North Sea Echoes - 2024 - Really Good Terrible Things

(41:38; Metal Blade Records)

When one comes across the names Ray Alder and Jim Matheos, thoughts immediately go to Fates Warning, of which Matheos was a co-founder while Alder joined in 1987, and although it appears likely that 2020’s ‘Long Day Good Night’ will be their final album together, they are still happy to tour. Just because they are not recording together in that band does not mean that Alder and Matheos do not like recording together altogether, and here, we have the debut album from a very different band indeed. For the most part it is just the two of them, although on some songs they are joined by drummer Gunnar Olsen (Puscifer).

Matheos and Alder began talking about working together again as soon as they completed the last Fates Warning album, “We just didn’t know what, when, where” says Matheos. “I had begun work on another Tuesday the Sky record, which is an ambient, mostly instrumental, pet project of mine. But the first songs I’d come up with felt like they were more set up for vocals. Ray and I had done something similar on ‘Long Days Good Night’, a song called “When Winter Falls”, and we both really liked the outcome. So, I asked him if he’d be onto doing a whole record with a similar approach.”

So what we have here is an album of ambient inspired rock which is very laid back and emotional with some beautiful vocals over the top. In some ways it reminds me of later period Marillion, in that I can admire what has been achieved and understand what they were attempting to do, it is just a shame that it is so boring to listen to for the most part. When we get a little more edge, such as on some of “Throwing Stones”, they get onto a better path but way too often they fall back into something which is clever and pleasant, showing off their skills without making anything definitive. There is no doubt that Fates Warning are one of the most important progressive metal bands to come out of America alongside Queensrÿche and Dream Theater, but while I am happy to return to albums such as ‘Darkness In a Different Light’ I know that when I finish writing these words this is not something to which I will ever return. It is just too bland for me, and while I appreciate the production is excellent and there is much here which will appeal to many, I am not one of them.  

Kev Rowland, July 2024

Links:
https://northseaechoes.com/
https://www.metalblade.com/