FWX

FWX is a record on which FATES WARNING built an inward-turning progressive metal using sharp guitars, restrained rhythm and singing with deep shadow. The band’s tenth album, it builds emotion through changes of space and tension rather than boasting flashy technique. Even within the complex construction, a melody reflecting human doubt and solitude always breathes. On “Left Here,” “Simple Human,” “River Wide Ocean Deep” and “Wish,” introspective vocal melody and detailed ensemble join tightly, and a quiet tension runs throughout. A song like “Sequence #7” shows experimental touches too. Keeping the experimentalism cultivated over years while conveying deep emotion in more settled words, it vividly reflects the introspective side of a mature band — a record that is unmistakably FATES WARNING.