ARCH / MATHEOS - Winter Ethereal (Digipak) CD

In progressive metal circles, the names of guitarist Jim Matheos and vocalist John Arch are spoken with due reverence.

With the former having been a driving force in Fates Warning for thirty-five years, and the latter the original front-man of that band, they also have a single seminal work under the Arch / Matheos banner, 2011's 'Sympathetic Resonance'.

In 2019, they have reunited to follow that record up with 'Winter Ethereal', a more stylistically varied and perhaps deeper collection that explores a lot of sonic territory over the course of nine immersive tracks.

"This stems from both of us trying to step out of our comfort zones a bit, sometimes voluntarily, sometimes being pushed," states Matheos.

"Having worked together so many times, it would be easy to fall into the same way of doing things, and I think we were both interested in exploring some new areas."

Arch concurs and adds: "Each song is notably different from the next, and nothing sounds repetitive.

It is not a concept album, but somehow after a full listen from start to finish, there does seem to be continuity between the songs that I can't describe.

At over an hour long, I think the fans will agree that it is a full listening experience."

Tracklist:

1        Vermilion Moons  9:06

2        Wanderlust  5:59

3        Solitary Man  5:41

4        Wrath Of The Universe  8:23

5        Tethered  6:11

6        Straight And Narrow  4:20

7        Pitch Black Prism  7:06

8        Never In Your Hands  8:13

9        Kindred Spirits  13:00