Album Rating: 4.5

I CONFESSSSSSSS

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

That main riff is one of my favourites on the album, and although I really like Way Home, it might not be in the top half for me in ranking. Under the Sun is great agreed. Could have easily fit on Porcupine Tree's Stupid Dream album



Also where the hell is Source?

Album Rating: 4.0

I really can't see Under the Sun as a memorable effort, sounds very by the numbers to me and standard radio friendly tune. Scars, on the other hand, rules hard.



IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND

Album Rating: 4.5

Under The Sun is a phenomenal ballad and the strings are a nice added touch as well. The Way Home might be in my top 3 Omair, but it really is hard to rank the songs on this record.



The opening to Begin Again sounds like Kid Rock is about to bust out with some vocals loool. I love that one too.

Album Rating: 4.0

Now that I've had time for the album to properly sink in, I must admit to being a little underwhelmed, unfortunately. There are some great songs. My favorites are Longest Shadow, Destination Onward, The Way Home, Shuttered World, and Glass Houses.



A lot of the other tracks sound like they would have been more at home on Ray's solo album, which I enjoy, but expect more intricate material from Fates. None of the highs quite reach the level of my favorite tracks from Theories or Darkness either.



Longest Shadow, however, has to be some of their best ever instrumental work. It's just incredible. I was kind of surprised by how minimalist Jim went with the vocals/lyrics on that song. I think it works, but still find myself wanting more.



Having said all that, I still give it a solid 4. Fates have such a consistently excellent discography, that even an album this good can still seem to lack in comparison to others. I really hope this isn't their final album.

Album Rating: 4.5

Horror sighting YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



'A lot of the other tracks sound like they would have been more at home on Ray's solo album, which I enjoy, but expect more intricate material from Fates.'



I agree with you here. But they would be some damn fine Ray solo tracks!



And Theories will remain untouched for me, as I hail that one as their magnum opus. As a whole, I do like Long Day better than Darkness as I've always been a sucker for Fates' softer side.

Album Rating: 5.0

Alone We Walk and The Way Home are growing on me like ivy - love how the heavy riffs are juxtaposed against lone drum riffs in Alone We Walk.



I'm a bit less overtly impressed by Longest Shadow of the Day than many others.

Album Rating: 5.0

Darkness didn't really give the listener a lot of room to breathe - its a difficult listen and hasn't aged well.



LDGN has a song for every mood - digging the heck out of the diversity. I find that the lyrics are a step up from Theories also.

Album Rating: 5.0

"Finally trending boys! Now for some more people to 3 it after 1 half ass listen -_-"



SO TRUE



Every Fates album starts off at a 3 (even fanboy listeners like me are often befuddled by the parts that sound amazing on first listen placed up against parts that *don't seem* to make since on the first or first few listens)



Then by listen #5, those "less sensible" parts really start to sink in.



Then by listen #7, those "less sensible" parts often become my favorite progressions on the album.

Album Rating: 5.0

" Yeah agreed regarding the lyrical themes. Ray wrote most of the lyrics I think they've improved a lot. At times I thought it was Jim's lyrics because of the word flow and selection, but nope. His voice sounds really smooth as well"



@OmairSh: -- count me in as another who sees the lyrics as vastly improved - not only in the flow, cadence, and phrasing - but also in the images they convey and the ideas they relate.



Some of the lyrics seemed just a little bit meh or less than thought on on Darkness and Theories.

Album Rating: 4.5

Tarjan bud.......WELCOME!!!!!!

Album Rating: 5.0

thanks! long time lurker, first time contributor !!

Album Rating: 5.0

Bobby's groove underneath Ray's soaring vox during the heavy (2nd) section of The Way Home might be my favorite moment in music right now - this tune took a while for my mind to put together take apart and reassemble, but its hitting me like a two-ton heavy thing now (and has been with the 5 previous listens today)



gonna go out on a limb and claim this as one of the greatest FW choruses of all time:



"Waiting in vain

There at night, silence the only answer

Fading away into the night

Into the immense unknown

Those final words

That goodbye, those thoughts you'll hold forever

Escaping pain, forsaking light

Can we find the way home?"



Ray's lyrics are bloody fantastic here also





Under the Sun may be a bit (deceptively) simplistic, but its the perfect cooldown after the passion and pathos of The Way Home.

Album Rating: 4.0

Totally agree. That vocal section in The Way Home is incredible, especially the way it comes out of the solo.

Album Rating: 4.5

Yeah the chorus is amazing. I also find the opening verse(s) to be chillingly profound. Song is definitely one of my favorites on a very strong record.

Album Rating: 4.0

Another recent release where I agree with the gist of the review but not with the rating. To me, this album is like an Arch/Matheos release but with Alder on vocals, and that's just fine by me since I think he's a better vocalist anyway. I agree (to an extent) that this is less moody/emotional/atmospheric as their older stuff, but I find it hard to care when Matheos has probably turned into the best riff-writer in all of metal and Jarzombek is just a total beast on drums. Even Vera's bass performance on this album is killer and mixed really well so that it's audible. To me, the only thing holding this album back is it's too long with a handful of filler tracks--on my first listen I didn't care much for Under the Sun, Begin Again, or Liar... repeat listens may change my mind though. Opener and The Longest Shadow of the Day are monster songs though, absolutely up there with FW's best (Longest Shadow may not cohere terribly well, but all of its different sections are individually fantastic). Shuttered World, Alone We Walk, The Way Home, Scars, and Glass Houses are all excellent too.

Album Rating: 4.5

If I may bitch....



Liar is definitely my least favorite outside of The Last Song. I also don't like how The Longest Shadow fades out at the end. I'm not sure if this is done on purpose in relation to the context of the record, but it doesn't seem right when listening to it.



Such a shame that an album like the new ACDC gets more hate ratings than this gets overall. But that's been the story of Fates' career.

Album Rating: 4.0

$300 is the "sweet spot" for headphones iff you get the Sennheiser HD650s (or Massdrop HD6xx). They're still unbeatable for mids-to-lower-treble performance, and to get a headphone as well balanced but with better bass/upper-treble will cost much more. Best headphones I own are probably the ZMF Auteurs. They're like the HD650s but with much better bass/upper treble. They also cost nearly 5x as much. FWIW, most headphones that cost much more aren't even better than the HD650s. There's very little price-performance correlation in audio and lots of expensive stuff sounds genuinely terrible.

Album Rating: 4.0

I forgot about The Last Song. TBH I think I started dozing during that one as I listened to the album right before bed last night.

Hate/Troll ratings are why I don't any stock in ratings at all. I imagine most AC/DC hate is just too-cool-for-school Gen-Z'ers reacting against popular Boomer music. They should Realize (ah-ah-ah) that without rock 'n roll metal wouldn't exist, and no band embodied the spirt of rock like AC/DC.

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

Damn titan I love Liar, such a fun rock song and a good one-two punch with Glass Houses



Yeah Last Song seems more of a last addition, but I still like it, even if I don't listen to it very often now