{"id":97992,"date":"2020-03-31T09:00:14","date_gmt":"2020-03-31T14:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/?p=97992"},"modified":"2020-03-31T08:19:00","modified_gmt":"2020-03-31T13:19:00","slug":"2019-roundup-melodic-metal-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/2019-roundup-melodic-metal-2\/","title":{"rendered":"2019 Roundup: Melodic Metal 2"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Ray Alder<\/strong> – What the Water Wants<\/a><\/em><\/h2>\n

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When Fates Warning<\/strong> decided to take some time off for guitarist Jim Matheos to focus on the sophomore release from Arch\/Matheos<\/strong>, Ray Alder decided to record the first solo album of his lengthy career. What the Water Wants<\/em> divides the heavier, more metallic songs with guitarist Tony Hernando, whose schedule with his own band (Restless Spirits<\/strong>\/Lords of Black<\/strong>) prevented him from partaking in the entire record, leaving FW live guitarist Michael Abdow to step in. Shades of both Fates Warning and Redemption<\/strong>, from which Alder exited a few years back, can be heard throughout the album, but What the Water Wants<\/em> isn’t entirely derivative of Alder’s past. It’s easily at its best when it encourages Alder to reign it in, singing softly instead of using his trademark bellowing style, which, though pregnant with power and emotion, often obscures his melodies.<\/p>\n