Fates Warning

Epica

ProgPower USA 2012 Recap Day 1

ProgPower USA 2012 had one of its most diverse line ups in the festival’s history. Here is Justin Richardson’s recap of the first day of last September’s festival, which included performances by Sinbreed, Kingcrow, Amaranthe, Serenity, Primordial, Redemption and Epica.

Review recap and all concert photography by Justin Richardson.

A Metal Blade quartet

Metal Blade celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2012. While the label has already released a plethora of classic and genre-defining albums, and fostered and supported our dearly loved heavy metal community, it remains, to this day, as active and energetic as ever. What the metal realm would have looked like without Metal Blade’s steely presence over the past three decades is a frightening thought indeed.

To help celebrate this, here are four new reviews of new Metal Blade titles by our New Zealand based writer Craig Haze, who tackles the new releases by Angel Witch, Exhumer, Ram and OSI

John Arch: The Hellbound Audio Interview

Late last year Jason Wellwood had the chance to speak to the one and only John Arch, the original vocalist for US progressive metal legends Fates Warning about his recent Sympathetic Resonance collaborative album with FW guitarist Jim Matheos under the name Arch/Matheos. Here is their chat, originally broadcast on Jason’s radio program Witchfinder Radio on CILU in Thunder Bay, Ontario, in its entirety.

Arch/Matheos—Sympathetic Resonance

Sympathetic Resonance might only contain six new tracks, but every one of them is superb. I know I’m not the first one to say this, but if you were contemplating investing in some progressive metal and you were reaching for the new Dream Theater release—stop right now. Arch/Matheos is infinitely more creative and a hell of a lot more satisfying. Who knows what will become of the band, but I sincerely hope that they record again because Sympathetic Resonance is an outstanding success on every level.

Fates Warning @ Webster Theatre, Hartford, CT., June 4, 2010

Fates Warning went out on a high note, however, in ending their set with “Through Different Eyes”, taken from 1989’s Perfect Symmetry. Though this was probably the only point in the set which mirrored the awesomeness of Parallels, the feeling of true disappointment never really set, and the audience—ourselves including—left the Webster Theatre on this night feeling fairly satisfied that we’d just witnessed a once-in-a-lifetime engagement.