Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Underrated gem., September 19, 2001
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.
|
|
|
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Metal with heart., September 7, 2001
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.
|
|
|
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A dark and heartfelt journey.., October 26, 2003
By A Customer
Upon my introduction into progressive music with the likes of Emerson,Lake and Palmer, Kansas, and Queensryche (to name a few), I was fortunate to come across this CD in a pawn shop; I had some idea who Fates Warning was but I had no solid remembrance of them through their music. Oh my, what I was missing..Up to this day, thanks to Parallels, I have several of the Fates Warning catalog, and continue to enjoy most of them.
But to me, this album is the most emotionally dark and lyrically challenging of them all, speaking clearly, when you listen, of relationships beginning to fail. 'Leave the past behind' begins the album, and one can already feel the tension that is about to unfold in each of these amazing songs. Between the focused drumming of Mark Zonder, the subtle and melodious guitar-playing of Jim Matheos, and the stunning vocals of Ray Alder, an almost perfect combination develops between these musicians, complemented also by guitar work from Frank Aresti and Joe Dibiase. Forget the reviews you read here about the commercial
tones of this recording: this band has never sounded better and appeals to a larger group of fans with Parallels. I found myself captivated by the melody and meaning of 'Life in still water' which reminds us where all relationships go to in time, troubled yet intact. And just when you think that no more could be said about it, along travels the rest of the album, always inviting the listener to keep listening..'Eye to eye' probably being the most radio-friendly of all of the compositions but its meaning still emotionally connected to the rest of these wonderful songs.
When 'The Eleventh Hour' appears, one feels the frustration of the performers, and I sometimes wonder which band member or members have gone through this painful process to speak the messages so clearly and at the same time, lets the listener feel it as well. 'Point of view' can be self-explanatory but none-the-less effective, and then we are brought to 'We only say goodbye', which remains one of my favorites. You finally feel the overall frustration and negativity that arises from our faltering connections with people in 'Don't follow me' and concluding with a not-so-happy, but highly touching ending in 'The Road goes on forever', a song that unexpectedly has become a personal favorite of mine by Fates..By the time you finish listening to this remarkable album, you feel a certain reality about your own relationships and a strength and understanding that as long as we all are here, this is the way it is meant to be.. Listen to 'Parallels'.. I assure you it will become a part of what you are and what you will encounter..
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
Interact With Your Music: Discover, listen to, and buy new music, all from the pages of SPIN's digital edition, free to Amazon customers.
~ Fates Warning
~ Fates Warning
~ Fates Warning
~ Fates Warning
~ Fates Warning
by Fates Warning 
