Fates Warning has always been one of those bands that I’ve had total respect for-  excellent musicianship, great singing, a fantastic mix of the heavy and dramatic…  but…  a band that really took me a while to grasp due to the frequent displays of mathematical trickery and occasional bouts of darkness when it came to song arrangements.  Riffs and even vocal arrangements were not your standard fare, often displaying slippery time signatures with shifting moods and textures that always sounded good but sometimes left you scratching your head, especially when you expected a riff or vocal melody to shift in one direction and it would head off into another territory.  All that said, those unique tones and textures and the progressive nature of the band really started to grow on me over the years and I’ve become a bit of a fan.

Theories Of Flight is Fates Warning’s twelfth studio album and second featuring drummer Bobby Jarzombek alongside long serving bassist Joey Vera and the core team of Ray Alder on vocals and Fates mainstay (since day one) Jim Matheos on guitar.  Flight continues the upward trend of previous album Darkness In A Different Light and does an even better job mixing the heavier, denser cuts with more lighter, atmospheric, and progressive moments.  Take something like intro cut “From The Rooftops”- a reverbed, simply strummed pattern with percussive backing and some beautifully layered electric passages featuring some sweet lead work from Matheos and gently melodic crooning from Alder before a storming riff kicks in shortly past the two minute mark to shift you in a new direction.  Or how about the spacy progressiveness of “The Light And Shade Of Things” (true to its word as a song) and the old school radio knob twiddling and distorted effects of “The Ghosts Of Home”; two songs featuring moody/lighter buildups before riding the crest of a couple of heavy riffs bobbing and weaving throughout-  the latter akin to a heavy Yes and the former some cosmic Pink Floyd touches.  Excellent stuff that keeps your attention.

For those of you that want your quick hitters and hate the atmospheric segues, you’ve got plenty to choose from.  “Seven Stars” may be one of the most melodic things these guys have done; all soaring riff and galloping bass with an incredibly strong and passionate Ray Alder throughout the verse and chorus.  Alder’s work throughout the disc is fantastic as he fits into a particular mid-range pocket yet throwing in a few higher notes depending on the mood of the song.  And those of you that yearn for the old school heavier days of the band should look no further than “White Flag”, breaking into an Awaken The Guardian/Spectre Within era chug yet with a more aggressive vocal or the leviathan stomp throughout the verses of “Like Stars Our Eyes Have Seen” and noisy soar of the tricky “SOS”.  Still, lots of melodic moments poke through in spots in both songs come chorus time to add extra killer sonic elements to the fray.

What is it with older school bands suddenly releasing some of their best material over the past few years?  Many bands experiment with new sounds or tinker with their formula for success that it’s sometimes hard for the fans to keep up, and sometimes it may be the influence of new members that brings a different element to the table.  Fates is no different as Theories takes the band into newer territories yet still manages to reach into the band’s past to revisit some of their stronger characteristics, making this the best disc they’ve released in a long while.  Throw in a killer production with that excellent mix of heavier progressiveness with those experimental atmospherics and fabulous performances and you’ve got your next favorite album.