Fates Warning Parallels (Special Edition)
by Derric Miller
Staff Writer
If you are a major Progressive Metal fan, then Fates Warning was most likely the first band to make you realize how spectacular Metal could be … yes, even before Dream Theater probably took their place in your personal hierarchy of favorite bands. Their landmark release, Parallels, is being re-issued by Metal Blade, featuring the original album remastered on the first CD, a live 1992 concert on their “Parallels” tour, and a DVD with live footage, interviews and outtakes. Those add-ons are extraneous to the fact that Parallels might be one of the all time best Metal albums ever released, though …
The sheer amount of talent is unmistakable with singer Ray Alder, guitarists Jim Matheos and Frank Aresti, bassist Joey Vera and the phenom drummer Mark Zonder. They’ve gone on to various levels of success with other bands following Fates Warning, with Vera’s Armored Saint probably being the most well known, but bands like Redemption with Alder, OSI with Matheos, Dark Day Sunday with Aresti and Slavior with Zonder all succeeded on various levels. And all of those bands pale in comparison to their time in Fates Warning.
“Leave the Past Behind” is one of those slower, churning songs that feature off-time signatures from the rhythm section and one of the best vocal performances you’ll find. Alder could croon and soar, but when he reaches the high notes it’s never in the “look what I can do!” vein; every note is there for a reason. Zonder is almost tribal in his rhythms, easily one of Metal’s greatest talents behind the kit.
The next song “Life in Still Water” features Dream Theater’s James LaBrie, and it’s a bit heavier, sounding like it could have fit easily on Perfect Symmetry. Fates Warning wrote music where everything was the focal point—the drums, the vocals, the bass and the guitar. Very few bands could make such intricate and complex music listenable, yet Fates Warning did it every composition, with ease.
“Eye to Eye” was one of their bigger hits on Parallels. They tone down the complexity, somewhat, and groove with more melodic and straightforward (for him) riffs and leads from Matheos. It’s strange that a band like Queensryche, who were a musically (not thematically) dumbed-down version of Fates Warning, hit the mainstream so ferociously and were embraced by millions, when clearly Fates Warning was the better band musically, and some would argue, vocally. Just listen to “Eye to Eye” and begin the debate …
Parallels is that rare release with no filler. Every single track stands on its own as a highlight, incomparable during its initial release to anything around them. “Point of View” can stand toe to toe with “Eye to Eye,” and “We Only Say Goodbye” is one of those Metal classics that time itself will never be able to erode.
The first disk closes with “The Road Goes on Forever,” highlighting Matheos’ intuitively emotional style. His deftness with the guitar, like the band, is criminally underrated.
After you get through the remastered issue, you can check the band recreating this classic in a live atmosphere. Fates Warning, like all great bands, is a live animal, and although they become slightly edgier and less polished when playing live, it’s still Fates Warning. The real treat is hearing “Through Different Eyes,” one of their most popular songs off of Perfect Symmetry. Alder’s screams are less clinical and less perfect live, as they should be.
The deeper you get past track one, the more of a fan you have to be to truly embrace the bonuses on Parallels. Live CDs, for the most part, lose their shine after one listen, and demos, well, are collector’s items. That being said, if you for some ungodly reason you don’t currently own Parallels, something this impressive and all-encompassing just means you are a lucky music buyer today.
Considering the fact that Fates Warning is playing a few reunion shows in Greece and Sweden Rock Festival this year, and all musicians are currently recording with other acts, it’s hopefully inevitable that Fates Warning heads back into the studio to build on the momentum Parallels is creating for them again. They can leave the past behind some other time …
Label: Metal Blade
Track listing:
CD 1 – Parallels
Leave The Past Behind
Life In Still Water (Featuring DREAM THEATER’s James LaBrie)
Eye To Eye
The Eleventh Hour
Point Of View
We Only Say Goodbye
Don’t Follow Me
The Road Goes On Forever
CD 2 – Parallels Live In Hollywood, CA January 23rd, 1992
‘Leave The Past Behind’ (live)
‘Don’t Follow Me’ (live)
‘Eleventh Hour’ (live)
‘Point Of View’ (live)
‘Eye To Eye’ (live)
‘Nothing Left To Say’
‘Quietus’ (live)
‘Through Different Eyes’ (live)
‘Leave The Past Behind’ demo
‘Eye To Eye’ demo
‘Eleventh Hour’ demo
‘Point Of View’ demo
‘Don’t Follow Me’ demo
DVD
– Filmed live in concert in New Haven, CT, February 13, 1992
– Features current interviews with all band members as well as acclaimed producer Terry Brown and Metal Blade Records head Brian Slagel
– Rare and exclusive interviews and behinds the scenes footage from the 1992 US Tour
Hardrock Haven rating: 8.9/10