HARDWARES

When unfurled, the quad-panels house two audio discs and an impressive collection of old concert material (sadly, all rest on transparent spindles, with no artwork nor photo behind them). In terms of the two CDs, one is the original (and to now, only incarnation available) eight songs. Honestly, this is the last Fates Warning disc I can listen to, preferring the John Arch years. The bonus disc offers demo versions of the same eight tracks, plus second takes of ‘Part Of The Machine’ and ‘Nothing Left To Say’. The CD booklet offers lyrics, a few photos (two groups in colour), but no synopsis, history or insight of any kind, unlike the treatment afforded their Awaken The Guardian a few years back. Fortunately, the DVD saves the day and makes this a worthwhile purchase, even for the more casual fan (like myself). The DVD jumps back and forth between ’89 and ‘90, beginning with five tracks from Allentown, PA in ’89. After ‘Fata Morgana’ and towards the end of ‘Part Of The Machine’, the camcorder operator (located at the back of the club) appears to have gone for a drink/smoke/bathroom break or some other nefarious act, leaving the camera to fill the entire stage, lighting rig, ceiling, crowd and band from afar during ‘Silent Cries’. Come ‘Static Acts’ (Is there a more accurate description of this band live? And for the most part we are witnessing them from the opening ‘Fata Morgana until the batteries run out), he’s back, making up for lost time by whipping the camera around to catch those grainy/washed out images inherent in live filming of that era. The audio portion (especially 20 years after the fact) is quite good, although Ray Alder’s register over-modulates the rudimentary technology. The show ends with ‘Through Different Eyes’. It’s on to Houston, TX, almost five months later, for four more songs (plus repeats of ‘Fata Morgana’, ‘Static Acts’ and ‘Silent Cries’). What a difference a few months makes, as the stage wear is less frilly and the crowd more energized (liquored up?). With clearer visuals, especially close-ups, despite a handheld lens, while this show is not filmed straight-on, the cameraman works magic through frequently zooming past the heads that would otherwise have obscured the performance. Situated as such, the overall sound is treble-heavy, but we get the old school, dual-acoustic-begun gem ‘Damnation’, as well as ‘Quietus’ and ‘Anarchy Divine’ both from Alder’s No Exit debut. Fates guys, have you watched these old tapes? Notice how animated the crowd and band are during ‘Damnation’ (hint, hint)! Their first European show ever, in Amsterdam, was exactly two weeks after Allentown and begins with the same trio of tracks, although the dual-vocal ‘The Apparition’ is a nice addition to the running order comprised of a half dozen cuts (all the others having been trotted out already). Best quality, sight and sound though. From here on, Ray is seen in a PowerMad t-shirt! Philly’s only contribution is a crowd-shot/obstructed ‘The Arena’, the lone airing of said tune herein. Returning to their own backyard (New Haven, CT on Dec. 11, ’89) they had to pull out more material from the Arch era for the longtime fans in the crowd (even though Alder struggles). In addition to the aforementioned ‘Damnation’ and ‘The Apparition’, there’s also ‘Exodus’, as well as a Mark Zonder drum solo and a rendition of ‘The Ivory Gate Of Dreams’ amongst the seven selections. Pro-shot, with fades to black between songs and some post-production slo-mo effects, the show feels more staged than authentic. After 2:27 of vintage live music (virtually no stage banter), the DVD concludes with the promotional video for ‘Through Different Eyes’. The DVD footage easily adds two points to the overall score.