Fates Warning - Perfect Symmetry

Back when Fates Warning formed in 1982 there really wasn't such a thing as Prog-Metal.  They started as a band heavily influenced by Iron Maiden and the NWOBHM and became more progressive as they matured.  After their classic albums The Spectre Within and Awaken the Guardian they had a near complete lineup change, save the founding guitarist Jim Matheos.  With new vocalist Ray Alder replacing John Arch they recorded the transitional album No Exit.  Up through and including that album, becoming more proggy and less thrashy each time, they had mostly stuck to traditional fantasy themes in their music, lyrics and art.  Enter 1989 and they had a quite significant change in style.  Deciding to drop the wizards and shit they went in a much more industrial and bleak direction with their overall sound.

Kicking off with "Part of the Machine" they certainly don't waste any time in showing the new direction.  New drummer Mark Zonder has a very unique style, using odd meters but not too many hits.  By using complex patterns yet not getting too busy or hitting too many drums he really defines the new style explored on this album.  The overall tone of this song, and the album as a whole, is very much like a machine in that it is mechanical, cold and precise.  Not to say it doesn't rock, it is just about as far away from Iron Maiden as you can get.

I have to say I'm not the biggest fan of Ray Alder's voice, but he does come up with some great melodies.  His tone is just a bit too shrill for my taste, but it is certainly part of the package deal here and he is great at what he does.  Most of the album is definately in the HIGH vocal range, but there are occassions when he goes to a lower register and I actually enjoy that a bit more than when he's going balls-out wailing.

The guitars are brittle and harsh on this album, but again it matches with the new direction they were going.  A Les Paul / Marshall tone would just not fit in here.  Throughout the disc there are interesting chord changes and dual harmony lines.  Like the drums, they manage to dance the line between complex and simple by using unexpected notes and odd time meters but not going "whoodely whoodely" all over the place.

After the very appropriate opening track they kick into "Through Different Eyes".  I'm sure this was an obvious choice for the single and video as it is certainly the most traditional song on the album.  They still manage to sneak in some great loud / soft dynamics between the parts and some cool guitar solos as well. This track is a good indication of the more accessable direction they would go on their next album, Parallels.

"Static Acts" is next, not a bad song but for me it is one of the weaker moments on the album.  If you check out the lyrics it is a pretty scathing rip on the music industry and bands in general.  It does fit right in with the machinery theme of the album though! "A World Apart" follows it up, which is slower and has some interesting drums.  Other than that it is also one of the weak spots on the album, but we haven't truly gotten to the real good stuff yet!

"At Fates Hands" starts out with some strings and goes into a slow and quiet theme that makes me picture being on a ship out in the middle of the ocean.  The second half kicks up the pace and this is when the shit starts getting proggy.  There is some great violin work and some crazy dual keyboard / guitar soloing with Kevin Moore who at the time was in Dream Theater. This instrumental section, and the mellow half before it, is a nice change of pace (and break on the ears) from the harshness of the proceeding tracks.

"The Arena" gets it going again with a brisk tempo and pounding bass and drums.  This one is also a bit more traditional in its direction, but keeps it interesting with some tempo changes. It is a good lead in to the last two tracks, which are the best part of the album for me.

"Chasing Time" starts out as an atmospheric ballad and leads into some great violin and guitar solos.  Unexpected chords and timing keep them from being cliche, and they wisely stay away from the musical masturbation of far too many metal or prog bands.  Just because you can play a million notes a minute in Mixolydian mode doesn't mean you should.

The album closer is easily one of the high moments not just of the album but for Fates Warning as a whole.  "Nothing Left To Say" is an eight minute journey through the themes explored on the album, but wrapped up in a nice concise package that does not get boring despite its length.  This is easily Ray Alder's vocals at their most accessable and all the other players shine as well.  Of all the tracks, this one really brings their Rush influence to the front.  Like the boys from Canada, Fates Warning shows a real concentration on ensemble work rather than individual wankery. 

Definately a transitional album, Fates Warning made a radical shift in their sound on Perfect Symmetry.  It's true beauty is the way it dances on the lines between complexity and simplicity,  harshness and beauty.  Somehow on their most cold and mechanical album they managed to inject more humanity and introspection than they had previously shown.