Perfect Symmetry
Studio album by
Fates Warning
ReleasedAugust 22, 1989 (1989-08-22)[1]
RecordedApril–May 1989
StudioCarriage House Studios, Stamford, Connecticut
GenreProgressive metal
Length42:01
LabelMetal Blade
ProducerRoger Probert
Fates Warning chronology
No Exit
(1988) 		Perfect Symmetry
(1989) 		Parallels
(1991)
Singles from Perfect Symmetry
  1. "Through Different Eyes"
    Released: 1989[2]
  2. "Nothing Left to Say"
    Released: 1990[3]

Perfect Symmetry is the fifth studio album by progressive metal band Fates Warning, released in 1989 through Metal Blade Records;[4] a remastered edition was reissued on June 10, 2008 together with a bonus disc containing studio demos, as well as a DVD of live performances from the 1989–90 Perfect Symmetry world tour.[5] It was with this album that the band's more modern, progressive direction was established.

Overview

Perfect Symmetry was Fates Warning's second album with singer Ray Alder, who fully participated in the writing of the album. Guitarist and founding band member Jim Matheos describes Alder as having "really started to find his voice and range [on Perfect Symmetry]. It was our second album with him and he did some incredible stuff. It's also when he started to sing in a lower range and we welcomed that because that's the direction we wanted to head into anyway. Before that album, in terms of singing, we were like, 'the higher the better!'"[6]

It was also the band's first album with drummer Mark Zonder, who, according to Matheos, "helped us go in that progressive direction we wanted to go in. It was an even bigger change than when Ray joined a few years before."[6] Zonder confirmed in a 2011 interview that Matheos was pushing the songwriting in a more progressive direction: "It seemed a bit more prog and less thrashy. Seemed like Jim wanted to stretch things out a bit and make them a bit more airy-linear than straight up and down."[7]

"Nothing Left to Say" was featured on the soundtrack to the 1991 film Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare. An instrumental version of "At Fates Hands", renamed "At Fate's Fingers", was released on the 1991 compilation album Guitar's Practicing Musicians Vol. 2,[8] and resurfaced four years later on Fates Warning's only compilation album Chasing Time.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Sputnikmusic5/5[9]

Critical reception for Perfect Symmetry has been mostly positive. Robert Taylor at AllMusic gave the album four out of five stars and said, "This was the recording that established Fates Warning as a progressive band. Their metal influences still dominate the group's overall sound; however, Mark Zonder's unique approach to drumming adds another level of depth and credibility to the music."[4] Trey Spencer at Sputnikmusic gave the album five stars out of five, describing it as "easily their most progressive album to date" and saying, "If you like your prog cold and precise without all the random instrumental masturbation that a lot of others utilize then you should do your best to pick this up as soon as possible."[9]

The album was relatively successful in the charts, reaching No. 141 on the U.S. Billboard 200[10] (the second-highest position in the band's history) and remaining on that chart for nine weeks.[11] Fates Warning would not have another album enter the Billboard 200 until Darkness in a Different Light in 2013.[11]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Part of the Machine"Jim Matheos6:15
2."Through Different Eyes"Matheos4:22
3."Static Acts"Frank Aresti4:28
4."A World Apart"Aresti5:03
5."At Fates Hands"Aresti, Joe DiBiase, Matheos6:59
6."The Arena"Aresti3:18
7."Chasing Time"Matheos3:38
8."Nothing Left to Say"Matheos7:58
Total length:42:01

Disc two (CD)

Studio demos
No.TitleLength
1."Part of the Machine"7:03
2."Through Different Eyes"4:20
3."Static Acts"4:27
4."A World Apart"5:38
5."At Fates Hands"6:11
6."The Arena"3:52
7."Chasing Time"4:06
8."Nothing Left to Say"8:06
9."Part of the Machine"8:03
10."Nothing Left to Say"4:51
Total length:56:37

Disc three (DVD)

Allentown, Pennsylvania (December 2, 1989)
No.TitleLength
1."Fata Morgana" 
2."Part of the Machine" 
3."Silent Cries" 
4."Static Acts" 
5."Through Different Eyes" 
Houston, Texas (April 26, 1990)
No.TitleLength
6."Fata Morgana" 
7."Static Acts" 
8."Anarchy Divine" 
9."Silent Cries" 
10."Nothing Left to Say" 
11."Quietus" 
12."Damnation" 
Amsterdam, the Netherlands (December 16, 1989)
No.TitleLength
13."Fata Morgana" 
14."Part of the Machine" 
15."Silent Cries" 
16."The Apparition" 
17."Through Different Eyes" 
18."Nothing Left to Say" 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (March 27, 1990)
No.TitleLength
19."The Arena" 
New Haven, Connecticut (December 11, 1989)
No.TitleLength
20."Through Different Eyes" 
21."The Apparition" 
22."Damnation" 
23."Exodus" 
24."Drum Solo" 
25."Nothing Left to Say" 
26."The Ivory Gate of Dreams" 
27."Promotional video: "Through Different Eyes"" 

Chart performance

Year Chart Position
1989 Billboard 200 141[10]

Personnel

References

  1. ^ "Fates Warning "Perfect Symmetry"". Metal Blade Records. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  2. ^ "Fates Warning – Through Different Eyes". Discogs. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  3. ^ "Fates Warning – Nothing Left To Say". Discogs. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c Taylor, Robert. "Perfect Symmetry - Fates Warning". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 2015-03-20.
  5. ^ "Perfect Symmetry". fateswarning.com. Retrieved 2015-03-20.
  6. ^ a b Ramirez, Carlos (2008-06-10). "Fates Warning Guitarist: 'Touring Is The Best Practice'". Ultimate-Guitar. Retrieved 2015-03-20.
  7. ^ "SpaceProg.com interview with Mark Zonder (2011)". spaceprog.com. 2011. Retrieved 2015-03-20.
  8. ^ "Various – Guitar's Practicing Musicians Vol. 2". Discogs. Retrieved 2015-03-20.
  9. ^ a b Spencer, Trey (2008-06-30). "Review: Fates Warning - Perfect Symmetry". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 2015-03-20.
  10. ^ a b "Perfect Symmetry - Fates Warning | Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 2015-03-20.
  11. ^ a b "Fates Warning - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 2015-03-20.
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