Besides fronting US prog metal pioneers Fates Warning since 1987, Ray Alder has his fingers in a number of pies, including Engine, Redemption and, most recently, A-Z. As he unveils a second solo set, suitably entitled II, Prog places a call to the singer’s home in Spain to find out more.
After being a ‘band guy’ for so long, how did it feel to release your solo debut, What The Water Wants, in 2019?
I like doing a lot of different things, which is why I’m involved in a few projects. A solo album just seemed like the next step. But if Fates Warning is no longer going to release material then I need an outlet. I don’t want to join another band, so a solo career seems the most logical thing to do.
Hold on a minute – no more Fates Warning?!
Jim [Matheos, guitarist and main songwriter] says he doesn’t want to write any more new music for the band. That could change, I don’t know, you’d have to talk to him. It’s not to say there won’t be any more live shows. The band didn’t break up. It’s just that there won’t be any more new music. And I need an outlet; music has been my life for over 30 years.
What The Water Wants was critically praised. Prog admired its “dramatic shifts in intensity and tone, contrasting elegance and melody with headbanging riffs”, but especially the quality of your vocals.
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