Fates Warning
w/ Halcyon Way and Void of Reason
December 1, 2013
Atlanta, GA
The Masquerade (Heaven)
Fates Warning. Yeah, Fates Warning. I was a huge fan of their Perfect Symmetry and Parallels albums from the ‘90s but over the years I managed to lose touch with the band. They were a band that just completely fell off of my radar but after this year’s release of Darkness in a Different Light they became a blip on my radar once again. How would these progressive metal masters sound after all these years? Well, judging from this new release they hadn’t missed a single beat as they released some amazing material that stood strong beside their much respected and acclaimed past catalog. The only thing that needed to complete this circle was to see them live. Lucky as I am they were playing right here in my backyard at the Masquerade in Atlanta.
When I got to the venue, I was really surprised that there weren’t more people but in all honesty, for being the Sunday after Thanksgiving, the place was about ½ full and this was a dedicated crowd. Everyone that was present had this glow about them like they knew they were going to get something special. The show was being supported by two local openers. The first of them was Void of Reason and the 2nd was direct touring support band Halcyon Way. Even though I had seen Void of Reason before and didn’t like them, I heard they had a new line up. I also had never seen Halcyon Way before so I made my way to the stage with an open mind and prepared myself for what was to come.
Many of you may remember that Void of Reason was a band that I did not like in the least. They had a really bad singer who was always slightly flat who totally ruined it for me. His
pitchy cover of Iron Maiden’s “The Evil That Men Do” the last time I saw them sealed the deal for me and sent me running for the bar. This time around VOR was boasting a new line up with new vocalist Reese Martin. I couldn’t believe that this was the same guy who sang for that redneck/rebel metal crap band Brazen Angel. With this guy at the mic (minus all the hillbilly redneck gimmicks/imagery) I was really blown away by the quality of this band’s songs. This was also proof that all a great singer needs are great songs. Now that they’ve got the actual sound of the band sounding good, they just need to work on their performance. Reese has a great energy as does their lead guitarist but the other two guys on stage were like watching paint dry. Their bassist was the worst with his smug face and his “look at me drink beer and play this open string at the same time.” That wasn’t cool at all and besides that little repeated move, there was next to no movement or showing of expression from this guy. If I was in a band with this guy I’d think he hated the music he was playing. Matter of fact, there were a few times I wanted to hold a mirror under his face just to see if he was breathing. I’ve seen corpses more animated. Well, this is something they can work on but with them sounding as good as they did I will definitely be keeping an eye on these guys from here on.
Halcyon Way was up next and being that they are also local they had a lot of “fans” in the crowd. I say “fans” in quotes because it was more obviously that these were more so “friends” of the band than fans. All 20 or so of them pressed up front. Also, let’s get a few things out of the way. The arrogance of their band description on their Facebook page in itself is hilarious. First off, it reads, “Halcyon Way is Atlanta’s premiere heavy metal band.” Well, unless you guys started back in the late ‘60’s early ‘70’s I’m pretty sure that’s false. When the band walked on stage in their cute little matching zip up work shirts emblazoned with their logo and matching pants, I kind of figured I was going to see something pretty hilarious. Halcyon Way also goes on to say that their live shows are “explosive.” The only thing that was explosive in that show was their bombastic douchebag showboating which made me “lol” more than a few times.
In all honesty, the band has a lot of energy on stage but it’s a contrived, cheesy, arena rock kind of energy. Where VOR had little to no energy, Halcyon Way had way too fucking much energy and it just looks ridiculously fake. Their lead singer obviously graduated from the University of Glam Metal Vocalists with honors as he aced all the moves such as “the back arch”, “the point and smile/wink”, and the ever popular “I can’t hear you.” Um, of course you can’t hear me. I’m not cheering. He wore more makeup than my wife which made him look ridiculous but even as good as his voice was he just sounded out of his element. This guy would be awesome as a singer in like a glam metal cover band or something but even this guy’s great voice couldn’t’ save the fact that this band’s songs just aren’t any good. Lead guitarist Jon Bodan is so ridiculous to watch as well and I even figured out you could play a drinking game watching this joker. Take a shot every time he opens his mouth in that “mute banshee scream” thing. You’ll be fucked up by the end of two songs. I could go on and on about their choreographed headbanging, their cute little haircuts, and the fact that they way overstayed their welcome. At the end of it all, I walked away from their set needing a beer and never wanting to see these guys again. Musically they just did nothing for me and their live performance was comical and at times just kind of sad to me. They obviously have fans and that’s great for them. The fact that all I remember about them is how ridiculous their stage performance is and nothing really about their songs other than they weren’t good says something.
When Fates Warning took the stage, the energy in the room was buzzing with this vibe of appreciation and anticipation. The band took the stage opening with “One Thousand Fires” from their latest album Darkness in a Different Light and right away I was absolutely floored. There was no need for putting on airs or for fishing for cheers as the room was all theirs. It had been so long seeing them that I had no idea that Joey Vera (Armored Saint) was even their bassist for the past 13 years. Vera’s passion, energy, and infections smile lit the room up and really drew everyone in while lead singer Ray Alder’s voice has been virtually untouched by time. He sounds every bit as soulful and powerful as he did 20+ years ago. Watching Alder pour everything he had into each song was mesmerizing. Whenever mastermind/guitarist Jim Matheos would take a solo Alder would just step side stage getting lost in the song like a prog metal Deadhead getting lost in some crunchy jam.
Fates Warning’s setlist was a great mix of their Alder year’s material going as far back as 1988’s No Exit and dipping into parts of A Pleasant Shade of Gray. The newer material from Darkness in a Different Light really stood strong alongside all of these classic songs but for me the real highlight was when they brought out “The Eleventh Hour” > “Point of View.” Hearing and seeing these two songs back to back in a live setting is without a doubt one of my all-time most memorable metal experiences. There is something about these two songs together that just create this really magical, lightning in a bottle kind of moment. The band just seemed to have this way of creating such a vibe that at times I felt like I was the only person in the room that they were playing to. That’s a pretty surreal thing to feel at a metal show. The band closed out the show with the longtime fan favorite of “Monument” from the Inside Out album before bidding everyone a good night.
Fates Warning is a class act and when they left the stage I felt that without a doubt I had just witnessed one of the single most perfect performances I have ever seen. As I drove home
reliving that epic “The Eleventh Hour” > “Point of View” moment, I just couldn’t help but wonder how this band was never as big as Queesryche or even Dream Theater for that matter. For whatever reason it may be as to why
Fates Warning didn’t achieve the success that those guys did, in the end it doesn’t really matter. What matters is that Fates Warning continues to deliver some of the most thought out, well written and well executed progressive metal I’ve ever heard. It’s a secret that I don’t mind sharing but that I also don’t mind having to myself as well.
Fates Warning Setlist:
One Thousand Fires, Life in Still Water, A Pleasant Shade of Gray Pt. III, Another Perfect Day, One, A Pleasant Shade of Gray Pt.VI, Pieces of Me, I Am, The Eleventh Hour, Point of View, Firefly, Through Different Eyes, The Ivory Gate of Dreams: IV Quietus, Wish, Monument
Encore: Remains
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