ARCH/MATHEOS

Prog metal grand masters continue to impress.

Vocalist John Arch and guitarist Jim Matheos have been legends on the metal scene for decades, not least through their involvement with Fates Warning. Winter Ethereal – the follow-up to 2011’s Sympathetic Resonance – is bigger, richer and more bombastic than ever. Thank the metal gods for that! Across nine shimmering minutes, opening track Vermillion Moons sets out a fist-pumping agenda of real delight. If other tracks such as Wrath Of The Universe take Winter Ethereal into darker, diminished-chord territory, Arch’s soaring vocals and Matheos’ screaming guitar tone prove a joyous

throwback to a time when metal wasn’t dominated by cookie monster growls and patience-testing technical displays. This may make Winter Ethereal sound old-fashioned and too

Route One. Far from it. The 13-minute closer, Kindred Spirits runs the gamut of prog metal moves from tinkling arpeggios through soaring riffage and minor key aggression. It’s a terrific testament to undiminished musical gifts that deserves a fresh audience. Winter Ethereal may offer little succour to those who are obsessed with innovation for innovation’s sake. The rest of us can sit back and turn up the volume.