Tracks:

Relentless
Cheyenne

For those of you unaware of who John Arch is, I will endeavor to explain. John Arch was the original singer for Fates Warning. Fates Warning was one of the great metal bands of the early to mid 80's. After Arch left the band Fates Warning replaced him and moved on in a more prog rock direction. Some of this music was ok, but for the most part I preferred the Arch-era material. Fates Warning is probably directly responsible for causing Dream Theater. In fact, the drummer from Dream Theater (Mike Portnoy) is responsible for the drum tracks on this EP. Also appearing are Jim Matheos (FW guitarist) and Joey Vera (bass for FW, Armored Saint, Engine, and Seven Witches.)

Since leaving FW no one has heard a peep from Mr. Arch (what's it been, 15 years??) until now. I must confess that I have often wondered whatever became of him, and once in awhile I would search to see if I could find any new material from the man. Alas, I always came up short. "Awaken the Guardian" the last album Arch recorded with FW is one of my personal favorites from that time. It has deep personal meaning to me and will always have a cherished place in my music collection. Check it out.

By now you may be coming to understand that in my eyes the release of this EP is monumental. Finally, at long last, new material. Unfortunately John is only teasing us with this EP, for it only contains two songs. On the upside, one song is approximately 12 minutes long, and the next is about 15 minutes.

So what do you say? Shall we give it a spin? I think we shall.

Arch's higher vocal range harkens back to the glory days of 80's metal (this is a good thing), but the music makes the song seem more contemporary, creating a nice blend.

Nearing the end of the first track ("Relentless") and I am sporting some nice goose bumps. I am in awe; the wait for new material was definitely worthwhile. I want some more.

Track two is titled "Cheyenne." This song starts quite beautifully and bounces back and forth between pretty and heavy. This EP has it all. Clean, heavy, fast, slow, nothing is lacking. There are little bits of electronics here and there giving it a modern feel, yet some strings that give it a classical element as well. We have another winner.

I'm concerned that many people will not know who Arch is, or be put off by the fact that the CD only has two tracks, and may pass up this wonderful EP. Hopefully this EP is just a taste of more material to come. I cross my fingers in anticipation of a new full length John Arch album. Get to work man!