One of the best prog metal epics from the late 80's
J. Forst | Farmington Hills, Michigan United States | 09/29/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Metal blade did a fabulous job w/ the re-release of "awaken the guardian". No Exit does not get quite the elaborate roll-out that Awaken did but the extras are pretty cool. On the cd you get 3 unheard tunes. One is a vocal audition that Ray mailed back to the band. The other two are 'lost' instrumentals that belonged in the Ivory Gate epic but the parts that were left out sound similiar to riffs that are already in the song. The dvd is cool at 45 min long but a bit frustrating since they always give you a fade in/fade out version of songs mashed together. You never do see one complete song from back in tha day w/ the exception of them doing Valley of the Dolls (a track from a previous album) and that quality is from a many-times dubbed VHS source. Also, the graphics and colors on the cd cover are just horrendous. It's almost like FW is an inside joke at Metal blade. First they spell their sophmore release "Spector" incorrectly and now the No Exit cover almost looks like a black and white image that was done by a fourth grader at computer camp. But, FW have proved that it is not the album covers (or videos) that makes this band unique it is the music that lays imbedded in the cd.
I remember seeing these guys on the No Exit tour at the thirsty Whale in Chicago. It was one of the last tours Ray would sing John Arch material and the crowd was just electric with joy while FW played. FW even hung in the pkg lot before the show and drank w/ us! Some of the greatest prog metal ever comes from the fingertips of this band. These guys are a bit more like a 'serious' and somber Dream Theater. Check out this classic release but all FW discs are good but the '92 era and before was when they were at their prog peak."
Better than average
MajicRay | Florida | 01/22/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I am trying to get into Fates Warning. I have Awaken the Guardian, and a later Fates cd that doesn't sound like metal at all. I like this "No Exit" cd better than "Awaken". Why? Mainly because the quirky vocals, and wierd time changes are gone on "Exit". Here you have some decent heavy metal with a slightly progressive bent. The vocals are very high--quite similar to the Queensryche dude. If you are a lover of all things metal, and like some intelligence added to it--try this cd."
Track Listings (4) - Disc #1