This could potentially be a hard thing to deal with when you're trying to produce world-class music (see Dream Theater fans), but in the two decades Fates Warning have existed they've never bowed down to public opinion, nor have they ever strayed too far from their classic progressive metal roots. Where Dream Theater are releasing polar-opposite albums in succession (and receiving similar reviews), Fates Warning have been quietly refining their identity to a point where their music is so focused and consistent that listening to it is like curling up with your favourite book at night. Every time a new album is released it's like coming back home after a long trip: you notice the subtle differences that have developed in everyone since you were gone, but essentially it's the same family you know and love.

It has been four years since the release of the Disconnected album, and FWX could be described simply as natural progression. Trace amounts of the industrial sound of Disconnected can be detected throughout FWX, but the one thing that is noticably absent is Kevin Moore's atmospheric keyboards. Jim Matheos is a very capable keyboardist, and while the instrument is not completely absent from FWX, it doesn't have the same effect as it did on Disconnected.

Mixed in with the industrial sound is the classic Fates Warning knack for great riffs, great bass lines, great drumming and great lyrics. Thus it is like a mix of pre-Disconnected Fates and post-Disconnected Fates, which makes for a very listenable, enjoyable album with a lot of different elements that would appeal to most FW fans. In fact, it would probably appeal to most rock and metal fans of all kinds due to its eclecticism and radio-friendliness.

Speaking of radio, every song on the album (with the exception of 2 or 3) are 5 minutes or less in length, and there are some painfully catchy riffs throughout the album. Jim Mattheos definitely cements his place as one of the premiere song-writing guitarists in metal when you consider his last 3 major writing projects were FWX, Disconnected, and the incredible OSI album. All three of those releases have some seriously great guitar work, but more importantly they are all incredibly well-written.

If there was one thing I had to say stood out as a bad thing about FWX, it would have to be my dislike of Ray Alder's vocals. I understand that this is purely personal preference (and if you like Alder, you'll like FWX), but it did make it a tiny bit harder for me to get into the album. Fortunately, the music is good enough that the vocals ended up not really making much of a difference.

There are really no stand-out bad parts to the album, but at the same time there aren't any sections that would induce orgasm, so it occupies the "good, no fuss, rocking album" category but doesn't quite make it into the truly great albums category. It is definitely worth buying, because I don't expect many people to react negatively upon hearing FWX, but at the same time I don't foresee it occupying the #1 spot on anyone's "best of 2004" list either.