For those not yet in the know or those who need reminding, Fates Warning was, along with Queensryche, the first word in eighties progressive metal before both bands moved onto more jazz-fusion, textured realms largely devoid of heaviness. Fates was inarguably the more metal of the two, presenting a convoluted variation on Maiden and Dio’s gothic fantasy metal. Whereas Dio (er, Vivian Campbell) might employ one superb riff to fortify a song and Maiden might perhaps switch up between two or three, Fates Warning usually pulled out no less than ten riffs, all stunning. None were especially technical, per se (that benchmark would soon be set by the likes of Watchtower and, later, Dream Theater), but the resultant effect was a certain impressive density that wowed more discerning metal fans. The melodic riffs still resound nearly twenty years later, taking listeners to mental realms inhabited by castles, dragons, heroes and sundry mythologies. This is quickly borne out by even a perfunctory listen to the stunning “Fata Morgana,” “Prelude to Ruin” and “Valley of the Dolls” (though I still question the good sense in naming a song after a trashy Jacqueline Susann novel). Completing the musical journey, then and now, is the unique style of singer and primary songwriter John Arch, whose high trilling hit similar plateaus as Dickinson, Tate, Adams and Conklin but infused its own sense of melodrama and urgency. That he would then go unrecorded for a full generation is one of metal’s greatest examples of sadly wasted talent.

Some punters (but not I) might well say the same about the band proper, as after this record (certainly after No Exit, anyhow) a huge paradigm shift took place, with Jim Matheos’ newfound interest in polyrhythms and nuances taking emphasis over chops and sinister vibe. Here, then, is a chance to get it while the getting’s good, supplemented by a bonus disc of demos and live tracks mostly from the selfsame album, as well as a DVD unearthing a complete, amateur-quality live show from Long Island, New York, in 1986 bearing truly effusive liner notes by some nice Yiddish chap named Mike Portnoy. Essential to the nth degree for power and prog nutters alike.

written by Matthew Kirshner

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