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Fates Warning - Disconnected review




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Reviewer:
7.9

179 users:
8.26
Band: Fates Warning
Album: Disconnected
Release date: July 2000


01. Disconnected Part 1
02. One
03. So
04. Pieces Of Me
05. Something From Nothing
06. Still Remains
07. Disconnected Part 2

Recently, I (re)discovered Fates Warning : Disconnected. Well, let's see? It's the follower album of their 1997 outstanding-landmark release A Pleasant Shade of Gray. Disconnected was one of these albums I didn't listen so much. Actually it was hidden somewhere in the pile, waiting patiently its turn. But the time has come (at least, I think so!) to give it some more attention, and write down my thoughts?

The album consists of 7 tracks (intro & outro songs are instrumentals), so here we go: 5 actual songs. The instrumental tracks are important because they have the same phrase, firstly as a hypothesis and finally as a conclusion. Of course they're related directly with the cover artwork, which depicts a couple embracing each other (but with gas masks - disconnected!).

The album starts with a penetrating guitar sound, repeating throughout the first track (also some sound samples here). There are some nice guitar riffs (in the second track especially), the vocalist fits perfectly with the melodies. The song types vary (catchy up-tempo Fates Warning songs & also slower rhythms). The sound samples that were used could be described as futuristic (like the ones we find in a sci-fi space movie!). Except that the guitar explodes & the drums start to blast like the storm after a calm period. The "space" sound samples are mixed with fine keyboard melodies (Kevin Moore), alongside with the guitars. I really enjoyed the drums (Mark Zonder), quite remarkable job - powerful and with precision. Some parts are technical, atmospheric & with darker elements, the rhythm is like a psalm (fifth track), continuous, repetitive. It softens though in the chorus. Another interesting thing the band used is the distortion of the vocals, leading to an unexpectedly nice result. Finally, an other aspect of this album can be traced in the outro song that contains a sampled short dialogue "Love overcometh all things". (It was based on a quite strange story I'd say!).

For those who are into progressive metal, this album has many things to discover in my opinion. Of course it's a little bit inaccessible, but it needs your attention to grow inside you. Not their best release, but a typical Fates Warning album.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 10
Songwriting: 9
Originality: 9
Production: 9

Written by treptolemus | 28.09.2009




Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.


Comments

Comments: 10   Visited by: 65 users
28.09.2009 - 11:14
Ellrohir
Heaven Knight
I dont understand...10,9,9,9 and overall 7.9?
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My rest seems now calm and deep
Finally I got my dead man sleep


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28.09.2009 - 14:30
Rating: 7
treptolemus
aphotic_zoning
Well that's my overall impression, it's a little bit inaccessible - that kept me very sceptical, nothing to do with the band's performance & the effort as artists. It was difficult for me to "approach" -compared also with the other albums. It was just the result!
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\m/etalstor\m/
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26.10.2009 - 17:54
ponderer

This album almost made me quit listening to one of the greatest progressive metal bands ever. It's so disappointing on so many levels I don't even know where to begin. There's maybe one or two good tracks but as a whole it blows. John Arch is GOD. Isn't this almost techno metal? Blehk!
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26.10.2009 - 18:44
Rating: 7
treptolemus
aphotic_zoning
Written by ponderer on 26.10.2009 at 17:54

This album almost made me quit listening to one of the greatest progressive metal bands ever. It's so disappointing on so many levels I don't even know where to begin. There's maybe one or two good tracks but as a whole it blows. John Arch is GOD. Isn't this almost techno metal? Blehk!


..Yes i understand your point (I see that there is mixed reception). The only i would say is that, maybe the artists were in a somehow "depressive mood" era back then...& the concept of the album (concerning "weird" psycho theme)

- check that:

On the first of October 1960 a voice manifested in space in the seance-room of British medium Leslie Flint which claimed to be that of the late Dr. Gordon Cosmo Lang, the former Archbishop of Canterbury (1864 - 1945). It was the third time that his voice came through. The spoken dialog in "disconnected (part 2)" is from a recording of this occurance. For more information check this link: www.xs4all.nl/~wichm/archbish.html

Anyway i really don't think that it is outside the "Progressive metal" field..
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\m/etalstor\m/
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02.05.2010 - 21:56
Rating: 9
tea[m]ster
Au Pays Natal
I love the album but I am a Fates Warning fanboy - if you are a prog metal enthusiast the last two tracks alone will expand your opinion and ideas on what prog metal could and should be in the future...
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rekt
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02.05.2010 - 21:59
Kap'N Korrupt
Account deleted
So is a pretty depressing song...its slow and just chugs along with lyrics like "so tired..." like damn...that song put me to sleep...
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02.05.2010 - 22:18
JohnDoe
Account deleted
I love this album, so creative IMO, amazing musicianship; Kevin Moore is guest again and collaborates amazingly with Matheos and Co.
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11.05.2010 - 02:18
Rating: 9
tea[m]ster
Au Pays Natal
Ahhh...nice to see some other FW fans speak up!
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rekt
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20.05.2015 - 06:39
spectres

Hard to read an earlier comment because for me, while I'm also a big fan of John Arch and his Fates Warning era, Disconnected is one of Fates Warning's best overall albums. As with the predecessor, the amazing in its own right, A Pleasant Shade of Gray, I do not consider this as a mere collection of songs, nor good shuffle material, but a contiguous audible work of art. The second track, "One", may stand on its own (and it does), but to really appreciate this album, ideally you listen to it from the beginning, in order, completely through until the end, including the last word, fittingly "disconnected". Then "One" becomes the next step in the progression that is mind altering. The feeling you get after the epic "Something From Nothing" concludes, and you still have the even more epic "Still Remains" remaining I can not find the proper words to describe. Again, this really works best if you have had the proper build-up from track one. And finally Disconnected Part 2, which disguises itself at first as a simple outro rehash of part one, but then transforms into instrumental, spoken-word ominous piano genius.
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26.08.2016 - 22:15
Rating: 8
BlankFile

Good, but not great.

It lacks something else.
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