolian]

A classic if there ever was one. Fates came close to being this good again ("Perfect Symmetry"), but this is really the defining album for them, IMO. Everything just clikced, and they manage to show their Sabbath and Maiden influences while not sounding like either. Arch is just out of control on this one, too - passionate and original, and great lyrics that aren't as "fantasy oriented" as a lot of people think...

 

[Break Zero]

I can understand Archs vocals taking some getting use to, but once you start to like them, you understand that they are really a major part of the music. Few men can carry a melody as well as him.

As for the album, amazing. This is Power Metal. Period. 'Exodus' and 'Guardian' are two of the most important Progressive Metal songs (in my opinion), and "Prelude To Ruin" is their heaviest song, next to "Shades Of Heavenly Death" from 'No Exit'.

My favorite Fates album would go to "Perfect Symmetry", but as far as the Arch era goes, this album is my personal favorite (and 'The Spectre Within' is very diffucult to top, especially with "Epitaph" on it!)

 

[Trans-Siberian Outcast]

Hell yeah! I adore Arch-era Fates Warning. They have their own gold-plated pedastal in my Hallowed Hall of Fame. If you love Awaken, be sure to pick up Spectre Within and John's solo EP, A Twist of Fate. They are all equally great.

I envy you, Alex, just discovering the talents of John Arch. You have many, many, hours of enjoyment ahead just by owning those three albums. They are so complex, they don't wear thin. You can listen to them over and over for years to come. Heck, I've been listening to Awaken and Spectre for 20 years, and I'm still not tired of them!

NP: Overkill - Feel the Fire

 

[Alex78]

just ordered Spectre Within!
I already have Arch's EP, but I have to give it some more listens before I can rate it or compare it to ATG!

 

[Wheezer]

I pretty much like everything Fates has put out. I'm one of the few that likes both Arch and Alder, I think.

 

[Break Zero]

I pretty much like everything Fates has put out. I'm one of the few that likes both Arch and Alder, I think.

I'm with ya. I like Alder more (actually, he's my favorite vocalist, period), but if I were to name my favorite Fates albums, it would be Perfect Symmetry, Awaken The Guardian, and... dammit, probably a tie between No Exit and Parallels.

I seriously wish they would put some Arch era stuff back into the setlist these days (hell, how about some stuff from No Exit and Perfect Symmetry besides Quietus and Nothing Left To Say?)

 

[Electronicoil]

I bought it about six mos ago based on reputation mostly (although I've heard other FW, including a couple tracks of this album).

It is good.

That said, I have to be in the mood. It's so demanding on the listener and almost "math rock" in construction. I like the tones and stuff, but sometimes I wish they used their brains a bit less and used their hearts* a little more.



* substitute guts, balls or other body parts.

 

[Trans-Siberian Outcast]

I seriously wish they would put some Arch era stuff back into the setlist these days

Alder can't really reproduce Arch's vocals. Hell, who can? Arch never left himself much room for breathing when he structured his phrasing. I read a quote from him about how he kind of backed himself into a corner while recording Spectre Within. He wrote such complex and multi-layered melodies in the studio with no thought to how he was going to reproduce them in a live setting night after night.

NP: Riot - Born In America

 

[Break Zero]

Alder can't really reproduce Arch's vocals. Hell, who can? Arch never left himself much room for breathing when he structured his phrasing. I read a quote from him about how he kind of backed himself into a corner while recording Spectre Within. He wrote such complex and multi-layered melodies in the studio with no thought to how he was going to reproduce them in a live setting night after night.

Well, he did a decent job on Prelude To Ruin on 'Still Life'. At the very least, I'm sure he could handle, say, Guardian or Damnation.

I actually have a bootleg DVD of them back in '89 from the 'Perfect Symmetry' tour, and from the Arch-era, they play Fata Morgana, The Apparition, Damnation, and Exodus, and except for Exodus, he did a pretty good job... but again, this was back in '89, when Ray was screaming half of his vocals at the top of his lungs.

 

[Trans-Siberian Outcast]

Yeah, it's the "night after night" part that gets ya. At Ray's age, I don't imagine he's lobbying very hard to put an old Arch song into their playlist for a whole tour. Maybe a few one-off appearances, like for live recordings.

NP: Phenomena - Psycho Fantasy

 

[Alex78]

Well, he did a decent job on Prelude To Ruin on 'Still Life'. At the very least, I'm sure he could handle, say, Guardian or Damnation.

I only have "Prelude to ruin" from the Still Life CD, but I think that Alder is terrible on this one. well considering the CD is from 1998 or so, maybe he was able to do Arch's vocals 10 years before...

 

[Wheezer]

I'm with ya. I like Alder more (actually, he's my favorite vocalist, period), but if I were to name my favorite Fates albums, it would be Perfect Symmetry, Awaken The Guardian, and... dammit, probably a tie between No Exit and Parallels.

I seriously wish they would put some Arch era stuff back into the setlist these days (hell, how about some stuff from No Exit and Perfect Symmetry besides Quietus and Nothing Left To Say?)

Yeah, I like Alder more too. Arch was an acquired taste for me. My favorite is still No Exit. That's where I started with them. And ditto for me on the setlist. Although I haven't seen them since they did that tour a few years ago with Dream Theater and Queensryche. They didn't get enough time to do a whole lot and played mostly Shade of Grey stuff. Personally I would have rather had Dream Theater in the opening spot.

 

[wdiv]

Yeah, I like Alder more too. Arch was an acquired taste for me. My favorite is still No Exit. That's where I started with them. And ditto for me on the setlist. Although I haven't seen them since they did that tour a few years ago with Dream Theater and Queensryche. They didn't get enough time to do a whole lot and played mostly Shade of Grey stuff. Personally I would have rather had Dream Theater in the opening spot.

Adler was still trying to sound like Arch on No Exit. I think Adler was much better on the following albums, where he didn't try to sing falsetto constantly. Parallels is my fav from FW.

 

[ElectricWiz]

I'll be interested what you think of the solo EP when you get to it.

 

[SoundMaster]

Arch is/was (depending on his current status) one of the most gifted vocalists the rock world has ever experienced.

AWG is, to my ears, the only Fates disc that's a classic. It possesses this awesome, mystical, other-worldly atmosphere that's seldom achieved.