The New Guy

Ray Alder joined Fates Warning in 1988 at the age of 18. He still fronts the band some 20 years later. Some fans still call him the new guy. He replaced John Arch, who sang for FW between 1984-1988 and recorded the classic "Night on Brocken" with the band. However, Ray has recorded classic after classic as their frontman since 1988's "No Exit", up through their last two masterpieces, "Disconnected" and "FWX". The guy has the range of other prog greats like Geoff Tate and James LaBrie, except he has this much heavier/darker side to him that isn't as theatrical as Tate, nor as unpredictable as LaBrie.

In between Fates and his newer classic prog project Redemption, Ray started his own band called Engine. Much heavier that FW and with tons of Deftones-esque groove and backbone. They've put out two records that are crushing and haunting, though neither has sold much of anything. The band is an all-star team, featuring Bernie Versailles (Redemption, Agent Steel), Joey Vera (Anthrax, Armored Saint, Fates Warning, etc) and Pete Parada (Face To Face).

Ray Alder is now only 38 years onld with over 20 years in the game. He is a true legend and one of the best singers in the business. Check out some Engine and pick up the records wherever you can, since I believe both are out of print. Amazon has 'em pretty cheap. Think Taco Bell bean burrito cheap. It's worth every penny.

"Monster":
"Losing Ground":