Fates Warning - Night on Bröcken (1984)

Vote for your favorite song off this overlooked metal beast.

"Misfit" gets my vote, although the title track, "Damnation", "Soldier Boy", and "Buried Alive" are all worthy contenders.

Doing polls for the first four Fates Warning albums. Anyone else may take over afterwards.

Like with Queensryche, I'll need to listen to this album a few times as I'm not familiar with their discography. Any more polls and I won't be able to keep up.

Damnation for sure; with Soldier Boy following close behind. I like this album, but it's mediocre compared to the f*cking majesty that comes next in their discography.

Wurthless wrote:

the f*cking majesty that comes next in their discography

Or so we thought... Good grief.

That makes the fanboy in me angry as hell, haha.

Damnation, easily.

Damnation

The Calling gets my vote.

I remember seeing this particular record - in the record bin -
didn't buy it that day - but the painting always remained with me -
Great art work.
It was never in the record bin again - at the store -
Couldn't remember band's name either.....
That's the way it was back then -
you had to take a chance then and there and buy -
if not - the lp might not be around again -
so much different than today - lol -

I'm going to make an effort with these but I don't think that they will grab me.

Soldier Boy

I never heard this. Is it worth it?

I own four Fates Warning CDs - Spectre Within, Awaken the Guardian, Perfect Symmetry and Parallels. Never even heard the others.

I voted for the title track but then realized that I forgot about Misfit.

It's not as good as the other two albums but it's good stuff. May take a few listens to appreciate, like all Arch albums could.

Damnation

DakotaRogers wrote:

Wurthless wrote:

the f*cking majesty that comes next in their discography

Or so we thought... Good grief.

Wurthless wrote:

That makes the fanboy in me angry as hell, haha.

I'm kind of the lone wolf around here when it comes to these guys and, well...that review is spot on.

I own Spectre Within and Awaken the Guardian and pull them out every once in a while to given 'em another shot. To this day, I still find them a rambling, incoherent mess, marred even further by Arch's nails-on-a-chalkboard histrionics. This is coming from a guy who enjoys both prog and USPM as much as skeeters enjoy blood. But, that's just me.

'Buried Alive'

The Apparition was the first song I'd heard by them and that song is just magical... I don't really understand how someone who likes traditional & prog metal could dislike that one. Could just be my perspective blinding me.  ( "Point of View", anyone? haha).

I don't really see them as Maiden knock-offs, either. Arch doesn't sound much like him at all. I'd say the operatic, wailing nature of the vocals is definitely influenced by the kind of stuff Maiden were doing, but Dickinson and Arch are really apples and oranges to me. The styles of riffing and soloing are also very different.

And I'm almost offended reading that Arch's lyrics are generic/cliche, haha. Some of the coolest lines I've ever heard in metal are on Spectre and Awaken.

I will readily admit that Night on Brocken is more derivative of Maiden and NWOBHM as an album, but you can chock that up to inexperience and wearing influences on their sleeves. They quickly became darker, more original and much more interesting in the next few years.

corplhicks wrote:

I own Spectre Within and Awaken the Guardian and pull them out every once in a while to given 'em another shot. To this day, I still find them a rambling, incoherent mess, marred even further by Arch's nails-on-a-chalkboard histrionics. This is coming from a guy who enjoys both prog and USPM as much as skeeters enjoy blood. But, that's just me.

The music is far from incoherent. It's a bit progressive and got more so with time. I do think their writing and arranging skills improved over time, but those vocal melodies were outstanding.

So I take it you don't listen to MF/KD or bands like Crimson Glory either because of your complete aversion to vocal histrionics?

So what are the prog and USPM albums that you think are superior to AtG and tSW?

Lari wrote:

I never heard this. Is it worth it?

I own four Fates Warning CDs - Spectre Within, Awaken the Guardian, Perfect Symmetry and Parallels. Never even heard the others.

To be honest, as a casual fan, you've got the essentials. You should maybe consider getting No Exit, Inside Out, and Pleasant Shade of Grey too, if you like the Ray Alder material.

Temple of Blood wrote:

corplhicks wrote:

I own Spectre Within and Awaken the Guardian and pull them out every once in a while to given 'em another shot. To this day, I still find them a rambling, incoherent mess, marred even further by Arch's nails-on-a-chalkboard histrionics. This is coming from a guy who enjoys both prog and USPM as much as skeeters enjoy blood. But, that's just me.

The music is far from incoherent.  It's a bit progressive and got more so with time.  I do think their writing and arranging skills improved over time, but those vocal melodies were outstanding.

So I take it you don't listen to MF/KD or bands like Crimson Glory either because of your complete aversion to vocal histrionics?

So what are the prog and USPM albums that you think are superior to AtG and tSW?

It's a rambling mess to my ears. Riffs go in arbitrary directions, vocal melodies shift without any uniform attention to cadence, it's just a mess to me. Like I said, I pull these out every six months or so to give them another shot. I'm a big fan of inaccessible music that grows with each listen and reaches a rewarding transcendence. I don't achieve that with these. But I'll keep trying.

I don't mind histrionics but Arch is another world, making Diamond sound like James Taylor in comparison.

As far as who I prefer, Crimson Glory for sure, and basically any USPM band since that's one of my favorite subgenres. I can't think of any I don't like at the moment. And with prog I'm more of a Canterbury Scene or Rush or Yes kind of guy. I find those bands to have more aim in their complexity (and atmosphere) then what I get here.

Again, it's just me. I think it's fine that there's a fanbase out there who enjoy/get this group.

DakotaRogers wrote:

Wurthless wrote:

the f*cking majesty that comes next in their discography

Or so we thought... Good grief.

BTW I just realized there seems to be a flood of crappy reviews dissing classic albums on MA. If anyone is masochistic and wants to read something really annoying, check out the reviews from Brainded Binky and Metal_Thrash90. Especially what the latter one wrote on Thin Lizzy.

TheGreatDuck wrote:

BTW I just realized there seems to be a flood of crappy reviews dissing classic albums on MA. If anyone is masochistic and wants to read something really annoying, check out the reviews from Brainded Binky and Metal_Thrash90. Especially what the latter one wrote on Thin Lizzy.

It seems spiteful and contentious more than it does anything. My personal favorite, Awaken the Guardian, received a 3% this morning.

Eh, once I posted Guardian off that album on another forum, and a guy commented that it's generic cheesy prog power, but it's catchy so it's ok.
f*cking GUARDIAN. Cheesy. Nonsense.

Yeah, I mean there are SO MANY songs that sound just like "Guardian". Generic!

I have to think that these are know-it-all kids who've been listening to metal for about 5 years.