Fates Warning and Iron Maiden
I finally figured out why I like Fates Warning as much as Iron Maiden. I think it's because Fates Warning is the band that Iron Maiden should have evolved into after Di'Anno was fired.
The first two Iron Maiden albums did not have Bruce Dickinson at the vocals. They had Paul Di'anno. Di'anno was a good singer, but didn't quite have that upper register that Dickinson was famous for.
But that's not the most important thing here. The music of the first two Iron Maiden albums is something special. They where both raw and fiercely experimental. There was a certain punk rock attitude about them that gave songs like "Killers", "Purgatory", and "Prowler" a level of danger and menace that simply wasn't present in the Dickinson albums. There was also songs revolving around unspecific personal issues like "Another Life", "Innocent Exile", and aforementioned "Purgatory" (it's a fucking badass song, ok). Then we have the ballads about drug induced depression such as "Remember Tomorrow", "Stranger World", and "Prodigal Son". Every one of these ballads is better that "Infinite Dreams" and "Children of the Damned" (That song sucks, by the way. There I said it. ) Lastly, the instrumentals on these first two albums, which are "Transylvania" and "Genghis Khan" manage to eclipse later instrumentals such as "Losfer Words".
I highly recommend getting and listening to "Killers" and the self-titled debut. It easily competes with all other Iron Maidens toe-to-toe. The only complaint is that maybe Di'Anno isn't quite as capable as Dickinson. Although, Di'Anno is still an excellent singer in his own right. Maybe it was his presence that generated that playfully dangerous feel to Iron Maiden's sound because, after he left, the punk rock attitude departed with him. Iron Maiden played a more refined, and dare I say, accessible style when Dickinson entered the fold. Songs like "The Trooper", "Aces High", and "Run to the Hills" are clearly meant to be instantly catchy and made to be sung along to. Their song structures are more direct and immediate. You can probably play those songs at kid's birthday party and offend no one.
I respect Iron Maiden for writing crowd pleasing songs and achieving world-wide fame with them. Hell, I love it. There is nothing better in this world than rocking out with your bros chanting "Six! Six, Six! The Number of the Beast!" in a drunken stupor. But it's hard not to listen Di'Anno era, become enamored by the punk rock attitude and wonder "what if they kept some of that edge?".
Well, I don't think I need to wonder because the answer would have been Fates Warning. Maybe it's a bit of a stretch, but Fates Warning clearly took a lot of cues from Iron Maiden. The high pitched singing, the dual guitars, the fierce experimentation, and a certain hardcore underground attitude that can all be compared to Di'Anno era Maiden. The Fates also captured the same adventurous spirit of Dickinson era Maiden.
The difference is that Fates didn't emphasize sing-along choruses at all. What they have instead is complex song structures with multiple sections. The riffs are also heavier and include long melodies before melting into each other. They propel the song forward and unto an epic climax before spiraling back down toward the conclusion.
The vocalist, John Arch, is a bit of an acquired taste. It's just a tad on the nasally side, but it does grow on you to the point where you learn to absolutely love it. He's not just singing along and keeping pace with the other. He's acting as another instrument that adds depth and complexity to the already stunning music. He truly is the cherry on top.
Anyways, Fates Warning is ruthlessly experimental just like early Iron Maiden was. Every one of their experiments was a resounding success. They may not carry that same punk rock attitude that Di'Anno era Maiden had, but there's definitely a hardcore underground character behind the Fates. I always felt that's wait Dickinson era Maiden lacked. It's more of a refined and gentlemanly attitude.
The first two Iron Maiden albums did not have Bruce Dickinson at the vocals. They had Paul Di'anno. Di'anno was a good singer, but didn't quite have that upper register that Dickinson was famous for.
But that's not the most important thing here. The music of the first two Iron Maiden albums is something special. They where both raw and fiercely experimental. There was a certain punk rock attitude about them that gave songs like "Killers", "Purgatory", and "Prowler" a level of danger and menace that simply wasn't present in the Dickinson albums. There was also songs revolving around unspecific personal issues like "Another Life", "Innocent Exile", and aforementioned "Purgatory" (it's a fucking badass song, ok). Then we have the ballads about drug induced depression such as "Remember Tomorrow", "Stranger World", and "Prodigal Son". Every one of these ballads is better that "Infinite Dreams" and "Children of the Damned" (That song sucks, by the way. There I said it. ) Lastly, the instrumentals on these first two albums, which are "Transylvania" and "Genghis Khan" manage to eclipse later instrumentals such as "Losfer Words".
I highly recommend getting and listening to "Killers" and the self-titled debut. It easily competes with all other Iron Maidens toe-to-toe. The only complaint is that maybe Di'Anno isn't quite as capable as Dickinson. Although, Di'Anno is still an excellent singer in his own right. Maybe it was his presence that generated that playfully dangerous feel to Iron Maiden's sound because, after he left, the punk rock attitude departed with him. Iron Maiden played a more refined, and dare I say, accessible style when Dickinson entered the fold. Songs like "The Trooper", "Aces High", and "Run to the Hills" are clearly meant to be instantly catchy and made to be sung along to. Their song structures are more direct and immediate. You can probably play those songs at kid's birthday party and offend no one.
I respect Iron Maiden for writing crowd pleasing songs and achieving world-wide fame with them. Hell, I love it. There is nothing better in this world than rocking out with your bros chanting "Six! Six, Six! The Number of the Beast!" in a drunken stupor. But it's hard not to listen Di'Anno era, become enamored by the punk rock attitude and wonder "what if they kept some of that edge?".
Well, I don't think I need to wonder because the answer would have been Fates Warning. Maybe it's a bit of a stretch, but Fates Warning clearly took a lot of cues from Iron Maiden. The high pitched singing, the dual guitars, the fierce experimentation, and a certain hardcore underground attitude that can all be compared to Di'Anno era Maiden. The Fates also captured the same adventurous spirit of Dickinson era Maiden.
The difference is that Fates didn't emphasize sing-along choruses at all. What they have instead is complex song structures with multiple sections. The riffs are also heavier and include long melodies before melting into each other. They propel the song forward and unto an epic climax before spiraling back down toward the conclusion.
The vocalist, John Arch, is a bit of an acquired taste. It's just a tad on the nasally side, but it does grow on you to the point where you learn to absolutely love it. He's not just singing along and keeping pace with the other. He's acting as another instrument that adds depth and complexity to the already stunning music. He truly is the cherry on top.
Anyways, Fates Warning is ruthlessly experimental just like early Iron Maiden was. Every one of their experiments was a resounding success. They may not carry that same punk rock attitude that Di'Anno era Maiden had, but there's definitely a hardcore underground character behind the Fates. I always felt that's wait Dickinson era Maiden lacked. It's more of a refined and gentlemanly attitude.
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