Fates Warning – ‘Theories of Flight’ album review

Lookout Big Four, Dream Theater and any other thrash/progressive oriented metal bands, Fates Warning roar back with their second album since their near 10 year hiatus.  Whomever thinks the comeback album ‘Darkness in a Different Light’ was a fluke will surely be silenced by this masterpiece.  This album follows in the same vein as their previous one.  Always changing formulas while still remaining themselves, Fates Warning found a winning formula with their previous album.  With ‘Theories of Flight’ the band stick to what seems to be working quite well.  This album solidifies the new era for the group and the comeback of a lifetime.  Hopefully they will continue in this vein for years to come.  The album starts with a career defining track ‘From the Rooftops’.  I mean, this song is so good when I heard it I just walked over to Ameoba music and bought the album.  The track starts off with a traditional, catchy amniotic groove for the band.  The track then morphs into what is arguably one of their heaviest songs.  The riff twists and churns ready to set off a circle pit of epic proportions.  Ray Alder keeps the band grounded with his clean, soaring voice and accessible melodies.  The album then moves into ‘Seven Stars’ and ‘SOS’.  Both of which are masterfully arranged.  Time changes, heavy riffs and break downs show why this band are the true kings of math metal.  They invented it after all and it’s clear they want their due title.  ‘The Light and Shade of Things’ can be lyrically bland at first, but the music delivers on all fronts.  The lyrics get more specific as the song moves forward.  Like their younger peers Dream Theater, Fates Warning have an uncanny ability to write a ten minute song that feels like five.  ‘The Light and Shade of Things’ is the perfect example of that.  Wherever the song goes, it never feels tired; it’s always fresh.  The centerpiece of the album ‘White Flag’ is one of the strongest songs the band has ever written.  A perfect fusion of thrash and progressive metal, ‘White Flag’ captures any metal listeners ears instantly.  It’s a track that makes me personally question why this band isn’t more popular.  The record keeps truckin’ with ‘Like Stars Our Eyes Have Seen’ which sounds like it might be a soft ballad, but don’t judge a book by it’s cover.  It’s a thrash masterpiece of heavy fucking metal.  One that ranks up with the big four, and even maybe beyond.  The album closes in traditional Fates Warning fashion. ‘The Ghosts of Home’ and ‘Theories of Flight’ could be one track.  The latter is an instrumental piece of amniotic sounds and recorded voice samples.  The former is a Fates Warning epic that belongs on every album.  ‘The Ghosts of Home’ challenges the government establishment on gentrification.  Again, it never gets tired.  The formula is the same as the other album epic ‘The Light and Shade of Things’.  This album proves how enduring Fates Warning really are.  This is their twelfth album even tough they never got the album sales they deserve.  This album is proving to break that mold a bit, it’s a hit on spotify which is essentially saving heavy metal music.  Maybe, just maybe Fates Warning were simply ahead of their time and now their time has come.

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