Darkness in a Different Light

Darkness in a Different Light is a comeback album, after roughly nine years, on which FATES WARNING assembled complex rhythm, hard guitars and introspective vocal melody within a quiet tension. Technique breathes throughout, but what governs the songs is not flashy display but a flow of emotion that gradually changes shape. Even after a long silence, the aesthetic of the band centered on Jim Matheos and Ray Alder has not wavered in the least. On “One Thousand Fires,” “Firefly,” “Desire” and “And Yet It Moves,” heavily sinking parts and open melody alternate, and a deep shadow dwells in the album. A song like “Lighthouse” spreads a quiet lyricism. Where the fresh power of the returned lineup and the constructive beauty cultivated over years mesh ideally, it is a full restart record for savoring the intellect and melodic sense of progressive metal. A craft that never betrays the long gap proves the band’s underlying strength.