Fates Warning

Distinct disappointment is the feeling one gets from the newest studio album by Fates Warning. Gone are the days when the band was considered trailblazers in the progressive metal world. Now they just seem lifeless and uninteresting. With not one guitar solo found anywhere on the disc (how I long for the days of guitarist Frank Aresti), the band has incorporated a heavy, modernised metal sound similar to all the new jack metal bands that are cropping up all over the U.S. On the track "Pieces Of Me," you can even hear some Soundgarden-style influence in their playing. This is definitely not what the doctor ordered. The only saving grace on Disconnected is the 16-minute long "Still Remains," but even this is a pill that is hard to swallow. It seems Fates mastermind guitarist Jim Matheos is trying to work on atmosphere and create texturing with single guitar notes, but to be quite honest, it does not work within the parameters of what Fates Warning is all about. The best thing about this CD is the album cover, and that is a terrible thing to say.