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The latest release from Fates Warning may have 12 tracks but it is essentially one song. A Pleasant Shade Of Gray is a product of over a year’s worth of work on the part of leader Jim Matheos. He gets credit for writing all of the music and lyrics. The music is a mix of metal and melody. It is both heavy and progressive.
From the lyrics one gets the feeling that Matheos is at a crossroads in his life and perhaps pondering over mistakes he’s made. He sees the world around him and it ain’t a pretty place: “There’s a cloud above us, and there’s a shadow on us, and outside of us hangs this shade of gray.” But the epic does end on a positive note. Jim embraces this shade of gray and uses it as an energy force: “Face to face we’ll awake to see another day, and with hope in our hearts.”
The piece was written as an epic and lead vocalist Ray Alder handles the task of presenting it fluidly to the listener. His voice is as strong and melodic as ever. And like this epic poem, the music also stands alone. The musicians include Matheos on guitar and guitar synth, and Mark Zonder on drums. New to the Fates Warning flock are Joey Vera on bass (formerly of Armored Saint) and Kevin Moore on piano and keyboards (formerly of Dream Theater). Moore was recruited to add a more progressive style by using piano and keys in places where you’d usually find guitars.
To top off this extremely talented group of musicians is prog-rock producer Terry Brown who worked with Fates Warning on Parallels in 1991 and of course on countless Rush albums. Fates Warning plans to play A Pleasant Shade Of Gray in it’s entirety on their upcoming tour. We'll keep you posted as to their whereabouts.
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