Comments for Fates Warning, A Pleasant Shade of Gray

Definitely the most experimental album from a band that has not catered to commercial success (although they tried before!). With the departure of two key bandmates, bassist Joe DiBiase and guitarist Frank Aresti, Jim Matheos takes over the role of songwriter and produces an album of intense power and creativity. The album comprises of one song, broken into component parts (mainly for ease of indexing the different movements of the piece), and may be a tough listen for those used to simple verse-chorus-verse listening, yet this album takes the experimentation of previous projects to whole new level. With the addition of Joey Vera to the line-up in the bass slot, and the guest appearance of Kevin Moore (formerly of Dream Theater), this album is definitely a powerhouse of talent. Also, the performances of Ray Alder`s vocals and Mark Zonder`s unique percussion styles are quite possibly their best ones yet. A great album which could lead to an even greater future with Fates Warning.