Bucket List of Artists I've yet to see Live

This was a list I made in 2013.

The Reign of Kindo
Imogen Heap
Hotel of the Laughing Tree
Fish
Andre Matos
Jan Hammer
Eric Johnson
Godpseed You Black Emperor
The River Empires
Pepe Deluxe
Vuvuzela
Faith No More
Arch Matheos/John Arch
Zak Stevens
Gatherer
Archive
Agalloch
Sigur Ros

I can't think of any off the top of my head to add other than Fjokra and Small Leaks Sink Ships for sure. Some others? bands like Bent Knee, iamthemorning, Textures, Spawn of Possession, Major Parkinson, Bruce Peninsula, Neverending White Lights, 22.

And I can remove thankfully Agalloch (2015), Godpseed You Black Emperor and SikTh (2016), and hopefully in a couple of months The Reign of Kindo.

Vuvuzela/Kiss Kiss (but maybe not Josh Benash), Fish, Andre Matos and The River Empires (but not necessarily Jessy Ribordy and possibly other projects of his) all seem pretty unlikely per they seem somewhat retired.

Which leaves among some of those, people like Imogen Heap and maybe John Arch/Arch Matheos being the longest wait.

I suppose I am missing some others like U2 or even Paul McCartney. But that has a lot to do with cost and crowd-size, although I felt the same about Springsteen many years ago, and then was lucky enough to get tickets from my Aunt who ended up with extra tickets that were better than the original ones she got.

JOHN ARCH!: Interviewed by That Drummer Guy

Very happy Josh got to interview the man himself, one of his and my own personal music heroes and favorite singers.

The interview is mostly about the upcoming Awaken the Guardian live DVD coming out from Fates Warning on April 28th.

I do like though how John did touch on new music towards the end. He's working on it, etc, which obviously has me grinning (on a day, where I'm struggling with that..medical issues and my supervisor stepping down).

Anyway, John is a really down to earth guy, humble and gracious to the fans. I know I couldn't afford it, but this interview only reminds me of how much I admire him and his approach to not only music but his lifestyle. I'd love to meet him of course some day, but if I never do, at least having my good friend Josh get to talk with John about music and his past present and future work feels a bit like that by extension (as many of Josh's interviews do, so happy for him and yet also incredibly jealous!).

React To (C McGuire)/Lists WMJ Won't Make: Top 10 Fates Warning Songs

Hmm, I was thinking like I did with some other React-To and Top 10 Lists WatchMojo won't make, to link the actual songs, but meh, I'm too lazy right now to go that far.

So, Christian McGuire made this top 10 Fates Warning songs list

10. So
9. Part of the Machine
8. Monument
7. The Apparition
6, A Pleasant Shade of Gray VI
5. Epitaph
4. The Ivory Gate of Dreams
3. At Fates Hands
2. Exodus
1. Nothing Left to Say Good list, but it's Fates Warning, which in my mind, it's hard to pick bad songs.

Watchmojo.com of course will never make a Top 10 songs list for them (yet they make top 10 lists about flavor-of-the-month garbage like Loney Island, Sum 41 and BTS..in other words, WHO??)

But it is splitting hairs and there's many I'm not including even outside of the Top 10 or 20, but just for the sake of making this somewhat accurate list, here it is.

It does include of course the John Arch and Arch / Matheos stuff along with regarding A Pleasant Shade of Gray as 1 song, as I, many other fans and the band themselves consider it just 1 or Song-suite, etc.
Outside of the top 20, there are so many other good ones

Firefly (Darkness in a Different Light, 2013)
Guardian (Awaken the Guardian, 1986)
Monument (Inside Out 1994)
Pieces of Me (Disconnected, 2000)
Prelude to Ruin (Awaken the Guardian, 1986)
Seven Stars (Theories of Flight, 2016)
Through Different Eyes (Perfect Symmetry, 1989
Traveler In Time (The Spectre Within, 1985(
Silent Cries (No Exit, 1988)
Sorceress (Awaken the Guardian, 1986)


20. Left Here (FWX, 2004)

19. Damnation (Night on Brocken, 1984)

18. Point of View (Parallels, 1991)

17. So (Disconnected, 2000) 16. Another Perfect Day (FWX, 2004)

15. Ghosts of Home (Theories of Flight, 2016)

14. Fata Morgana (Awaken the Guardian, 1986)

13. Heal Me (FWX, 2004)

12. The Apparition (The Spectre Within, 1985)

11. The Eleventh Hour (Parallels, 1991)

10. Stained Glass Sky (Sympathetic Resonance, 2011)

9. Nothing Left to Say (Perfect Symmetry, 1989)

8, Something from Nothing (Disconnected, 2000)

7. Epitaph (The Spectre Within, 1985)

6. The Ivory Gate of Dreams (No Exit, 1988)

5. Relentless (A Twist of Fate, 2003)

4. The Light and Shade of Things (Theories of Flight, 2016)

3. Cheyenne (A Twist of Fate, 2003)

2. Still Remains (Disconnected, 2000)

1. A Pleasant Shade of Gray (A Pleasant Shade of Gray, 1997)

Dead By Wednesday - Darkest of Angels ft JOHN ARCH!

This is awesome, but then again, more or less everything John Arch sings on is.

I swear the guy could sing the phone-book and I'd love it.

Random Artist Feature Video: FATES WARNING (16 minutes)

So obviously time permitting, I am trying to do something new with my YouTube channel. I sort of did it with Subterranean Masquerade earlier this year when I made a video for them and featured their new album The Great Bazaar.

And even some of the collection videos like my Marillion Collection video I made, which covered a lot of ground, but still wasn't covering all the history/my history, etc.

So this new video I just made covers for the most part My History and THE history of Fates Warning, vaguely.

Of course a band like Fates Warning, who have 11 studio albums, to cover every album in detail, and also include John Arch's stuff, would take a lot more than even the 16 minutes this video was made in.

So, what I may at some point do is do individual videos or Reduxes that are more in-depth. But for now, this is how I'm going to try and make these.

They may be artists with small catalogs, or artists, with 1 album (Apes and Androids or The Stilletto Formal?) or artists with large discographies.

Or I may just go random into just 1 album in-depth, or the whole Retro Favorites historical calendar year thing. I dunno, but the random-ness part of it makes it kind of fun.

I mentioned dredg, Oceansize and The Dear Hunter, but I may not get to them next as Downfall already commented with a request for Dream Theater, who actually someone else asked me to do the same thing a couple of months ago, so I may just do it.


As for the actual video, it came out well, except for some stuff like getting the drummer's name wrong and not having all of my collection to show exactly. That and some notes that were a little out of order. But as I know, the more you do this stuff, the more you learn and try and improve them.

Interview with Victor Arduini (ex-Fates Warning)

I am sharing this and add what I can for now. As some may know, I am a very big fan of Fates Warning, including pretty much ALL of their work, which includes the 2 albums original guitarist Victor Arduini played on. I honestly have not thought about what happened to him, sadly, in a long time, if ever. Although it's odd how that is the case, given I for one, absolutely LOVE The Spectre Within and still regard it as the best John Arch-period record, and probably among their 5 best records. 

I also will never forget how down I was when I found out Joe DiBiase was leaving the band around 1995 or 1996, right after I got into them. A guy I was tape-trading with and writing to about bands, mentioned how he thought Fates might be done. He wrote I recall  "Jim will probably hang it up" or something. So my even new-found emotional attachment to Fates Warning (I only became a fan around 1995 or 1996), gave me very strong feelings about an original member leaving even then. Why Victor, Steve Zimmerman and John Arch's departure wasn't the same, I suppose it only can be thought due to the fact Joe was still a member when I came on board, while those others (and Frank Aresti) were not.

I suppose I also was still unhappy about the fact Kevin Moore had left Dream Theater not too long before that as well.

But he does speak out, frankly, about as brutally honest and even in an outspoken tone at times, this interview kind of has me seeing him and maybe even Jim Matheos in a slightly different light.

I guess part of it is, how he departed. This is his perspective of course, but I guess I always assumed it was on good terms and there wasn't any ill-will or bitterness. Jim has often if not always come across as a reasonable if not rather like-able guy who avoids those kinds of conflicts. But maybe the fanboy in-me doesn't know or see him entirely how I could.

But the whole perception Jim has, has been quoted about his feeling of the early music before. I remember the quote (paraphrasing) "I look back on that early music and realize what a DORK I was."

I never forgot that, but also, especially with his recent experience with John Arch again, I don't know how serious he is about that. Maybe he doesn't revere it, or sees it as mostly nostalgia, rather than how Victor sees it still. But I guess I'm not sure why that should fully detract on Jim's interest to talk about it and play any of that music live again.

Now WITH Victor or Steve Zimmerman? that may be more of an issue But as Victor talks about in this interview, it's too bad he was there (and Steve?) in Hartford, CT and they couldn't join the others on stage, seems kind of silly. Maybe/Hopefully another time.

I also am curious about how Victor feels about Fates Warning's music since he left. He sort of says some of it is interesting, but almost like it's not THEE Fates Warning he founded, etc. I wonder if he kind of feels like they should have changed the name of the band or something. But by that, I wonder if he really enjoys the idea of being "progressive" anyway. 

As far as his band Freedom Reign, I am totally unaware of them or their music. I may check them out, although from the description he gave, I'm not sure how far they will go. I do like some Black Sabbath, including some of the Ozzy stuff (although I have not checked out the new reunion album, and the reviews haven't really got me too motivated at this point. Otoh, Sound Opinions, among other places, just reviewed it and I would be curious what they said).

I suppose my curiosity would be, *how* Spectre-like is it? and part of the issue with that is, without John Arch and John Arch's VOCAL LINES/LYRICS/MELODIES I wonder how it could capture what was so great about SPECTRE. But it probably is still worth sampling no matter.


from THIS FACEBOOK GROUP POST




COMPLETE ROCK HARD INTERVIEW:

1. Why did you leave Fates Warning after "Spectre"?
I was asked to leave as I was becoming concerned how I would afford to raise my family if the band went on a full tour. Back then we were all in our early 20's and I was the only member who was married. I learned I was to be a father in the coming year. We didn't make any money at the time and the prospect of quitting my job to go on the road just wasn't a reality. The other guys were young, hungry and single !! After expressing my concerns the band had a meeting which led to my dismissal. It was mutual at the time although I was very upset with Jim as he clearly expected everyone to put the band first at all costs or you were out. the problem was he wasn't the leader of the band. We were all equals in a sense but made to feel if we didn't go along he would get members to vote with him (reluctantly) and you'd get out voted. Jim and I were both writers in the band and competing to contribute to band. At times I felt he wanted more control than I would allow and that caused tension between us. After I left he became more controlling with other members of the band which led to John Arch leaving after ATG for similar reasons of difficulty touring as me with similar ultimatums given. From that point Jim finally got what he wanted and became the "leader" of the band. He now could write most of the songs and have full control over the direction of the music. While I still wish I could have been a part of ATG (We actually were rehearing a few songs before I left), I would have left after John did. he was the voice of the band and the arrogance of kicking John out would have really pushed me over the edge.. I appreciate the fact that Fates name and legacy have endured over the years and Jim has made some interesting music but I really just don't connect to what they have became musically in the following years.

2. What does the first two albums mean to you?
The first two albums are my youth. It brings back memories of five young guys still learning their chops and finding their influences together through all the new music coming out at the time. We were really a band of brothers who wanted to be a part of the metal world and began to write our first songs together in a garage while soaking up all this great music going on around us. Night On Broken was a raw, to the point metal album that started it all. I still remember getting the copies in the mail and holding our first record. Man we were so proud and we never looked back. We now saw ourselves as recording artist and felt we were among our peers. We began to get opening slots for Anvil, Overkill, Attacker, Obsession, Motorhead, Queensryche and got to live the life we always wanted.. The Specter Within was our first real production. The songs were much better written and it was so fuckin' heavy !! We got to live in California for 5 weeks to record the disc. We had the ability to get the best sound we wanted and to this day is is my favorite album Fates has done because it is just so raw and pure. I would have wanted to see Fates stay true to what Specter started and just expand from there. Freedoms Reign's CD is more of a continuation from where I left off with Spectre. Not that I'm trying to recapture Fates. It's more of just who I am as a musician and the natural abilities and influences that I had in 1985 are still there and I'm just being myself when I pick up a guitar and write riffs. There gonna have some sense of similarity with 28 years of growth and experience.

3. Why didn't they ask you to join them on stage for a couple of songs in Hartford 2012 ?
You'd have to ask Jim. It was suggested at one time to even do a tune but never heard anything beyond that. I was pretty uspet we couldn't get together for a bow. I mean it's the only time we all were in the same building and yet you don't make it happen ? For what reason wouldn't you ? No matter how many versions of Fates there are there will only be one true original line up that started it all. You can't erase that time or era. You can't pretend it doesn't matter. No matter what the five of us know what those first few years were about and despite that Jim has no interest in returning to his past, the rest of us still do as do many, many fans who would have loved to see us together for a moment in our hometown. People have asked me if I'd ever do a reunion show and my answer is YES !! But I know for a fact Jim would never consider it and even if he did I would find it hard to stand on stage and enjoy it while knowing he's mocking the songs inside and feeling he's above them now. Sorry but I embrace them and to play them again would be amazing and I'd need to know everyone on that stage felt the same way.

4. What have you done after leaving Fates and forming Freedoms Reign ?
Well I raised two fantastic kids which took up most of the next 20 years. I actually didn't play guitar for a few years after Fates. Just trying to find myself and be a good dad. But I soon realized how much I missed making music. I began writing/recording with some friends and soon saw myself back where I came from. I actually played bass for 3 years in a great local band who went through the process to trying to get signed..I've recorded a solo project in 1993 (Painted Horse) which I'm pretty proud of. In addition I went back to school and became a Registered Nurse and have spent 20 years working with the elderly. It's another passion that's rewarded my life.

5. How was the show for you in Hartford with the band ?
The show was fantastic !! We got to play some new songs to a Fates audience and it went over very well. Having so many people come up to us after the show and comment on the songs and energy they felt really said alot.

6. How is your relationship with Jim nowadays ?
It's more of a business relationship. he will let me know of things going on with re-releases or other business. We don't really speak or communicate much for other reasons. There's just not much in common except we both played together 30 yrs ago. And while I still embrace and cherish those days and the music we made I just don't think he feels the same which is pretty sad. Somehow he's embarrassed by it and can step away because of the what he's done since. It's like Sabbath turning their back on Paranoid !!!

7. Please introduce us to the band
The band consists of Mike Jones/Bass, Tommy Vumback/Guitar, Chris Judge/Drums. The band was actually in place before I joined. They had some songs written which I produced as a demo. I ended up writing lyrics, singing and soloing on all 10 and we put it out as a local release. I never planned on joining but was really impressed with their musicianship. Mike and I have know each other since we were 10. We actually found Steve Zimmerman together and started a cover band of new metal which then became Fates Warning. We've best friends who have played together over the years. Finally we get to play together again

8. In Freedoms Reign you sing and play guitar. How did you get the idea to take the vocals ?
I became a singer out of desperation. lol.. Seriously I just couldn't find a vocalist who heard the songs the way I did. There's so many great vocalists out there which I don't see myself as one, but good vocals don't always project the vibe of the song. I wrote or co-wrote all the music on this CD and had melodies in mind which I just couldn't see other people singing. I began doing some vocals in another bands I was recording with and realized I could make it work. After doing our 1st local release I got the confidence to do it full time and here we are. The new Cd allowed me the proper recording to bring out my vocals in the best light. I really dig writing the words and melodies over my music. It brings it full circle. I'm no John Arch but a bit of Ozzy will do.

9. Can you describe the bands style ?
The music is just Old School Metal !! Each song is it's own piece with influences from our past as well as present. I don't walk away from my Fates days and still bring a sense of that style and sound to the music. It's not a purposeful thing. I just still like to play the same way and love to write heavy powerful riffs just like i did in 1985. Yet there's so many things I've been influenced by over the years that show their way trough the music. I've already begun to write for the next CD which we hope to begin recording by early next year. I can say it will be darker and heavier. Some really cool riffs going on.

10. How big is the Sabbath influence ?
Sabbath will always be a huge influence in my writing. I worshiped them back in the day and Iommi's riffs are just amazing. I'm a riff player too and love to play any Sabbath riff I can. I don't want to be a Sabbath style band but there will always be an element of them in the writing. I've been told some of the vocals remind them of Ozzy. I really never even thought of that. I guess i just sing with a similar approach. I love listening to Ozzy sing Sabbath but also how the music and the vocals always worked so well together. Every album they did was a bit different than the last where todays bands sound identical to their last. I can't tell what album a song is from. I'd like to see our band approach each release the same way.

11. How did it come that Nick Belmore did the production ?
I heard a demo by Joe DiBiase's son's band (Oath Of Insanity). The first thing that blew me away was the production, especially the drum sound. It was exactly what I wanted and know with our songs he could bring them to life. We met and hit it off instantly. He truly has a talent for recording and was a great extra member of the band in the studio. He's worked with Hate Breed as well as his own band Toxic Holocaust.

12. You signed to a European label. How did that happen ? Did you find an American distribution ?
There's really not a great audience for actual CD's in the U.S. We went with Enrico at Cruz Del Sur because he has a great reputation in the U.K and has the ability to get our music to an audience that respects what we do. There's such a cool metal scene in Europe. The kids still support the band by buying the CD's, going to shows. It reminds me of when Fates began in 1983. Bands such as Metallica, Iron Maiden, Merciful Fate, Accept, Diamond Head, Loudness were all just starting and I couldn't get enough of it. You'd go down to the local record store and see what new imports were in. Now I see the same thing in U.K. I have one goal and that is to get our band over to UK and do some shows. I want to be apart of what's going on knowing our music would fit right in. There's a huge Fates following in Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Greece, Holland and I want to see us get on some festivals and/or support another band doing a few weeks of shows. We're looking to see how the CD does and go from there.

13. Do you include some fates warning songs in the setlist ?
No.. First of all I can't sing that stuff and secondly we don't want to confuse people. I mean this band has nothing to do with Fates other than myself once playing with them. Fates is a special thing to me and unless I see John Arch and the band standing on stage with me I really would rather not do it. I did do a one-off show last year with Steve Zimmerman's band and at end of the night we played 2 old Fates classics (Misfit and Soldier Boy) It was great to do it and we nailed it pretty good. felt like 1984 all over again.

14. For sure you cannot live on the money you earn with FR. What is your profession ?
I'm a Registered Nurse. I always say it pay's the bills so I can loose money playing music !!! Seriously I love Nursing. It's a great career, very rewarding and I love the geriatric population I get to work with every day. As far as Freedoms Reign goes we just hope to earn enough to record another CD as well as get to UK to do some shows. Once you take the thought of being rich out of the equation everything makes sense and is fun. The passion to write and record music is something I'll never put a price on

15. What is the message behind the cover ?
There really isn't any meaning. We came up with our name just throwing some ideas around. When I saw the artwork it just appealed to me in some cool way. The angel in the picture has been freed from her reign of submission, yet she seems sad as if she may not want to be free. Sometimes in life the obvious choice isn't what we always want.

16. Is FR a political band ?
Absolutly not. I hate fuckin politics. I can't stand how the US Government operates. I mean whatever one side comes up with the other rejects just out of spite. For being the greatest nation in the world we have our heads up our ass when it comes to making decisions and getting things done. Supposed to be "One Nation, Under God... "We act like kids sometimes and I'd never mix music with politics. Would take all the fun out of it — with Tom Vumback.

Fates Warning: Mid-Late Fall 2013 Tour Dates/News

I have posted some stuff about the upcoming Fates Warning album when an update was given a few months ago. But a lot of the comments over on mp.com about this announcement talked about Ray's voice, and so I chimed about the upcoming album and tour.

the big thing for Ray to me is, if he has Terry Brown writing vocal lines for him, the quality of his voice doesn't matter so much. FWX was good, but I felt his vocals/the vocal melodies were better on both APSOG and Disconnected. 
  
As far as the tour, I think the fact it's so far away, I may have a chance to plan to travel to see one of those dates. Although I would honestly prefer to see an Arch/Matheos show given I've never seen John Arch live; but John Arch's ability both physically and schedule-wise (and desire?) to play live is probably not what the other members of FW and Arch/Matheos are. But who knows. More likely, Arch/Matheos could make a FESTIVAL appearance, which inevitably would cost more money than a tour date, but beggars can't be choosers of course.

But good to see tracking begins in April.


http://www.metalunderground.com/news/details.cfm?newsid=90255


The wait is over, and one of the premier bands of the American progressive metal movement is back! Fates Warning is proud to announce that the band will enter the studio in April to begin tracking on a new studio album - the group's first album of new material in nine years, and first studio release for InsideOut Music.

The Fates Warning U.S. run will launch November 15th in Joliet, IL and wrap December 14th in Seattle, WA. The band's 11th studio album is set for a fall release, and will feature founding guitarist Jim Matheos, classic lineup members Ray Alder (vocals) and Frank Aresti (guitars), longtime bassist Joey Vera, and drummer Bobby Jarzombek.

Tickets for the band's long-awaited winter tour will be available for purchase starting March 27th - please see below for all Fates Warning U.S. tour dates (European and South American dates will be announced soon). Fates Warning was also recently covered in our Sunday Old School column here.


Nov. 15--Joliet, IL--Mojoe's
Nov. 16--Detroit, MI--Harpos
Nov. 17--Louisville, KY--Diamond Pub & Billiards
Nov. 18--Cleveland, OH--Peabody's
Nov. 20--Toronto, ONT--Mod Club
Nov. 21--Poughkeepsie, NY--The Chance
Nov. 22--Hartford, CT--Webster Theater
Nov. 23--New York, NY--The Studio @ Webster Hall
Nov. 24--Clifton, NJ--Dingbatz
Nov. 26--Amityville, NY--Revolution
Nov. 27--Lancaster, PA--Chameleon Club
Nov. 29--Springfield, VA--Empire
Nov. 30--Spartanburg, SC--Ground Zero
Dec. 1--Atlanta, GA--Masquerade
Dec. 3--Houston, TX--Scout Bar
Dec. 4--San Antonio, TX--Backstage Live
Dec. 5--Dallas, TX--Trees
Dec. 7--Phoenix, AZ--Rocky Point Cantina
Dec. 8--San Diego, CA--Brick By Brick
Dec. 10--Los Angeles, CA--The Whisky
Dec. 11--San Francisco, CA--DNA Lounge
Dec. 13--Portland, OR--Hawthorne Theater
Dec. 14--Seatlle, WA--Studio Seven

Arch/Matheos : Sympathetic Resonance: Track-By-Track Interview

So this interview session Brian Slagel of Metal Blade Records did with John and Jim has been up for about a month, but I didn't want to watch them until I had taken in the record at least a bit, as I and many others finally have since it was released yesterday.

I have of course a lot of potential content to say about this album (not that I already have the past year before hearing it, lol), but just a few noteworthy things from this interview.

-the album was written in the order the songs were put on the album which is pretty unusual

-they likely plan to do more music down the road (although I swear that was said around the time or soon after the release of A Twist of Fate for John, but I can't be certain), so that is certainly something to look forward to, in this age it seems of bands breaking up seemingly every month if not every week; it is good to hear about an artist like John Arch, who I find as enjoyable as any musician making music now or the past 30 years, to be looking to make more music. Especially with the lack of info about his interest in music, really only when info about this came out, since 2003.

-lyrically, this album is going to have to be one to sit down, read, and digest, even with a lot of the lyrics being relate-able and personal-able

-the last song "Incense and Myrrh" being more or less a John-song, in a way makes me feel all the more fulfilled in how it is rather epic, namely the last couple of minutes. And I always wondered with the AToF EP, if a lot of the melodic and compositional ideas were John's or Jim's (or both), and somehow given I love how that track ends, it reminds me of AToF in a way. Also the fact it was included, as Jim was not thinking the album needed more after they finished "Any Given Day," the previous song. Possibly Incense and Myrrh makes this album at least 1/2-star better. I guess I need more time with it obviously to be more certain.

Arch/Matheos - Sympathetic Resonance (2011) (2.0)

9/9/11 6:06PM

half of it can be streamed here

my disc+shirt hopefully will be at the Post-Office tomorrow.

8/28/11 11:47PM
Interesting interview with Jim and John (even though it appears to be about a month old, I hadn't seen it until tonight). I'll confess, hearing the clip of "Stained Glass Sky" a bit more, I'm a little concerned here. But this discussion helps still, in where John is coming from. John isn't used to singing mid-range, but apparently even as self-critical as he is, he was satisfied on how he was able to sing in that lower of a register.

But it's only a couple of weeks away now from dropping, so all the speculation can finally end soon.



7/11/11 3:33PM
5 minute clip of "Stained Glass Sky" *drool*.



bio:
In 2010, Jim Matheos (current member of the progressive rock powerhouse Fates Warning and OSI) and John Arch (former vocalist of Fates Warning) teamed up to form the new progressive metal band, ARCH/ MATHEOS. The band -accompanied by the talented lineup of Joey Vera on bass, Bobby Jarzombek on drums, and Frank Aresti on additional lead guitar- began tracking the drums for their debut album Sympathetic Resonance on January 12 and continued to record through March with Jim Matheos producing. The technical proficiency of the band’s instrumentalists is apparent throughout the disc's 6 tracks, three of which clock in at over ten minutes each; each musician bringing great depth, complex layers, and powerful harmonies to the table with the end result being as dynamic as it is exciting.

The group's talent and versatility is apparent on their debut long-player, Sympathetic Resonance, which clocks in at just shy of 55 minutes. Jim Matheos notes; "a lot these songs, Neurotically Wired, Midnight Serenade, Stained Glass Sky, and parts of others, started off as material for the next Fates Warning record. Ray (Alder) was unable to commit to a record at that time so I approached John about doing a couple songs together, maybe another EP. We just took it one song at a time and didn't even really consider doing a full length CD until probably over half the record was written."

Jim Matheos offered his insight on the writing and recording process of Sympathetic Resonance; "I think John and I work really well together. There's a lot of mutual respect and trust in what we do. But, we're also both very critical of ourselves, and each other. This can make for a long and, sometimes, tedious process. But ultimately it's one I enjoy because I think it brings out the best in both of us." John Arch added; “When I first heard some of the arrangements Jim had written and recorded, it took quite some time before I could wrap my mind around the odd time signatures and guitar work going on here. There are some long compositions, so putting anxiety and apprehension on the back burner it was time to dissect these numbers into digestible bits. After the lengthy process of lyrics and melodies, listening to the songs now, I can't imagine them any other way."

In terms of the lyrical content on Sympathetic Resonance, John Arch comments; " lyrically -with the exception of ‘Epitaph’ from The Spectre Within- where I am in the first person, there has been a pattern of using characters, imagery and symbolism to create stories, where the characters are in the forefront acting out the story line. This time, much like A Twist of Fate, the man again steps out from behind the curtain without the third person to reveal his human flaws. There are still plenty of metaphors and phrases that are open to interpretation, but just how transparent or relevant the meanings are to those who read the lyrics we will have to see.”

ARCH / MATHEOS debut Sympathetic Resonance will be released September 13, 2011 in North America.

Lineup:
John Arch – vocals (former Fates Warning)
Jim Matheos – guitars (Fates Warning, OSI)
Joey Vera – bass (Armored Saint, Anthrax, Fates Warning, Seven Witches)
Bobby Jarzombek – drums (Halford, Fates Warning, Sebastian Bach, Riot)
Frank Aresti - additional lead guitar (Fates Warning)



http://fateswarning.com



*PRE-ORDER* will ship on or around 09/08/2011
Track List:
1. Neurotically Wired
2. Midnight Serenade
3. Stained Glass Sky
4. On the Fence
5. Any Given Day (Strangers Like Me)
6. Incense and Myrrh

Pre-order CD and T-shirt packages here:
http://www.indiemerchstore.com/b/arch-matheos

Yes, thank you very much. I'd like more please :).

Related: Arch/Matheos - Sympathetic Resonance (2011) (1.0)

Arch/Matheos - Sympathetic Resonance (2011) (1.0)

6/20/11 10:48PM



edit okay, Jim does clarify the differences a bit there. Huh. Now, I'm a tad less optimistic about it, only in that given how much control John had. I dunno. The quotes from John Arch in the story as well.

I guess it's all words, and until hearing it, the differences might not mean any thing (or even be noticed/a factor on how good it is).

http://www.metalblade.com/news/06-20-11-04.html

Arch /Matheos: Band sets "Sympathetic Resonance" as the title of upcoming debut full-length album Fates Warning guitarist JIM MATHEOS and original vocalist JOHN ARCH team up for new band!

As previously announced, Jim Matheos (current member of the progressive rock powerhouse Fates Warning and OSI) and John Arch (former vocalist of Fates Warning) have teamed up to form the new progressive rock band, ARCH/ MATHEOS. The band -accompanied by Joey Vera on bass, Bobby Jarzombek on drums, and Frank Aresti on additional lead guitar- began tracking the drums on January 12 and continued to record through mid February with Jim Matheos producing. ARCH/ MATHEOS is pleased to announce Sympathetic Resonance as the title of the debut album, which will be released September 13, 2011 in North America.

Jim Matheos offered his insight on the writing and recording process of Sympathetic Resonance; "I think John and I work really well together. There's a lot of mutual respect and trust in what we do.
But, we're also both very critical of ourselves, and each other. This can make for a long and, sometimes, tedious process. But ultimately it's one I enjoy because I think it brings out the best in both of us." John Arch added; "When I first heard some of the arrangements Jim had written and recorded, it took quite some time before I could wrap my mind around the odd time signatures and guitar work going on here.
There are some long compositions, so putting anxiety and apprehension on the back burner it was time to dissect these numbers into digestible bits. After the lengthy process of lyrics and melodies, listening to the songs now, I can't imagine them any other way." In terms of the lyrical content on Sympathetic Resonance, John Arch notes that "the lyrics this time around are more in line with A Twist of Fate and not of the mystical nature of some past albums."

More details will be released over the coming months so be sure to stay tuned to MetalBlade.com. ARCH/ MATHEOS pages on Facebook and Twitter coming soon!

Lineup:
John Arch – vocals (Fates Warning)
Jim Matheos – guitars (Fates Warning, OSI) Joey Vera – bass (Armored Saint, Anthrax, Fates Warning, Seven Witches) Bobby Jarzombek – drums (Halford, Fates Warning, Sebastian Bach, Riot) Frank Aresti - additional lead guitar (Fates Warning)

Damn, what a great thing to read about on my 35th birthday. I like many things about this. It's still my #1 anticipated record. The title and quotes sounds like it may be an extension of AToF which I can't lie, is more or less exactly all I'd ever hope for.

Damn, September 13th, the parents 40th anniversary, new Arch/Matheos, Dream Theater, St.Vincent and possibly more.


5/10/11 7:51PM

Brian Slagel of Metal Blade posted this on twitter over the weekend:

Great to see John Arch and Jim Mateos last night. Album is AMAZING!!! They will be doing tons of press as well. Out in Sept. 1:25 PM May 7th via web

I also noticed they aren't clear on the NAME of the band yet. "Arch/Matheos" or "A/M" perhaps.

Good news to read about my most anticipated record of 2011.


1/19/11 7:27PM

Previous post on 1/12/11

Arch / Matheos currently tracking in the studio

AGOURA HILLS, Calif. – January 19, 2011 – Jim Matheos (current member of the progressive rock powerhouse Fates Warning and OSI) and John Arch (former vocalist of Fates Warning) are currently working together on a new full-length album that will be released in late spring/early summer via Metal Blade Records. The band, called ARCH / MATHEOS, began tracking the drums on January 12 and will continue to record through mid February with both John Arch and Jim Matheos producing the album.
ARCH / MATHEOS features an all-star lineup including the talents of Joey Vera on bass (Armored Saint, Anthrax, Fates Warning, Seven Witches), Bobby Jarzombek on drums (Halford, Fates Warning, Sebastian Bach, Riot), and Frank Aresti on additional lead guitar (Fates Warning). More details will be released over the coming months so be sure to stay tuned to FatesWarning.com & MetalBlade.com

So the other post from last week was a partial false-start. Arch/Matheos is the moniker; which actually makes a lot of sense, given Jim co-wrote "Relentless" on John's EP.

Glad to see more info as I noticed the post Joey Vera made on facebook last week was pulled a few days later. It got me worried. I'm frankly, ecstatic anticipating hearing this, as when I read the bit from Joey Vera last week about learning new John Arch tunes, that album immediately became my most anticipated record for 2011, or for that matter, in a number of years.

The only question that this raises is with all of the Fates Warning guys involved save for Ray Alder (obviously), I wonder if the next FW record is not gonna happen. Jim has OSI this year as well, and Ray is kind of busy with Redemption I think.

As a Fates Warning fan, I'm a little concerned given the group has taken long backseats to these other projects. I mean Bobby and even Joey for that matter (and Frank too) came/came back to playing with Jim from what I read was for Fates itself.

But at the same time, maybe this is what they're doing. I adore John and Jim's writing especially (save for the recent OSI, lol). I guess if the next Ray Alder-involvement with these guys (save for John, or who knows, maybe John could also comeback in some way?) is pushed back another year or 2, I'm still happy; since for many years of course the belief was John may never do anything else after that landmark EP from 2003.

Local Natives News: Film + Andy leaves

Wow, 2 pieces of news that are slightly delayed on my part. But, for one, Local Natives, as much as I still love their music and the guys are great, they have finally *made it* so to speak. At least for now. So my keeping tabs on them every day might not be what it once was.

Plus, I don't recall seeing them post anything about these 2 things on twitter or facebook. I may have missed them and they got buried in my twitter feed I suppose.

But my thoughts are 1st sad about Andy leaving as he had been with them more or less since the beginning of Cavil at Rest. But I also am reminded of the likes of people like John Arch (Fates Warning) and maybe more similarly, John Rutsey (Rush) among many others, in the whole constant touring and attention gets to be too much to deal with.

Kevin Moore with Dream Theater is another clear example of that.

But who knows the exact reason behind Andy's departure. I only wish him well and the band can find a new bass player soon.

Actually another that comes to mind in a way is Kile Brewer with Kaddisfly. Another parallel with K-Fly, lol.

As far as this new film, I'm certainly looking forward to it. I couldn't help but watch it and think, I'd like to see Fleet Kittens rock out like that ending of Sun Hands there.

Unfortunate News

It is with extremely heavy hearts that we announce that we have recently parted ways with our bassist Andy Hamm. Due to unresolved differences within the band, we strongly feel that, in order to continue in a positive direction, this is the best course of action. We wish Andy the best and will miss him deeply.


-Kelcey, Matt, Ryan and Taylor


"Almost Home" film coming from filmmakers High/Low


Local Natives: Almost Home Trailer from High/Low Film on Vimeo.

Weaving together two sold-out shows at The Fonda Theatre with a series of intimate vignettes exploring the patience, respect and compromise that propel the Local Natives’ volatile creative nucleus, Almost Home is the story of a true democracy, where every band member contributes equally, sharing in the triumphs and follies of building a career the old way: by rarely seeing home. Visually, Yours Truly and High/Low Film took cues from the band's home-grown album artwork to cultivate a pop-art aesthetic, mixing the mediums of 8mm, 16mm, still photography, and digital video for a tale of friendship, hard work and self-sacrifice.

Cynthesis - DeEvolution (2011) (1.0)

Facebook

myspace with a sample/edit of "Incision"

Biography
Cynthesis

Jasun Tipton - Guitars and Keys

Troy Tipton - Bass

Erik Rosvold - Vocals

Sean Flanegan - Drums



Cynthesis - DeEvolution

The music of Cynthesis is created by musicians who love progressive, cinematic - Rock/Metal music. DeEvolution tells the story of an elite group of leaders from a heavily industrialized city who find, brainwash and then exploit an indigenous tribes shaman, believing he would be the perfect supreme leader. By propping him up as possessing all the answers to societies ills the elites use him in order to gain and keep more control over the masses. They plan to influence the masses on several fronts: Religion, Media, Consumerism, Government.

Twin brothers, Jasun and Troy Tipton along with Erik Rosvold released two albums with the Progressive-Metal act Zero Hour. Michael Rensen of the premier German magazine Rock Hard proclaimed, "Zero Hour is one of the five Best Progressive Newcomers in the late '90s!" The band's second album "The Towers of Avarice" (Released by The Laser's Edge/Sensory label) won sparkling reviews from nearly every magazine around the World. Such magazines included Hit Parader, Metal Maniacs, Bass Player and Sci Fi (US), Aardschok (Netherlands), Metal Hammer (Hungary), Rock Hard (Germany, France), Heavy Oder Was? (Germany), Scream (Norway), BW&BK (Canada), Hard Rock (France) and in countless webzines and fanzines. The band quickly established a solid fan base around the World. Zero Hour successfully toured Europe and performed twice at Prog Power USA, the largest prog-metal music festival in the World, in Atlanta. In 2003, fans were dissapointed when Zero Hour parted ways with Erik Rosvold. Both "Metamorphosis" and "The Towers of Avarice" were considered progressive-metal classics.

In late 2007, Jasun began writing material for Cynthesis. As the music developed Jasun could only imagine one vocalist to really connect to the material. " I've always been a fan of Erik's vocals and I knew his lryic writing would be a perfect match for the material." explains Jasun. After one phone call both Jasun and Erik were very excited to work together again.

The final piece of the puzzle was to find an amazing drummer. Jasun asked Troy what drummer he would like to work with. Without any hesistation Troy said "Sean Flanegan is the guy". Sean's been a long time friend and played drums on Jasun's 2000 instrumental release, Night's Pulse. Sean is best know for his amazing work with the Progressive Rock band, Enchant (Blink of an eye & Tug of War)

The band has completed the tracking of DeEvolution and is in the process of being mixed by talented Producer/Engineer Dino Alden. 

Um, wow. I noticed a topic over on progressiveears.com about this earlier today. And for whatever reason, I only was mildly curious. Maybe due to the fact Zero Hour's recent music; well ever since Erik Rosvold left has really not done a lot for me. And Enchant I love, or used to really love, but still consider one of my favorite groups historically. But they've been on in-effect a hiatus for 7 years or more, save for a couple of festival appearances.

But the biggest deal about this is, it is Erik Rosvold singing with the Tipton brothers again. And the style seems rather in the vein of those 2 records Rosvold sang with them. Namely 2001's incredible The Towers of Avarice, which is really, one of the greatest "progressive metal" records ever made.

So, naturally, I am now very excited to hear this. And also the fact it's coming on April 19th, so becoming aware of it now is a great time. Although I am a bit surprised that there's been very little to no discussion about over even the last few months, let alone the last year when the idea came up.

Sean Flanegan's being involved I'm mildly curious about. Sean did play on Jasun Tipton's 2000 solo record Night's Pulse which I own. And while he's been a reasonable replacement for Paul Craddick with Enchant, I can't really say I've ever become infatuated with his drumming. But one thing is, I knew Sean had a relationship with the guys in Zero Hour. In fact, beyond Jason's solo record, I swear I heard about him playing with them at one point.

I had a discussion at ProgPower USA with a guy who used to live in the Bay Area where both Enchant and Zero Hour are from, and I actually have the discussion on tape somewhere. But having listened to that (among a number of other "man on the street" recordings I used to make for my radio show) a number of times, and my memory is he played with them previously. Before he was with Enchant of course. I want to say the band was called Chaos Theory or something.

I suppose I can try and dig up that tape soon and go back and hear more of the details of this.

edit: this article confirms part of the reference. The ZH members collaboration, maybe not. I just know he knew them. I talked to Sean at Nearfest in 2002 about Zero Hour I recall. And their definitely was a previous association, I thought beyond even him playing on Jason's solo record. But I'm talking about remembering something from 9 years ago, so some parts may be gray still.

No matter, this is something I'm already very much looking forward to. Rosvold I have always felt became an incredibly untapped talent once he left Zero Hour. And sadly, I'm not sure they ever have (or will) ever recover. But this project very well may be a way to change my mind.

Rather similar to the likes of Soundscape's return of sorts a few years ago, and of course the John Arch/Jim Matheos and the rest of Fates Warning save for Ray Alder project coming soon.

This Spring, not 1, but 2 potentially HUGE reunion records of sorts, that it was believed for many years, would never occur. What are the odds? But then again, the music will of course ultimately tell just how big a deal these reunions of sorts are. But with my love of them and their previous work, I want to be rather excited about them for now.


The Towers of Avarice Part 2? I am without question game for that, and in just a few short weeks even :D.

John Arch - TBA (2011?) (1.0)

Joey Vera Facebook posting

Learning tunes for the new John Arch record.

Uh, this JUST MADE MY NIGHT! week, month, maybe year and decade for that matter.

2003's A Twist of Fate frankly, is one of the greatest 27 minutes of music ever recorded. The long awaited return of John, and maybe even how good it was and with nothing since, as a someone who adores the man's voice and writing (not to mention the work Jim Matheos did as a composer and performer on it as well).

FUCK YES!