The Spectre Within

Day Fifteen. Fates Warning has two albums that are equally as good, perhaps even better, than anything Iron Maiden has done. That includes monumental albums like Powerslave and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. And John Arch is equally capable as Bruce Dickinson. That's a huge claim for a band that's not nearly as beloved as Iron Maiden. But it wouldn't be anything new for a relatively unknown band to be as good as a more reknowned one. Would you seriously believe Nickelback is better than Rush?

 Fates Warning was one of the very first progressive metal bands, and they do everything absolutely right. They got your sweet riffs, catchy melodies, soaring vocals, and cohesive song writing to go with it.

 But these are all average things that make any band sound good.  Fates Warning explore the same topics of daring and adventure as Iron Maiden. In fact, the musical similarities are difficult to ignore. Iron Maiden focused on writing tight, catchy, yet still musically ambitious songs. Every so often on each album, they would insert a super epic end-all-be-all songs like "Hallowed Be Thy Name", "Powerslave", "Alexander The Great", "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son", and "Rime of the Ancient Mariner". Now imagine an album filled with nothing but these epic tracks. That's "The Spectre Within" for you.
Make no mistake, Fate's Warning developed a style that is very much their own. Be honest with yourself: Iron Maiden is still radio friendly music. You can play a song like "The Trooper" at a kid's birthday party and not offend anyone's sensibilities. It's also not complex enough detract anyone with a short attention span. Fate's Warning is a bit more rugged, unpolished, and dangerous. The length of the songs and the volume (and quality) of riffs is most definitely not for those with a short attention span. Iron Maiden is the courtly gentlemen traversing through foreign lands and discover treasures in the king's honor. Fate's Warning is the swashbuckling conquistador set out to tame a land with his rag-tag team of miscreants. They are American, after all.
Iron Maiden is one of the greatest bands ever. Comparing Fate's Warning to them means that Fate's Warning is also one of the greatest bands ever. They are not regularly mentioned in the same breath, however. Perhaps it's due to crappy marketing, or perhaps because Iron Maiden simply knew how to write a song that appeals to more people. But don't count out Fate's Warning. What they lack in popular appeal and immediacy they make up for it in some truly ambitious compositions and lasting impressions.
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