adg211288 Following the short-lived return to the metal scene of Fates Warning co-founder Victor Arduini in the form of the heavy metal act Freedoms Reign, who released a self-titled debut and only album in 2013 before calling it a day, the guitarist wasn't done. Teaming up with Argus/Molasses Barge vocalist Brian 'Butch' Balich, the pair set out to create music together, the project known as Arduini/Balich being the result of that. Despite the name, former Freedoms Reign bandmate Chris Judge (drums) is considered a fully fledged third member of the band. Dawn of Ages (2017) is their debut album.

With Victor Arduini coming from a band who were an early example of the progressive metal genre (despite being more heavy metal and us power metal based at the time of Arduini's exit in the mid-eighties) and Brian Balich being known for doom metal acts (which aside from the aforementioned acts previously also included Penance), it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that their collaboration together sets out to combine elements of both of these genres, achieving a sound that the band label as 'doom laden progressive walls of metal'. In simpler terms what that really means is progressive doom metal: heavy, invoking a sense of foreboding guitar work, but with an adventurous attitude that sees the trio breaking doom's conventions and also generally producing some pretty long tracks, including the 17:26 minute long Beyond the Barricade, one of the album's most outright progressive metal compositions. My thoughts are that the album is out its strongest when at its most doom metal based though, opener The Fallen being a great example and in general I do find that the first two thirds of the release are stronger than its closing stages.

His early Fates Warning exit has meant that although Victor Arduini will be remembered, mostly by Fates Warning fans, as a co-founder of the classic band, his name hasn't been as notable in the metal scene as other members of that band, such as Jim Matheos or even John Arch (who only did one more studio album than Arduini) which meant that his Freedoms Reign project didn't actually make all that many ripples back in 2013, and it took a while after its release for me to become aware of Arduini/Balich's Dawn of Ages, unlike the similarly named collaboration between the aforementioned Arch/Matheos whose album Sympathetic Resonance (2011) often seems more well loved than anything Fates Warning has done in over fifteen years. I personally liked the Freedoms Reign album for what it was, but Arduini/Balich certainly represents a step up for him in terms of song-writing. It's more interesting, adventurous and most of all more powerful.

Dawn of Ages is a solid start for Arduini/Balich (and Judge) and I hope that this album doesn't end up being a one off time for them working together. It's clear that despite all the years away from the metal scene Victor Arduini still has a lot to offer, while Balich's powerhouse voice is a welcome addition to any band (Dawn of Ages actually represents the first of a triple dose of new albums featuring his voice in 2017, with Molasses Barge and Argus also releasing albums). With all respect to Arduini's performance in Freedoms Reign I definitely like Balich's vocals more than Arduini's Ozzy Osbourne like voice. Unlike Freedoms Reign, this band/album is recommendable as much more than 'the new band of a Fates Warning founder'.