A-Z · A-Z | DIGIPAK CD

Limited edition digipak with 24 page booklet.

Background information about 'A-Z'

There are comeback records, and then there is "A-Z" — the kind of debut that arrives with decades of hard-won craft behind it and still sounds like a band hungry for their first stage. A-Z is the project of Fates Warning frontman Ray Alder and drummer Mark Zonder, two musicians who spent years shaping the more cerebral end of progressive metal, and here they let that chemistry breathe in a leaner, more song-focused direction. The hooks land fast, the arrangements never overstay their welcome, and Alder's voice — still one of the most distinctive in the genre — sits right up front where it belongs.

What makes this record tick is the tension between melody and muscle. Tracks like "Trial By Fire" and "The Machine Gunner" push forward with a propulsive drive, while "Window Panes" and "Run Away" dial things back into something more introspective and atmospheric. It is progressive rock that remembers it is supposed to be rock: big choruses, tight playing, and a rhythm section that knows exactly when to explode and when to hold back. The closing bonus track, "The Silence Broken", feels like a proper send-off rather than an afterthought.

For fans of:
Fates Warning, Queensrÿche, Dream Theater, Threshold, Redemption

Other Versions

WHITE LP · Sold out RED/YELLOW LP · Sold out BLACK LP · 16,99 € CLEAR/PURPLE LP · Sold out

Track listing

1. Trial By Fire
2. The Far Side of the Horizon
3. The Machine Gunner
4. Rise Again
5. Window Panes
6. Run Away
7. Stranded
8. At the Waters Edge
9. Borrowed Time
10. Sometimes
11. The Silence Broken (bonus track)

Manufacturer: Metal Blade Records GmbH, Friedrichstr. 38, 73033 Göppingen, Germany, Contact: www.metalblade.com