When you think of progressive metal whom do you think of? Dream Theater? Opeth? Meshuggah? King’s X? Queensryche? Maybe Metallica’s ‘…And Justice For All?’ What ever band or album you think of. None of it could have come into fruition without Fates Warning’s 1986 masterpiece ‘Awaken The Guardian.’
Fates Warning are the original progressive metal band. The first to mix thick, thrash metal guitar tones with massive drums that constantly, even if subtly, change the time signature of the song. Throw in epic, operatic vocals and you’ve got a poster progressive metal band. And Fates Warning’s third album ‘Awaken The Guardian’ set the standard for what was to come.
Opening with ‘The Sorceress,’ the Hartford natives make their statement. This is something new and exciting. And for the lack of pattern in the song, there’s sure a lot of killer riffage, groove and breakdowns to digest. Which is the whole point of progressive metal. ‘Valley Of The Dolls’ brings in a considerable amount of Iron Maiden vibes. If Maiden were more progressive and thrash oriented. ‘Fata Morgana’ displays the best of what vocalist Jon Arch has to offer. ‘Guardian’ kicks up the progressive elements a bit. Its slow crawl sets the mood for a dark ballad.
‘Prelude To Ruin’ straddles the line between straight metal groove and polyrhythmic elements. Something that was way ahead of its time. Gaining ground with bands like Meshuggah and Animals As Leaders decades later. ‘Giant’s Lore (Heart Of Winter)’ is a bit more straightforward. And one of the most bad ass songs in the entire Fates catalog. ‘Time Long Past’ is the obligatory acoustic instrumental bridge. Before the album closes out with ‘Exodus.’ A massive sounding metal track with a classic gallop. Before going into some serious time changes. As per usual.
While ‘Awaken The Guardian’ didn’t perform commercially as well as some its counterparts. I.E. other metal band experimenting with progressive tendencies. It set the standard for what was to come in the progressive metal world. Jim Matheos, Frank Aresti and co delivered a killer metal album. One that would change the landscape of the genre for decades to come. Live it, love it, crank it! What are some of your favorite tracks from the album?
