Fates Warning

Recorded in 1986, Awaken the Guardian was not Fates Warning's first album -- it was actually their third. Awaken the Guardian was, however, the first Fates Warning album to chart in Billboard -- and it was an album that turned a lot of headbangers into Fates Warning fans. Nineteen years after the original LP release of Awaken the Guardian, Metal Blade provided this special collectors' edition -- and what started out as a vinyl LP in 1986 became, in late June 2005, a three-disc set (two audio CDs and a live DVD video). While disc one is a straight reissue of Awaken the Guardian (it contains the same eight songs in the same order) and disc two consists of both live material and demos, the DVD focuses on a December 28, 1986 show in Long Island NY (where Fates Warning perform a combination of songs from Awaken the Guardian and their two previous albums Night on Brocken and The Spectre Within). Unfortunately, the DVD isn't a professionally filmed video, but its inclusion is still a good thing because it gives headbangers a rare chance to actually see (as opposed to simply hearing) the band during their John Arch era. Arch's high-pitched lead vocals are -- much like the vocals of Rush's Geddy Lee -- an acquired taste. Some found Arch, like Lee, to be shrill and said the same thing about Ray Alder when he replaced Arch in 1987. But Arch has plenty of admirers, and headbangers who appreciate his piercing wail generally agree that Awaken the Guardian is the best album that Fates Warning recorded during their Arch period (when they had yet to fully express their interest in progressive rock). This deluxe package is not recommended to casual listeners but rather, was designed for collectors and Fates Warning's most hardcore fans -- and those who fit that description will find a lot to enjoy about Metal Blade's three-disc version of Awaken the Guardian. [A bonus DVD version was also released.] ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide