Arch/Matheos – Sympathetic Resonance

This year was a big one for the world of metal music with many reunions, many albums and too much good compositions,anniversary tours and various such situations that make the public go mad and be enthusiastic. Among them for this year, was also the collaboration of Jim Matheos and John Arch. Arch for those who dont know, was the singer of Fates Warning in their first three albums as band, leaving his mark with their classic diamond ”Awaken The Guardian”. Then for some time it seemed like leaving his love for music, however in 2003 again he was presented with Mike Portnoy and Jim Matheos for their collaboration in a EP proving that his voice had remained unswayed all these years .

In 2011 Jim Matheos gathers all his compositions and satisfies to us with the help of his old friend John Arch in his new project that is simply named Arch/Matheos. The truth is that when this magic project was announced, we all had our doubts for what we would hear and how would it appear to us. Sure this new collaboration created various expectations for the return in older sound and of course these expectations are not denied. However. ”Sympathetic Resonance” is what precisely waits someone for a partisan of history by these two fellows.

As long as it is concerned, the sound style of album is for progressive metal with Fates Warning mentality with the characteristics of the power of the vocal range of Arch, lengthy compositions with curious asymmetrical metres and a lot of changes in the rhythms, including enough lyricism. In this album also participate Joey Vera on bass, Bobby Jarzombek on drums and Frank Arest on the guitars, completing this magic line-up. The album contains six classic in favour tracks, with Matheos for one more time proving to us that his music and his composing faculty can create most excellent melodies and heavy riffs and solos with the help of Aresti, with most excellent lyricism and sensitivity.

Arch magnetizes with his most excellent vocal range and shows us that not even a day passed by when he would reach extremely high frequencies. Anyone could characterize this as a concept album because perfect harmony and continuity exists between these six pieces. The most basic element of this album is that it is both heard individually concerning each member, and as a whole, making it even more daring for the listener. Finally, ”Sympathetic Resonance” was created in order to be a solid album and it finally achieved such thing very easily. Listen to this album and you definitely won’t lose.