Review Summary: Charging blindly into the future
Much like Homer’s fabled gates of horn and ivory, there are two distinct eras that make up Fates Warning’s four-decade history. The first and shorter of which was with original singer John Arch, whose eccentric yet enchanting voice helped gave the band’s first three albums a mystical power-prog sound. The second era with long serving vocalist Ray Alder matches more technical compositions with grounded introspective themes. 1988’s No Exit may be Alder’s first album with Fates Warning, but it stands on its own as a unique though somewhat awkward transition between two worlds.
While Fates Warning wanted to change their name after Arch left the band the year before, No Exit is still closer to the power-prog metal sound of its predecessors than what would follow. But rather than being a mere Awaken the Guardian repeat with Alder singing, the album ended up being the band’s most aggressive album to date. The music may still be defined by winding structures and high-pitched vocals, but the otherworldly aesthetic of old is utterly annihilated by thrash-influenced guitar patterns and a thicker production job. There’s still room for melody and dynamics here, but the contrasts are far more oppressive than on any other Fates album.
The vocals demonstrate this shift even further. While Arch would use his nasally tenor to weave subtly dexterous vocal lines, Alder’s debut shows a punchier singer with much less method to his madness. His near exclusive use of banshee shrieks throughout the album is attention grabbing, but there are moments where he loses control, coming off tuneless as a result. He had a strong desire to prove himself as a singer but often comes off as overcompensating, a cause and effect that’s been acknowledged by Alder himself. There is potential here and thankfully he would ease into a more balanced range on Perfect Symmetry and Parallels.
Unfortunately, the songwriting also suffers from its own overcompensation. The brutal executions of songs like “Anarchy Divine” make them initially stand out, but the riffs and vocal lines aren’t memorable enough to make lasting impressions. This comes to a head on “The Ivory Gate of Dreams,” a haphazardly constructed twenty-minute epic that comes off as complex for its own sake. Thankfully, there are some good songs on here; “Silent Cries” and “In a Word” do offer solid refrains, and “Shades of Heavenly Death” has a particularly heavy crunch.
No Exit is an album with noble intentions that falters in its execution. The intense musicianship and ravenous energy show Fates Warning as eager to keep moving forward, but the unfocused songwriting and unhinged vocals reveal that the band is charging blind. Diehard Fates fans will appreciate the album’s historical significance and thrash enthusiasts may regard it as an interesting curiosity, but new listeners are advised to start with one of the band’s more established albums and work their way here. Alder would noticeably improve on subsequent efforts, but none of them would’ve happened without this.
Highlights:
“Silent Cries”
“In a Word”
“Shades of Heavenly Death”
Originally published at http://indymetalvault.com
