Fates Warning

Inside Out (Metal Blade)
by Joe Hacking

Ah, the ’80s. I remember them well. Spandex, exploding space shuttles and heavy metal bands by the truckload. One of the most progressive metal bands of the corruption-ridden decade was Fates Warning. From day one, they’ve aimed to stretch the boundaries of what constitutes a heavy metal band. While they have never achieved much recognition for this in the mainstream scene, they’ve helped bring about the return of well-written, well-played music.

Leaving behind Terry (Rush) Brown, the band has picked up producer Bill Metoyer of Slayer and D.R.I. fame. The result is a slightly heavier sound than on previous albums. As usual, most of the lyrics deal with attempted escapes from the jailcells with imaginary boundaries in which we hairless monkeys lock ourselves.

Musically speaking, Inside Out is a textured, crafted work, filled with Matheos and Aresti’s outstanding guitar-work and Zonder’s intricate, interesting drumming style. Alder’s vocals encompass a range unheard in the grunge ’90s, and sound perfect with the guitar harmonies. Some mainstreamers may find him wailing a bit too much when he flutters in the upper registers, but being a big Rush fan, I applaud him. From the first, anthemic notes of “Outside Looking In” to the drum work on “Monument,” the disc has plenty of audio tidbits for the avid music dissector. There’s plenty to hear on Inside Out.