There may be four years separating
FWX from the last
Fates Warning album,
Disconnected, but the progression between the two releases is as fluid as the gap between the their 1988 metallic peak
No Exit and 1997 progressive extreme
Pleasant Shade of Gray is wide. Both of those career highs come to mind when listening to
FWX, "Stranger (With a Familiar Face" and "Simple Human" in particular are distilled from a blend of
No Exit's heaviness and
Pleasant Shade of Gray's expansiveness. The ten-minute progressive excursions of
Disconnected have been reigned in, but make no mistake, this is still a progressive affair, especially on the equally lush and pummeling "River Wide Ocean Deep" and "Heal Me," which make up for their less-than-progressive running times with aggressive riffs that make a welcome return to
Fates Warning. Give
Jim Matheos,
Ray Alder and crew credit: there are few bands that have been around as long (twenty years for founding member
Matheos and sixteen for vocalist Alder) that produce albums as consistent or inventive as
FWX. ~ Wade Kergan