Album Review: A Pleasant Shade of Gray
Appeared in: Northeast Performer Magazine (July 1997) 
             - a music magazine published in the Boston area
By: Alan Levesque
Reprinted without permission

=============================================================================

Fates Warning started out fifteen years ago in Connecticut, and since then
they've racked up eight albums in the tradition of progressive rock.  "A
Pleasant Shade of Gray," although it is broken into 12 tracks, is meant to
be one continuous song.  The 12 sections of this 50 plus minute concept,
are actually a compromise between band and label, so that favorite moments
may be returned to with ease.  In the publicist's letter it is stated
that: "...the band's intention is to perform this piece live without
interruption or omission, unless a slot on a major tour is offered up."
(And that's a sic, baby.)  Finally, a band that stands by its convictions
to uphold the integrity of the music... uh, unless a slot on a major tour
opens up.

Aside from Fates Warning's wavering standards and their abscence [sic] of
an apostrophe, they have some very ambitious material here.  This
single-song, 12 movement piece has got a definite transcending quality to
it.  It takes the listener back to the heyday of Rush, Yes, and ELP.
Also, paired up with Terry Brown -- with whom Rush has produced many an
album -- it only seems appropriate.

Fates Warning offer up a myriad of time signature changes, power stops,
and drum fill indulgences that are signature elements to the progressive
rock formula.  Simply stated: This is great players playing tight
arrangements.

In the second section of "A Pleasant Shade of Gray," FW actually hit on a
truly progressive notion.  They use an industrial style vamp with more of
a distorted vocal sound.  Exploring this area as a vehicle for their
virtuostic chops would've been a completely fresh direction.
Unfortunately, it is a short lived break from the navigational noodling of
the album as a complete work.

The whole fifty minutes is an amazing display of musicianship and talent,
but it falls short of progress.  There are no ground breaking moments, not
much modulation, just a blur of finger busting arena rock.

Ray Adler [sic] has an operatic tenor tone reminiscent of Queensryche/Tell
No Tales, and the rhythm section is tighter than the nickel plate on a
.25, but no progress.  This band picks up where Rush and Yes left off and
marks time.  Not a pick for the progressive, possibly a choice for the
fans of old, this is definitely a guitar hero's dream.