Album Review: Disconnected By: Nick Van Dyk (NVANDYK@artisanent.com) ============================================================================= I've been listening to "Disconnected" for a couple of weeks now, having been the happy recipient of a CD mixed from the ADATs. I don't know the names of the songs and I'm a little unclear on where the breaks are as the ADAT transferred a bit odd, so bear with me. I've jotted down my thoughts on each of the tracks below. I've tried to be as descriptive as possible, so this is going to be a bit on the long side. Before getting into that, let me give you the clear message: this CD kicks serious ass. It's far and away the heaviest thing they've done since No Exit/Perfect Symmetry. This is a MAJOR return to a more aggressive style for them. There are still quiet reflective parts, atmospheric introductions, etc., but this is far heavier than anything they've done recently, and in my opinion that's a welcome return to form. If you were to take Perfect Symmetry and make the melodies much more accessible, combined some of the atmosphere of APSOG and add the up tempo aggression of No Exit, you have a good idea of where this disc comes out. The CD begins with a single bended note on the guitar that forms a recurrent motif throughout the album, much like the first 11 notes from APSOG or the moody bit that forms the beginning and end of Parallels. The first minute or so is a gloomy, mood-setting introduction consisting of atmospheric pads from the keys behind this guitar figure. It would sound at home on a late-era Pink Floyd album or on Vaudxvhil's To Dimension Logic...in fact, it reminds me a great deal of the introduction on that CD, minus the vocals. The first full track, about 4:30 long, builds on a syncopated eighth note octave riff and evolves into a blend of 6/4 and 4/4 time signatures, and it's up tempo (about 160 bpm) and HEAVY!!!! This is more aggressive than anything Fates has done since No Exit. It's got a modern flavor, primarily because of the guitar tones that almost sounds like they could come from a Tool or Soundgarden record, but this is distinctly progressive metal. The verses are a mixture of atmospheric bits and heavy parts, both with a driving beat. Those who were concerned about Ray abandoning the more traditional FW melodic singing for the more aggressive Engine style need not be concerned. Although there are some parts (mostly single notes) that are a bit more "in-your-face" than APSOG may have been, this is definitely the style that we're used to from FW. The melodies (on the whole CD) are progressive yet accessible - perhaps the most accessible ones that FW has done. The chorus (which alternates between 4/4 and 6/4) has a nice two-part harmony going on. The bridge would be at home on APSOG during one of that CD's most aggressive section. The drumming, as we have come to expect from Mark, is intricate without being overdone and is impeccably composed - each cymbal and drum feels like a note and an integral part of the song rather than simply a percussive event. The outro section, which repeats the APSOG-like bridge, is particularly awesome. The next track-presumably called "So Tired"-is a long one and feels like it has several distinct parts. The first minute or so is at atmospheric introduction that feels like an interstitial bit between the previous song and this one, and reminds me of the part on APSOG right before the bass line begins and Ray sings "I know that you don't know me, and I couldn't know you..." After this, the heavy guitar kicks in, playing chugging power chords and dissonant bends over a straightforward heavy beat (about 120 bpm), with a keyboard melody intertwined. Ray's melody line here is eerie and characteristically FW - it would be right at home on Perfect Symmetry. The first half of the verses are over clean guitar played above resonant power chords. The pre-chorus and chorus are heavier-in fact, VERY aggressive and heavy for post-No Exit FW. Overall, this part sounds right between No Exit and Perfect Symmetry, with some minor techno influences making themselves evident in background keyboard sounds that modernize the tone. This section is followed by a bridge that's progressive and, again, quite aggressive - it sounds like the more aggressive moments on APSOG. This part dissolves into an interlude that begins with just bass, Ray's vocals and a touch of cymbals. It reminds me of the middle section of Maiden's Rime of the Ancient Mariner. The section repeats and builds with drums (think "Wipe Out" by the Beach Boys, actually) and both clean and distorted guitars. After a minute or so, it kicks back into a repeat of the heavy bridge and another verse and chorus from the first part of the song. The next track, Pieces of Me, begins with ANOTHER AGGRESSIVE, FAST (160 bpm or so) PART!!!! It also has the trademark Matheos ascending-minor-scale-melody-on-guitar-over-repeating-chordbased-riffs thing going on. The techno influence in the background of the melody here is somewhat prominent but isn't disruptive...it reminds me stylistically of the techno remix of APSOG Part II, except that this is heavier and faster. Ray's vocals here are "angrier" than we may be used to hearing, but the melody is still there and, again, it's accessible. Particularly during the chorus. The 16-bar bridge could possibly have come from Engine, but the rest of this is heavy Fates Warning of the kind we haven't heard in more than 10 years. A fretless bass and some acoustic guitar open the next track, which is a long one (over 10 minutes). The beginning could come straight from APSOG during that CD's moodier moments, but there's sinister feel to the bass line behind the vocals, and when the last word Ray sings in the verse is whispered and processed above this building, sinister 7/4 figure, it's downright creepy. The section repeats, taking about 4 minutes in total (perhaps a bit drawn out, but given how aggressive the rest of the album is, it actually makes for a good break in the action). After the second time through, and after about 30 seconds of weird processed sounds (again, perhaps a bit much), we get the payoff: a signature Zonder drum riff, followed by the "sinister" 7/4 bit becoming a riff on distorted guitar. The drumming behind this is terrific-typically great work by Mark on the ride. Now this has become another fairly up tempo (120-132 bpm), heavy song. The melodies in the verses are sinister, the choruses have a very pretty melody and have distorted chords with flowing acoustic guitar lines over them. Both are memorable and accessible. The bridge has a heavy APSOG feel to it, and then...GASP...DOUBLE BASS!!!! I don't want to overplay it-this isn't Child of the Damned material-but I haven't heard any double bass on a FW album in a long time. Then it's back to the mellifluous chorus, ending with a perfectly-hit note by Ray that extends for a good 15 seconds. This section of the track ends with syncopated guitar chords over rolls and fills from Mark. After this, a brief acoustic section followed by a repetition of the original "sinister figure" on clean guitar and bass ends the song. The next track, Still Remains, is my favorite on the disc. Another long one, it begins with some atmospheric key pads and ambient techno sounds, and this quickly leads into a slow, brooding section with clean guitars and lightly processed (ala APSOG Part 2) vocals. At 2:30 or so, the song really kicks in. Once again, this is up-tempo (140 bpm or so) and heavy. Those of you who saw FW in Athens will perhaps recognize this section as the new song they performed there. It's difficult to describe, but it grabbed me instantly. The closest comparison I can find is to APSOG Part XI, because it has that same feel to it, but this is a fully-developed song instead of just one section. After two minutes of this APSOG-esque building, I hear traces of Monument in the verse, followed by heavy, aggressive pre-chorus and an APSOG Part XI-esque chorus which truly kicks ass. The melody here is haunting and the piece has a terrific sense of urgency to it. The second verse builds in intensity, adding the heavy guitar over the bass from the first verse. I will go so far as to say that Ray's melodies here are the best he's ever written, and the music is overwhelmingly awesome. The song is woven so seamlessly that it doesn't make sense to dissect it after the initial introduction...it's primarily heavy, but it has some very beautiful, more reflective parts. This is quite possibly my favorite FW song ever...displacing The 11th Hour by a nose. After a brief guitar solo (the only one on the CD) at about 14:00, the music builds to a tremendous climax with a ton of emotion, a soaring melody line over powerful chords, and what has recently become a signature melody move in a half-step minor drop on the last chord (evocative of a few spots on APSOG). This track ends, as many FW songs have in the past, with a repeat of the initial atmospheric section with Ray's haunting melody line. There's a nice touch in that the lightly-processed vocals resolve to a point of clarity on the final words of the lyrics, which are themselves "final words." The end of this song transitions seamlessly into the final track on the disc, which repeats the signature guitar bend from the CD's first note. Behind this, the atmospheric keys kick in, and a simple, haunting piano line (reminiscent somewhat of the end of Faith No More's "Epic") plays over a sample of an old man reciting some soliloquy about the power of love overcoming all and saving us from ourselves. Typical FW: very melancholy, plaintive music accompanying philosophical words. There are no vocals in the track, and my only complaint is that this drags on a bit. On a CD with more than five songs with vocals, I wouldn't mind at all. But on a 51 minute CD, spending 6 on this sort of material is a bit much. The bottom line: it's a bit early to tell definitively, but this may very well be my favorite FW disc. It combines the progressiveness of APSOG and Perfect Symmetry with accessible melodies and a heaviness that we haven't heard in these guys for a LONG time. Unlike many previous CDs of theirs, it's one you can get into very easily almost from the first listen. Yet there's enough going on to hold your interest for many repeat plays. The musicianship is outstanding, as always. Mark has made his kit smaller (two toms plus the floor tom and snare) and yet somehow has managed to get even more creative rhythms with this simpler setup. He told me something along the lines of "this is all you need-if you can't make it work with this, there's something wrong" and I was a bit skeptical at first, but I'm a believer now. Joey's bass work is terrific, if a bit less prominently-displayed here than on APSOG, mostly because the music is carried this time around by a heavy, distorted guitar, and that's very much to my liking as you can probably tell. Ray is in top form. If the vocal performance on APSOG was a 10 (I really think that was basically a flawless performance), this is solidly a 9, and the melodies here are the best one's he's written, in my opinion. Jim's playing is perfectly executed, and the return to heavy composition is more than enough to make me overlook the absence of guitar solos. I'm told that neither he nor Ray are big fans of solos (note the absence on Engine, for example, despite Bernie's formidable lead skills), so we may never hear that particular brand of music coming from FW again, but they (the solos) don't feel as missing here as they do in a lot of music. I should also say something about the production, which is incredible. The mix is pretty much perfect - the keys, drums, vocals, guitars and bass all sound out in front at the appropriate times and nothing is lost. APSOG was a virtually impossible act to follow in the production area but I think they've done it justice here. Summary: The good: - FW is making up-tempo, heavy music again! - Musicianship is top notch, with Mark's drumming shining in particular - Creative, accessible melodies within progressive, challenging songs The bad: - Only five songs with vocals, which makes some of the atmospheric noodling stand out - Still no guitar solos to speak of The ugly: - Honestly, not much to say here. It's a fantastic CD. I don't know when this comes out, but when it does, I think people will love it. If you've got questions, lemme know.