A decent follow-up to Parallels that at times exceeds it, but not as effective as a collective whole.
Mark Zonder's drumming approach continues to impress and Jim Matheos' guitar arrangements have grown increasingly complex; however, the band seems to be struggling for a clear direction.
An effort toward commercial success is evident; however, they are also attempting to satisfy their core fan base.
The standard strong structures can grow tiresome, but there are catchy melodies such as "Shelter Me" and "Pale Fire." "Island in the Stream" is a memorable ballad that works despite the use of strings.
"Down to the Wire" and "Face the Fear" are aggressive songs that show the band's energy, but again suffer from pop clichés.
"Monument" is the session's best performance and has become one of the band's most requested songs (Mark Zonder is simply astonishing on this track).
For all the fans who are in awe of Dream Theater's Mike Portnoy, it would be a disservice not to investigate the progressive stylings of Zonder.
The music here is bubbling just below the surface, but never quite erupts as it should.
Still recommended for Zonder's performance alone.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Outside Looking In | Fates Warning | Play | 04:50 | 11 MB | 33 MB |
| 2 | Pale Fire | Fates Warning | Play | 04:18 | 9 MB | 30 MB |
| 3 | The Strand | Fates Warning | Play | 05:29 | 12 MB | 35 MB |
| 4 | Shelter Me | Fates Warning | Play | 04:45 | 10 MB | 31 MB |
| 5 | Island in the Stream | Fates Warning | Play | 06:30 | 14 MB | 42 MB |
| 6 | Down to the Wire | Fates Warning | Play | 04:30 | 10 MB | 29 MB |
| 7 | Face the Fear | Fates Warning | Play | 05:37 | 12 MB | 40 MB |
| 8 | Inward Bound | Fates Warning | Play | 02:35 | 5 MB | 13 MB |
| 9 | Monument | Fates Warning | Play | 06:34 | 15 MB | 41 MB |
| 10 | Afterglow | Fates Warning | Play | 03:26 | 7 MB | 21 MB |
| 48 mins | 111 MB | |||||
| 48 mins | 319 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fates Warning | Primary Artist |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |