631. Fates Warning / A Pleasant Shade of Gray. 1997. 2.5/5

Is it a brave move or a strange move or just a progressive move to decide that you will not only record a concept album, but for all intents and purposes make it just one song, in a number of acts? This is pretty much what Fates Warning have done here on A Pleasant Shade of Gray. The album is basically one 55 minute song, in twelve parts without a title. It is so designed that it is really not an option to throw on the CD and just choose one 'song' to play, because it would seem out of place.
The concept album is not a rare beast in the progressive rock and metal genre. In fact, it is almost a prerequisite. the fact that it had taken Fates Warning so long to release one could be seen to be out of place.

So how do you approach this album? In my mind, after several listens, you have to be in the right mood, and you have to let it play from start to finish without interruption. It is, after all, just one song. Overall this is quite a mellowing album, there really isn't a lot of metal about it. It has all the complicated guitar and drum pieces that you expect from this band, and certainly the complex time changes that dominate an album of this genre. But it never reaches any thumping proportions. It almost slides along like a waterfall cascading into a stream. And this is where I feel you have to be in the right place to actually put this on. If you want to slump quietly into your favourite armchair, perhaps with a book, away from the world, this album can be very rewarding. It's a reflective kind of album. If you are looking to put something on to get the blood pumping, then this certainly isn't it.

Like many people, it took me a little while to 'get' this album, to find its place and to appreciate it for what it is. And once I had reached that place, I did find it rewarding in its own way. It's not going to please everyone, and it isn't for those that are looking for a metal album. Would I possibly call it 'easy listening' progressive rock? Perhaps. But the musicianship is faultless, and the vocals are spot on. Even so, it won't be for everyone, and the lengthy passages of light instrumentals may well turn off many followers.