Ray Alder, the iconic voice of Fates Warning, has released his sophomore solo album, simply titled “II”, which is the follow-up to his 2019 debut “What the Water Wants”. Ray played it smart and retained the same lineup from his debut to maintain consistency in the sound. Therefore, we have Mike Abdow (Fates Warning touring member) on guitar, Tony Hernando (Lords of Black) on guitar & bass (both of whom contributed to the songwriting), and Craig Anderson (Ignite, Crescent Shield) on drums. Of course, Ray has taken over all of the vocals. The production is tight, heavy, and dynamic, which comes as no surprise given that the album was produced by Ray himself and mixed and mastered by Simone Mularoni (Rhapsody, Michael Romeo, DGM).
Musically, “II” is more diverse and darker than the debut. It contains various atmospheric, prog, acoustic, and heavy elements while maintaining its melodious side. Ray is as impressive as ever, since he keeps his voice in excellent condition. The good thing is that the new album is nothing like the debut, and it also contains all those Fates Warning elements that will thrill the band’s followers. Now more than ever, we need something to remind us of the mighty Fates Warning, as they have declared that they won’t be releasing any new music in the future. Let’s hope they change their mind at some point, cuz they are far too important for fans and the prog metal music scene. The solo albums and the music projects are fine, but Fates Warning is unlike anything else.
There’s no doubt that Ray Alder has delivered a compelling work of art that demands multiple listens to fully appreciate its depth. I think that Fates Warning and Ray Alder fans will be satisfied with this album.
