Johannes Schult

Fates Warning are an amazing band. I saw them live in Cologne (15th November 2007) and was reminded of just how good a band they really are. Although they’re not really a band in the original sense for some time now. Drum God Bobby Jarzombek joined the band for their recent European Tour, so I just had to see them, come hell, high water, or railway strikes.

It was nice to see Frank Aresti back in the band again. He played some awesome guitar magic. Joey Vera was a bass animal. Ray Alder’s vocals were drowned in the mix, but he gave a great performance, anyway. He’s no longer singing the high parts of some older songs, but manages to re-invent the melodies. Highlights of the show were the three songs off Parallels and the epic “Still Remains”. Especially the later one was breathtaking – progressive metal at its very best! Bobby threw in some double bass in “Point of View” and mastered the complex drum patterns without any visible effort. There were maybe 300 people, so it was a rather intimate show. The atmosphere was great and the chorus in “The Eleventh Hour” was stunning. Check out Flickr for a few more pictures. Wahoo!

1. One
2. A Pleasant Shade Of Gray III
3. A Pleasant Shade Of Gray IV
4. Another Perfect Day
5. Life In Still Water
6. Island In The Stream
7. A Pleasant Shade Of Gray VII
8. The Eleventh Hour
9. Point Of View
10. Still Remains
11. Stranger (With A Familiar Face)
12. A Pleasant Shade Of Gray XI
13. Silent Cries
14. Monument
15. Nothing Left To Say

Ich hätte gern etwas, das ausdrückt: Ich habe dich sehr geliebt. Aber vielleicht hätte ich dich nicht mehr lieben sollen als Natalie. Denn schließlich warst du ja nur ein Hund. Machen Sie mir bitte so etwas zurecht?

Yesterday, I bought JPod by Douglas Coupland. It was a spontaneous decision in the store. I didn’t regret it. I began reading it on my way home. And then on page 62 I found my innermost thoughts and feelings turned into words: “Belgian keyboards are totally from hell.”