JOHN ARCH — A Twist of Fate (review)

JOHN ARCH — A Twist of Fate album cover EP · 2003 · Progressive Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4.5/5 ·
UMUR
"A Twist of Fate" is the debut EP from US progressive metal artist John Arch. The EP was released through Metal Blade Records in June 2003. Arch left the music business in 1987 after fronting the first three Fates Warning albums, and this is the first we´ve heard from him since. He is helped out by his former Fates Warning bandmate Jim Matheos on guitars and keyboards (Matheos also co-wrote some of the material on the EP), Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater, Transatlantic..etc) on drums, and Joey Vera (Fates Warning, Engine, Mercyful Fate, and Armored Saint) on bass. So the lineup who recorded the material featured on "A Twist of Fate" are seasoned and quite prolific.

The first three Fates Warning albums are a hybrid of heavy metal, US power metal, and progressive metal elements, but "A Twist of Fate" is a much more focused progressive metal release. While the EP features both present- and former members of Fates Warning and Dream Theater, who are both considered some of the greatest and most successful progressive metal acts from the late 80s/early 90s, Arch has crafted a release, which sounds like neither, although the music of course features some of the same stylistic elements used by those artists (this is after all still a progressive metal release).

"A Twist of Fate" features only two tracks. But both the 12:25 minutes long "Relentless" and the 15:38 minutes long "Cheyenne" are progressive metal epics. The tracks are quite complex in structure and to those familiar with the Arch/Matheos project, which Arch would form with Matheos some years down the line, the material on this EP are quite similar to the sound of the output by that project. Dynamic, and when it´s called for, nicely heavy progressive metal with the incredible voice and high pitched delivery of Arch in front. He hasn´t lost a beat in all those years, but maybe his voice isn´t worn because he hasn´t toured as much as his contemporaries. He still hits the really high notes with ease and showcases his famous legato and vibrato techniques. In other words a world class singer, who has his own distinct sound and voice, and singing over intriguing, varied, and well written material as he does on "A Twist of Fate", it just feels like sun, moon, and stars align...in terms of "classic" progressive metal styled releases, "A Twist of Fate" is highly recommendable and a 4.5 star (90%) rating is deserved.
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