by Dave Campbell
It’s not uncommon for established musicians to seek out solo/partner ventures outside of the bands where they spend most of their time with. These ventures can provide a different outlet for them to express themselves in ways that can contrast with the music their fans are used to. They can also provide a creative freedom for them to write what they want to write, free from the confines of their ‘regular’ bands. Ray Alder and Jim Matheos are the vocal and guitar soul of FATES WARNING, credited as one of the very first Progressive Metal bands. Although FATES WARNING never reached commercial heights of fellow 80’s Prog Metal bands QUEENSRYCHE and DREAM THEATER, their work was still monumental and inspirational in shaping the early sound of the genre. While I still very much enjoy the music of all three bands, these days, I welcome something fresh and new, and that’s where NORTH SEA ECHOES come in. With their second album presented here, they also added a drummer, expanding their sound even more.
FATES WARNING may have been put to rest. Alder stated in an interview that Matheos has no interest in writing new material, but did not rule out any future tours. “That could change, I don’t know, you’d have to talk to him. It’s not to say there won’t be any more live shows. The band didn’t break up. It’s just that there won’t be any more new music. And I need an outlet; music has been my life for over thirty years.” The debut from NORTH SEA ECHOES made waves across the Progressive music industry, due to Alder’s emotional vocals and Matheo’s creative guitar playing. The new album reflects some more growth between these two longtime partners. Matheos comments, “this record is a bit heavier, with several more songs featuring real drums, played by Dennis Leeflang. It wasn’t necessarily intentional or planned, just the way things shaped up and how they emerged this time.”
The first song is titled ‘A Time for Innocence and Purpose.’ It eases in, with a simple riff pattern that is soon backed with electronic drum notes, and it begins to climb. Tension. I get a visual of the smoky haze clearing from a battlefield that rocked with artillery just hours before. Vocals don’t appear until close to halfway through the song, and just when tension becomes firm, it drops as he says, “I look at you and see nothing…I know you used to feel something.” These lines are delivered with conviction and offer a hint of some of the darkness that is to come. ‘Enjoy the View’ continues a grey, pensive feeling in the verses but the chorus springs to life with Alder’s emotional vocals. “I close my eyes” he sings confidently and holds the notes until you have goosebumps. I have to say the drums on the album have a noticeable presence, and they might be responsible for the heavier feeling on the album that Alder talked about. However, it’s not heaviness in the simple definition of the term…it’s more like an emotional weight that is placed firmly on your back.
‘Good Enough’ has sentimental tones, almost like someone thinking back to a time when you may have had a chance to do something differently. “Would it be enough if…” That kind of thing. We all have regrets, and some of them are worth revising, while others should have just been put to bed. That’s what makes us human. The song also carries a lot of weight with it…the kind that makes you long for something you lost long ago…love, perhaps? In many ways, this song is the heart of the band’s sound on the album, and I had to replay it a few times so I wouldn’t lose the melody. It’s amazing how much emotion can come from just vocals and guitars. ‘I’ll Leave a Light On’ swings with sultry tones and grooves. It’s a slow mover, another emotional offering, and it’s almost as if he had made peace with the fact that she isn’t coming home. “I’ll leave a light on in case you come back,” he says, half-heartedly and without much conviction. Every night he completes the ritual, sometimes without even thinking, with the little pinch of hope he still has left. ‘All Fall Away’ has an electronic drum beat that sounds like a resting heart…slow, and steady…in the verses. The chorus is a different story however. When distorted guitars break the gentleness and Alder belts “let it all fall away, let it all turn to grey,” it’s as if he is just done with it and doesn’t care what happens.
‘Revenge’ has darker and more sinister tones, and that crunchy guitar riff is quite catchy. Although the first half of the album was on the pensive side, the second half leads in with more vigor. In both styles, what remains a constant is the heavy message that the music carries. The sound is simple, but catchy, and as a consumer it serves to remind you that music doesn’t have to be overly complicated to be enjoyable. Indeed, sometimes less is more, as the adage goes. ‘Villains or Saints’ swings the album back to melancholy tones once more. “When did we lose the fire,” he asks, adding “how did we fall from the sky?” The questions are rhetorical, yet compelling, and the music burns deep in your stomach. During the final chorus, he turns the questions around, pleading “can we re-light the fire,” and “can we return to the sky?” The differing positions of the questions seems to mirror the title. Should we be villains, or should we be saints? For most of us, it’s a simple question, and we would choose the latter. However, who hasn’t been tempted to live life like a villain to see what it’s like, if only for a day?
‘What Is And What Was’ is the shortest song on the album, and compares two seemingly opposite things put to music. It may also be the song that carries the strongest emotional burden. It has a sentimental, even nostalgic sound that might just let you off the hook from deciding between the two…what was, and what is. Alder talks about how the weight of the world isn’t yours to carry alone. Some things are OK to just let go of, because they constantly weigh us down. It’s an invitation to remove negativity from your life, and/or things that you just can’t change. “All That Comes After” advances with a soulful blues riff that will get you off your feet, and the energy is rocking here. It’s a faster-moving song with another catchy chorus, and that riff is both powerful and effective. The song speaks to me, “who cares what comes after…live in the now.” Indeed. That’s exactly the message that some of us need to hear. It many ways, it’s reinforcement that some of the choices we have to make every day are difficult, but we still are given the grace to make these decisions.
The title track is last, and also the longest. In true fashion, it returns the album back to its melancholy and thoughtful roots. It has a dreamy sound to it, like that time in the morning when you are just waking up, still sleepy, or maybe the time in the evening when you are drifting off. The music seems to live in this ethereal landscape as long as the song lasts, and no matter how many times I play it, I never want it to end. In the wide variety of Progressive bands that are out there, this album capitalizes on the simplicity and honesty of music in one of its most organic forms: pure, raw emotion. People often talk about the term “chemistry” in the industry, and it is indeed that chemistry that acts as oil and greases the band’s movement on the album. It’s also oil that makes the album as smoothly grey as it is. ‘How To Cast A Shadow’ is proof that you don’t need overly complex songs for you to feel the music. There’s a shade of melancholy that permeates the album and provides glue that holds the songs together. When it comes to feeling music, the question of “how” doesn’t factor as much as “why.” Explore the “why.”
Released on July 24, 2026 on Metal Blade Records
Order here:https://northseaechoes.bandcamp.com/album/how-to-cast-a-shadow
Tracklist:
1. A Time of Innocence and Purpose
2. Enjoy the View
3. Good Enough
4. I’ll Leave a Light On
5. All Fall Away
6. Revenge
7. Villains or Saints
8. What Is and What Was
9. All That Comes After
10. How to Cast a Shadow
Lineup:
Ray Alder – Vocals
Jim Matheos – Guitars/Programming
Dennis Leeflang – Drums
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