Arch/Matheos

Centered on the exceptional skills of Fates Warning guitarist Jim Matheos and the band’s ex-vocalist John Arch, the fittingly titled Arch/Matheos deliver an enveloping fusion of force, technical mastery, and melodic appeal.

Arch established Fates Warning before departing the lineup in 1987 and stepping away from music altogether. Matheos, a member of Fates Warning since 1982, reached out to Arch in 2011 about developing fresh songs, a portion of which had been earmarked for a forthcoming Fates Warning album. When that project was postponed, Arch and Matheos enlisted assistance from several Fates Warning colleagues and issued the favorably received Sympathetic Resonance under their own name. The pair neither mapped out a sequel nor dismissed the venture as a singular occurrence, so once their calendars aligned once more in 2017 they reconvened for a second album. Winter Ethereal, tracked with an assortment of guest players that included Sean Malone (Cynic), Steve Di Giorgio (Death), and Thomas Lang (Stork), appeared in 2019.