Year purchased 1988
Time for some old school underground progressive metal! I first heard of Fates Warning while in high school from a guy who I would categorize as 'Least Likely to be into underground metal'. I remember him saying he thought they were great but had to be the most anti-life band ever. A few months later on MTV's Headbanger's Ball. The video for Silent Cries (No Exit) came on. It. Blew. My. Mind. Great riffs, great dynamics/textures, great guitar solos, great Halford-esque screams. I had to get this on cassette as soon as possible. The whole album blew me away. Side 2 (remember album sides?) was one 20 minute composition: The Ivory Gate of Dreams. This was exactly what I needed; A band that was equal parts Rush and Judas Priest. It is straight forward metal perfectly mixed with progressive rock and even some thrash influence. To me this was the metal of the future and in some ways I was proven right. (Dream Theater anyone?)
I bought this album near the beginning of my senior year and high school and it really fit me perfectly. By this time I was 100% metal head, I was become proficient on guitar and after 11 years of school finally felt like I had achieved some level of peer acceptance in school. I still didn't fit in, but I think I was respected at this point and had an identity. (metal fanatic, guitar fanatic, future rock star. 2 of those 3 are still true today)
One thing that sticks with me about this disc is how our perceptions of our 'rock stars' are completely distorted. I was 17 when I bought this and if you had asked me 'How old is lead singer Ray Alder and where is he from?' I would have said 'probably 25 or 30', because all rock stars were between those ages, and he's an American because he looked like an American. The real answer is Ray was 19 and Mexican. Also it's pretty comedic to think of Fates Warning as being rock stars. They probably all had day jobs in 1988. It was also common to think that anyone not famous in the US was famous in Europe, therefore they were still rich and famous, just not in the US.
One other piece of personal trivia attached to this album. I've bought it 3 times in my life. Twice on cassette, once on CD. If I lost or broke my CD version and lost all mp3s files of this disc, I'd buy it again in a heartbeat.
Does this disc have an 'anti-life' view? I would say no. It is possibly the most pessimistic disc that I own but it's not anti-life. This disc has helped get me through and understand times of my life that seemed unwinnable, when it seemd there was truly 'No Exit'. I realize now that 'all we do and we dream is NOT doomed to drown in a hopeless stream'. But when it seemed that way, it was reassuring to know that someone else had felt that way. Some really tough years for me were 1993, 1998 and 2001. Having this disc around helped me navigate tough times and brought me back to 1988 which was a pretty good year for me.
Does this disc hold up today? The guitar tones are a little thin but musically this disc is a true gem from beginning to end. Still worth the time/money.
More on this band in the future...
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