Ray Alder
What the Water Wants

Ray Alder knows what the water wants, and he is telling us on the first solo album he has made. At least it is the first solo in his own name, Engine was a bit of a solo thing as well. Alder is otherwise of Fates Warning fame where he has been singing for decades now, and he has also recorded albums with Redemption and previously mentioned Engine. His first album under his own name looks interesting and with Simone Mularoni handling the mixing it also sounds interesting.

Musically if fits in well with the stuff that Alder has done before, fans of Fates Warning will find this album quite familiar in a way and not only because Alder sings. And he sings really well, as he usually does. It is a progressive metal kind of album, quite simple in structure but with depth and variation it is an album that will keep the listener entertained for the entire playing time. The production is quite excellent; Mularoni has mixed the album quite brilliantly. You could argue that it is too reminiscent of what Alder has done with Fates Warning, but it still feels quite fresh and imaginative without really breaking much new ground.

What the Water Wants is a great album with great songs and some brilliant singing, hats off to Alder and to Mularoni for pulling that one off. I don’t think there are any weaknesses to be heard on this album and if you are a fan of Fates Warning you will most likely find this album very good as well. All the tracks are really strong but I think the one called Wait is my favourite; it feels more memorable and strikes a chord with me when I listen to it. But all of the tracks feel pretty fresh and really good. It is an album that is well worth looking into; I think that you will like it.

The water wants you to buy this album, and that would not be the worst album purchase ever, quite far from it. Ray Alder’s first album in his own name will look good in your record collection, and it is a really strong selection of songs – I think you should check it out because that is what the water wants.

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