Author: Rok Klemše
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Location: Orto bar, Ljubljana
Concert date: 15.03.2012
Attendance: 150
Ticket price: €20
I didn’t think anything could still surprise me after the Cynic, Atheist and Pestilence shows here at home. And then, just like that, they announce that Fates Warning are coming to Orto bar. Wait a second, is there another band with that name, or are the pioneers of progressive metal really coming to us!? The name that even big names like Mike Portnoy (who said in one interview that Dream Theater are wrongly seen as the fathers of the genre, when it’s really Fates Warning) and the late Chuck Schuldiner (Death) counted among their influences? There’s only one Fates Warning, of course, and last Thursday Orto bar hosted the American progressive metal legends on its stage, the guys who pretty much invented the genre. After the wave of excitement the announcement set off, you’d think the show would get moved to some bigger venue, which a band like Fates Warning absolutely deserves. But despite the tiny hall, the Americans didn’t seem to mind much, and the crowd made sure the band won’t forget their first show here (and hopefully not their last).
The curtain dropped with the intro Disconnected (Part I), and Bobby Jarzombek (drums), Frank Aresti (guitar), Joey Vera (bass), Fates Warning founder Jim Matheos (guitar) and vocalist Ray Alder squeezed onto the Orto stage one after another, greeting the thrilled crowd with the Disconnected classic One. From the very first strum the sound was spot on, and I can’t remember any touring band ever getting such a perfect sound at Orto bar. Thursday’s sound had incredible warmth, crystal-clear clarity and, when needed, crushing aggression and rawness. Every instrument got its own space, every guitar line came through with no trouble, the drums were loud and clear, and the bass was rattling and deep. Together with Alder’s warm vocals they added up to one perfect whole that wrapped around the hall and swaddled everyone there in a cloud of musical magic. As the main songwriter, Matheos is a unique composer and guitarist. He doesn’t build his songs on wanky five-minute solos (wink, Petrucci). Instead he can write riffs that are simple at heart but still technically extremely complex. Teamed up with Aresti, Matheos makes a “tour de force” guitar duo who, at just the right moments, casually traded breathtaking solos. Matheos and Aresti take turns on rhythm and lead lines, played flawlessly, and both really shine when they deliver their unison lines in “trademark Fates Warning” harmonies. The rhythm section was razor-sharp too! Even though Mark Zonder will probably always be seen as “the” drummer of the band, Bobby Jarzombek stepped into some seriously big shoes with ease. Watching him play, you could easily get lost in all the fills and the paths of his drumsticks. And that’s on a drum kit half the size of most metal drummers’ (right, Portnoy). The energy radiating from the stage came mainly from the incredible Vera, who glowed with insane charisma while his fingers moved over the bass strings with featherlight ease and conviction. That earned him sincere ovations from the crowd more than once, and Alder kept telling the audience “Joey likes you!” Despite a cold and throat trouble, Ray Alder also did a fantastic job. He sang every vocal line with heart and conviction and packed the performance with powerful emotion. It was incredible to hear how effortlessly Ray pulled off the interpretation of those excellent lyrics, and even though he can’t reach the high lines anymore (and skillfully adapted them to what he can do today), his voice is still mighty, soulful and capable of dramatic performance that enriches an already rich Fates Warning. Aresti’s generous backing vocals (which proved that Frank is a fantastic singer too!) lifted the vocal lines up to the heavens. Far too soon, after an hour and forty minutes and a wonderful rendition of Eye To Eye, we had to say goodbye to Fates Warning.
It was a bitter farewell, but we had witnessed a truly beautiful show, delivered in flawless style by masters of their craft. The band’s outstanding performance and an energetic crowd made sure that last Thursday the walls of Orto got to host probably the best show of their career. I’ll never understand how Fates Warning can be such a criminally overlooked band while their peers Dream Theater fill halls for a thousand, two thousand people, but that’s just how it goes. There isn’t a shred of doubt that Fates Warning are progressive metal “par excellece,” second to none. I hope Jim’s hints about a new record come true soon. And that it brings them to our parts again.
Setlist
1. Intro/One
2. Life In Still Water
3. A Pleasant Shade of Gray: Part III
4. Outside Looking In
5. Down to the Wire
6. Heal Me
7. Still Remains
8. Another Perfect Day
9. The Ivory Gate of Dreams: IV.Quietus
10. A Pleasant Shade of Gray: Part XI
11. The 11th Hour
12. Point of View
13. Through Different Eyes
14. Monument
— encore —
15. At Fate’s Hand
16. Eye to Eye
Photo Gallery
