Jim Matheos really has the best of both worlds these days. Not only does he do his part to help keep the Fates Warning machine rolling year in and year out, he's also managed to keep his former Fates vocalist John Arch in the spotlight with the Arch/Matheos partnership, Winter Ethereal being the second release for this duo after 2011's spectacular Sympathetic Resonance. Supporting the two are current former Fates Warning members Joey Vera, Bobby Jarzombek, Joe Dibiase, and Mark Zonder, as well as Steve DiGiorgio (Death, Testament, Charred Walls of the Damned, Spirits of Fire), Cynic's Sean Malone, and Thomas Lang, all providing drums and bass.
Plenty of varied moods and textures throughout Winter Ethereal, the resulting effect not unlike vintage Fates Warning but mixed with a bit of recent Opeth in spots. Arch still sounds fantastic, his soaring pipes in fine form on the melodic but heavy "Wanderlust", while the jagged & textured prog metal riffing of Matheos works wonders on the highly engaging "Vermillion Moons". Many of the tracks here are fairly lengthy, such as the sizzling prog-metal ripper "Wrath of the Universe", "Never in Your Hands", and the closing epic "Kindred Spirits", atmosphere seeping in between layers of guitars, intricate rhythms, and Arch's uncanny vocals, but even the shorter tracks pack a punch, like the moody "Tethered" and the crushing metal of "Straight and Narrow".
Top notch performances all around here on Winter Ethereal, a title that truly describes the musical ride that you are in store for . Well done once again gentleman!
Track Listing
- Vermilion Moons 9:07
- Wanderlust 5:59
- Solitary Man 5:42
- Wrath of the Universe 8:24
- Tethered 6:12
- Straight and Narrow 4:20
- Pitch Black Prism 7:06
- Never in Your Hands 8:13
- Kindred Spirits 13:01
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