Fates Warning Unveils 'Long Day Good Night' LP For November, Drops Single 'Scars'

Fates Warning have recently had several reissues from Metal Blade Records, but they have also announced a brand new album for November, with Long Day Good Night. 

You can even listen to their first single off the album, "Scars" on Soundcloud:

Vocalist Ray Alder introduces the album:

"The styles of music we've written distinguish this record from the rest of our catalogue. There are some songs with electronics and some with a nice ethereal feel, as well as some pretty straightforward grooves, at least for us. And there are also some pretty heavy songs. We tried to give the listener a host of different things to listen to, as opposed to an album where every song sounds the same."

Following touring with Queensrÿche, guitarist Jim Matheos began writing the album in mid-2019, working closely with Alder for about a year, completing 13 songs for their 13th full-length album, which "un-coincidentally" has a total running time of 72:22.

Alder explains:

"Like all albums, nothing comes easy. It's quite a process to go from the idea to the actual finished song. Sometimes you think you're done with it, then you hear something else and you have to try that. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but you at least have to try it just so you know that in the end you've done everything possible to make it as good as it can be. Jim and I spent practically every day for the last year writing this album. I am very happy with the outcome, and with the blend of styles. I guess I could say that this album represents all of the years that we have been together."

The album was actually completed across various countries during quarantine.

With Jim Matheos acting as producer, the musicians tracked their parts in their various homes/studios in Los Angeles, San Antonio, Texas and New Hampshire while Alder, who lives in Spain, recorded in a small studio in Madrid.

He says:

"Spain was on total lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic. This meant that no one was allowed to leave their homes for any reason other than to get groceries or walk the dog. Due to ours and mixer Joe Barresi's timeframe, I had to record in May or the album would have been delayed for a very, very long time. So I basically snuck to the studio in a moving van under the pretense that I was moving - which was allowed - and slept in the vocal booth for two weeks. It was pretty nerve racking since there were checkpoints set up on the highways to stop anyone that was going about without a good reason. If you were caught, you would be fined around 600 euros and maybe jailed. I also had a timeline that I had to finish by so the days were long. There wasn't time to mess around and think, 'Oh, I can do that later'. As soon as I finished a song, it was being mixed. This was the first time this has ever happened, but it all went well and I was able to finish on time."

The record also features guest appearances from touring guitarist Mike Abdow, who contributed some solos, plus Porcupine Tree/The Pineapple Thief drummer Gavin Harrison plays on "When Snow Falls", and "Under The Sun" sees the band incorporating a full string section for the first time.