FATES WARNING
Long Day Good Night METAL BLADE
Prog metal pioneers swap complexity for maturity on 13th album.
Re-signed to Metal Blade after three albums on InsideOut, prog metal frontiersmen Fates Warning unexpectedly deliver a record that dials down their metal side. There are moments when Long Day Good Night - the Connecticut band’s 13th album - gets heavy and indeed proggy, but the focus is more on the songs and frontman Ray Alder’s voice. In the past, Alder has drawn comparisons with Queensrche’s Geoff Tate and Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson. Perhaps it’s the presence of several mid-tempo tracks that border on AOR balladry, but herein Alder channels a little of Journey’s Steve Perry, using his upper register and loading the lyrics with all the passion and drama he can command.