John Arch appreciation thread

Yeah i can't hear a lot of Arch influence in modern prog metal. Probably mainly for the fact that the Arch style would be pretty hard to copy and also i know there still a lot of prog metal fans who can't stand Arch and prefer the more accessible Alder era.
I think most modern progressive metal vocalists are influenced by 80's Geoff Tate more than anyone else.

I can hear some Arch influence in Rob Lowe from Solitude Aeturnus. Particularly on the Into the Depths and Beyond the Crimson Horizon. The singer from Spiral Architect is a massive Arch fan and SA even covered Prelude to Ruin.

Definitely check out Crimson Glory. Brilliant 80's metal that you could probably compare to early Queensryche but they definitely have a sound of their own. The Transcendence album is one of my favourite albums ever.

Russell Allen is great but i think he is starting to feel the effects of age and constant touring. He struggles a bit with the higher stuff nowadays. But he has such a brilliant midrange and low tone that it doesn't really matter.

If you want to check out the Transcending Mortality just go to the myspace link in my signature.
The band is split up now but we are releasing a final EP which should be available pretty soon. There's some samples up from the EP on our myspace. Theres also some tracks from our debut The Last Horizon from 2007.

You could probably compare it to Symphony X, Conception and i'd like to think theres some Arch era Fates Warning influence in there too.
 
Cool ! Im always up to finding some good new metal that has real vocalists.

Yes Russ is no young pup anymore either but still hanging in there and as you mentioned his extremely powerful presence will get him along well for many more years... if he doesnt burn out, sadly this has been the end results for so many of the best vocalists.

Hard to believe Tate wouldnt be such an influence, the guy had such unheard of dynamics and expression. I'm waiting for one to exceed his early abilities, so far only finding Khan to come close but I havent heard them all. Arch was a whole nother ballgame but that was part of earlier metal vocals, he was the extreme

** This TM music sounds great, excellent transitions
 
I finally heard Fates Warning at Liam's house on Saturday. They're good, but as Liam said, they didn't have many "hooks," and "hooks" appear to be what im into. Catchy shit, eg. some power metal or NWOBHM
 
Yeah Fates definitely aren't catchy in the obvious way like Priest, Maiden, most power metal and 80's trad but i think their songs are deeper and more challenging to get into but they never really get old either. Theres so much going on vocally that it sounds like a bit of a mess at first but with repeated listens the genius of Arch starts to unveil. I didn't think much of Awaken the Guardian at first, in fact i disliked it. But the uniqueness of the band made me curious enough to give it another chance and now it's my favourite album ever.

I definitely disagree that Fates Warning don't have hooks. Sure they are more subtle than your mighty epic in your face Blind Guardian chorus but they are certainly there and i almost think that discussing the chorus of a Fates Warning song is irrelevant.
Arch puts so much effort into his melodies that every section has brilliant hooks.

Anyway you probably heard a Ray Alder era Fates album. Thats why it sucks. :p

Good to hear you finally check them out anyway. They might grow on you eventually.
 
Myself it was Fates sound on Perfect Symmetry that got me playing the tape back from the beginning again and again, thinking "what the heck do these guys have going on?" Matheos is uniquely genious to me.

I agree that hooks are very much present, especially in the 2nd gen of work. Not the power metal anthem type stuff which doesnt appeal to me in its extreme but very grabbing.

I have grown aggrevated with Rays extremely slow way of singing, which may be him or how Matheos wanted it. Its good and all but song after song, album after album, I did find myself wishing he'd shift into another gear, which only happened occasionally.

Then Arch was the exact opposite, hyper, kind of reminding me of a guitar solo. I need to get Awaken on CD, my old tapes just arent worth playing anymore.
 
Well Liam didnt say that it didnt have "hooks," just that it didnt have the sort of catchy shit im into, like Maiden, Priest, etc. All in all though, i will check them out more!
 
Its old metal, highly influenced by Maiden to my ears. Not an uncommon sound at that time, not sucks... primitive maybe but all part of the evolution.
 
Just recieved the Awaken the Guardian box set, good to hear in its entirety again, not broken up in various mixed tapes. Dont know when I'll get around to watching the DVD.
 
A Twist of Fate arrived yesterday. Very interesting and perhaps some of Arches best vocal work. I like it combined with Matheos more mature or seasoned guitar playing... makes for a very interesting listen
 
I love A Twist of Fate so much i bought two copies! I think Arch wrote a lot of the guitar parts as well. I know he wrote most of Cheyenne.
 
How is there even any argument over Arch vs. Alder. It's like Arch being Mike tyson in his prime, and Alder is a drunken bar brawler. Let's cut to the chase. Raymond Balderrama blows.
 
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