No Exit (Fates Warning album)

Last updated
No Exit
Fates Warning No Exit.jpg
Studio album by
Fates Warning
ReleasedMarch 23, 1988 (1988-03-23) [1]
RecordedOctober–December 1987
StudioCarriage House Studios, Stamford, Connecticut
Genre Progressive metal
Length40:04
Label Metal Blade
Producer Roger Probert, Max Norman
Fates Warning chronology
Awaken the Guardian
(1986)		No Exit
(1988)		 Perfect Symmetry
(1989)
Singles from No Exit
  1. "Silent Cries"
    Released: 1988 [2]
  2. "Anarchy Divine"
    Released: 1988 [3]
  3. "Quietus"
    Released: 1988 [4]

No Exit is the fourth studio album by progressive metal band Fates Warning, released in 1988 through Metal Blade Records. [5] It is the first Fates Warning album to feature current singer Ray Alder, who replaced John Arch after the release of Awaken the Guardian (1986), as well as the last to feature drummer Steve Zimmerman, who left the band just prior to the recording of their subsequent album Perfect Symmetry (1989). The album's title was inspired by No Exit , a 1944 play written by French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre. [6]

Contents

Music and style

Musically, No Exit is fairly similar to the band's previous efforts, although incorporating more elements of thrash metal while still maintaining the complex structures and powerful vocal performances found in the earlier albums. Although the lyrics are less influenced by fantasy themes which were predominant in the earlier albums, the philosophical element is still present.

Reissues

No Exit has had two major reissues. The first was in 1992 as part of a double album with Awaken the Guardian . [7] The second was a remastered edition containing three bonus tracks and a DVD of live material, released on September 4, 2007 to coincide with Metal Blade's 25th anniversary. [8]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [5]

Eduardo Rivadavia at AllMusic gave No Exit four stars out of five, saying "Usually regarded as the finest release from Fates Warning's early years, when their progressive leanings were tempered with no small amount of classic metal riffing, No Exit is a typically difficult album to come to grips with." [5] The album reached No. 111 on the U.S. Billboard 200 [9] and remained on that chart for thirteen weeks, longer than any of the band's albums before or since. [10] In a 2007 article by IGN, it was ranked No. 14 on their list of "Top 25 Metal Albums". [11]

Track listing

No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."No Exit" Jim Matheos Matheos0:41
2."Anarchy Divine" Frank Aresti Aresti, Matheos3:46
3."Silent Cries"MatheosMatheos, Aresti, Joe DiBiase, Steve Zimmerman3:17
4."In a Word"ArestiAresti4:25
5."Shades of Heavenly Death"ArestiAresti, DiBiase, Matheos, Zimmerman5:57
6."The Ivory Gate of Dreams"
  • "I. Innocence"
  • "II. Cold Daze"
  • "III. Daylight Dreamers"
  • "IV. Quietus"
  • "V. Ivory Tower"
  • "VI. Whispers on the Wind"
  • "VII. Acquiescence"
  • "VIII. Retrospect"
MatheosMatheos21:58
Total length:40:04
2007 remastered edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
7."Quietus" (demo)4:00
8."Ivory Gate of Dreams (Outtake 1)"2:04
9."Ivory Gate of Dreams (Outtake 2)"3:14
Bonus DVD
No.TitleLength
1."No Exit" (tour documentary) 
2."Silent Cries" (music video) 
3."Anarchy Divine" (music video) 
4."Valley of the Dolls" (live in Philadelphia, 1988) 

Personnel

Charts

Chart (1988)Peak
position
US Billboard 200 [10] 111

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References

  1. ↑ "No Exit - Fates Warning". Bandcamp . Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Fates Warning – Silent Cries". Discogs . Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Fates Warning – Anarchy Divine / In A Word". Discogs . Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Fates Warning – Quietus". Discogs . Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 Rivadavia, Eduardo. "No Exit - Fates Warning". AllMusic . All Media Network. Retrieved 2014-07-16.
  6. ↑ "Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)". fateswarning.info. Archived from the original Archived July 26, 2011, at the Wayback Machine on 2011-07-26. Retrieved 2014-07-16.
  7. ↑ "Fates Warning – Awaken The Guardian / No Exit". Discogs. Retrieved 2015-03-17.
  8. ↑ "No Exit". fateswarning.com. Retrieved 2014-10-21.
  9. ↑ "No Exit - Fates Warning | Awards". AllMusic . All Media Network. Retrieved 2014-07-16.
  10. 1 2 "Fates Warning - Chart history". Billboard . Retrieved 2014-07-16.
  11. ↑ T. Spence D; T. Ed (2007-01-20). "Top 25 Metal albums" Archived 2009-12-16 at the Wayback Machine . IGN. Retrieved 2014-07-16.
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