Parallels

Fates Warning | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 14, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Metal Blade
• ASIN: B000007T6W
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #184,432 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

A more straightforward excursion than the previous albums, 'Parallels' is considered a high point in the band's evolution, aided by expert songwriting, performance perfection and amazing production work from Terry Brown (known for his work on all the classic Rush albums). This deluxe expanded reissue includes a second disc of live tracks and demos, as well as a DVD containing a making of and a complete live set.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Underrated gem., September 19, 2001

By 

Archel (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Parallels (Audio CD)

Dismissing this album as being too commercial is a senseless distortion by those who beleive that all progressive metal has to be densely packed with a million notes, changes and every technique or range that the great musicians in question can come up with.

This album is densely packed by some of the most solid, mature songwriting you will find in the progressive metal style. Yes it does have memorable melodies and is not the most technically complex album FW have made, but it also rewards countless listening sessions due to its understatedly complex rhythms and melodies and emotional power.

Stunning drum-work by Zonder, as always, a beautiful fat bass tone and great guitar work.

Forget about those who mistake its maturity, relative accessability and elegance for commercialism.

This is an absolute essential for anybody with a taste for intelligent metal or progressive music generally.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Metal with heart., September 7, 2001

By 

Lord Chimp (Monkey World) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Parallels (Audio CD)

What seems to be misunderstood about this album is its conceptual nature. All eight songs, unified by Jim Matheos' lyrics, deal with a fragmenting relationship and the emotional turmoil accompanying it. (It should be obvious enough considering the album begins and starts with the same three lines... that's always a dead giveaway.) There is a strong main theme here, dealing with dichotomies and emotional differences (note the cover design), with a heavy emphasis on the pronouns "I" and "you." When "we" is used, it is usually with a lamenting tone ("We Only Say Goodbye" is the obvious example.) Even with this morose lyrical subject, the album is sometimes exhilarating melodic metal. "Point of View" and "Don't Follow Me" are intense works of speedy riffs and Mark Zonder's hectic drumming. The rest of the album is mostly low-key, focusing on melody, Ray Alder's conveyance of the lyrics, and emotion. "The Eleventh Hour" is the album's most challenging track. It is heavy on atmosphere, subtleties, and even the fast, menacing riffs in the middle feature a sense of misery that keeps one from "rocking" with them. This is an excellent, underrated part of Fates Warning's catalogue.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fifteen Years of Neglect, August 1, 2007

By 

James F. Colobus (Pittsburgh, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Parallels (Audio CD)

Fifteen years! That's how long Parallels sat gathering dust on the shelf after I purchased it. Oh, I listened to it once or twice when it first came out; just enough to deem it unimpressive. The dust that gathered on the cd cleared up a bit each of the dozen times I moved from apartment to apartment over the next 15 years, but I never played it during that period - not once. Finally, about a year ago, I made my first acquaintance with an 80GB Ipod, and decided I had enough room to dump nearly all of my cd collection onto it without worrying that some of the music was unlistenable pap (Does anyone want my Radio Active Cats album? Anyone? Please, I tried to sell it back to the used cd store where I bought it - something I never do except in the most extreme of cases - but the counter clerk just laughed claiming he'd never have sold me something as awful as R.A.C.).

Last winter, I carried that magical ipod with me for a long stay in the Ethiopian highlands. Many months of foggy days and frigid nights spent in near isolation provided me with a wonderful opportunity to re-explore my music collection. By April, I'd begun scraping the bottom of the barrel - and that's where I found Parallels. I sure didn't expect much from it, and on first listen, I was not especially impressed - `meandering songs that seemed to go nowhere' was my conclusion. Still, something I heard told me to give it a second chance, and about a week later, I listened to that little voice in my head and dutifully played Parallels again.

Suddenly, it was like puzzle pieces that had been lying in a heap in a corner of the basement came together and formed a beautiful picture. I was almost overwhelmed by the beauty of Parallels - a mournful, yet uplifting, song cycle where every note seems perfectly chosen. I felt a certain `giddiness' at having discovered a lost classic in my music collection that was sure to continue growing on me for months, perhaps years, to come. Repeated listens over the remainder of my stay in the highlands revealed an album that combined clinical musical precision with exceptional emotional weight to an extent I'd never heard before. From the galloping bass line of `Point of View' to the soaring vocals of `Life in Still Water', Parallels is never less than satisfying, achieving a level of consistency and emotional resonance shared by very few albums in my collection. And to think Parallels had been sitting unplayed on the shelf for 15 years before my new ipod gave it the opportunity to capture my attention.

Upon my return from Ethiopia about a month ago, I ordered a copy of Parallels for my sister whom I was sure would love it (she does) and set to work building up a collection of Fates Warning cds for myself. I doubt any of their other albums will have the same staggering effect on me as Parallels but I sure look forward to exploring the remainder of Fates Warning's catalogue nevertheless. I hope that my rediscovery of Parallels will strike a chord with others, either by inspiring people to buy Parallels and experience this special album or by inspiring them to give some of the albums long-buried in their collections a second chance. The next album that captures your imagination might just be one that has been sitting neglected on a shelf in your home or in the deepest recesses of your ipod. Unless your entire collection consists of albums by the Radio Active Cats, that is. If you find yourself in that alarming situation, you'll need to go out and buy some new albums immediately - preferably starting with Parallels.