NORTH SEA ECHOES, Featuring Ray Alder & Jim Matheos of Fates Warning, Shares New Single “The Mission”

Debut Album ‘Really Good Terrible Things’

Out Now! — Order HERE

NORTH SEA ECHOES, the duo helmed by Fates Warning members Ray Alder and Jim Matheos, has released a new music video for “The Mission” from their debut album, ‘Really Good Terrible Things’.

Fans can check out the animated video HERE.

On the lyrical narrative for “The Mission”, Alder shares,

“A man experiences a psychotic episode in which he hears voices. I think this is pretty obvious. This was the last song written for the album. It almost didn’t make it. Jim thought the album was a bit too short so we added it last minute. I’m glad we did. It’s one of my favorites.”

Watch the Music Video for “The Mission” HERE

What the press is saying about ‘Really Good Terrible Things’

“[‘Really Good Terrible Things’] sounds more like the start of something thrillingly fresh and vital than the next chapter in a long-established, collaborative saga.

A triumph for tenderness and finesse…“

— Blabbermouth

“a force of nature in its own right, and is worthy of repeated

listens from metalheads and non-metalheads alike.”

— Sonic Perspectives

“wisdom and authenticity really shine here.”

— The PROG Mind

“an album that rewards multiple listens and opens up new sonic moods and territories.”

— Cryptic Rock

“neither good nor terrible. These songs are really great things.”

— Progressive Music Planet

‘Really Good Terrible Things’ Track List:

1) Open Book

2) Flowers in Decay

3) Unmoved

4) Throwing Stones

5) Empty

6) The Mission

7) Where I’m From

8) We Move Around the Sun

9) Touch the Sky

10) No Maps

Ray Alder and Jim Matheos’ musical legacy is vast and lauded, both as collaborators and individuals. Alder has been the vocalist and main co-writer for prog metal heroes Fates Warning for the past 35 years. With them, he has recorded 10 albums between 1988 (‘No Exit’) and 2020 (‘Long Day Good Night’). Further rounding out his discography are seven albums with Redemption, two solo albums, and the band A-Z with Mark Zonder, which debuted in 2022.

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Prolific and pioneering guitarist/producer Matheos is a co-founder of Fates Warning, the lineup debuting with 1984’s ‘Night on Bröcken’ on Metal Blade. In addition to 13 albums with Fates, Matheos’ myriad other work includes several solo albums, four albums alongside former Dream Theater keyboardist Kevin Moore, under the name OSI, and new band, Kings of Mercia, a lineup that’s been termed “a hybrid; it’s heavy, but not metal.”

“Throughout ‘Really Good Terrible Things’, Matheos and Alder serve up the kind of seductive melancholy Fates Warning fans will recognize,” says Jeff Wagner, author of the Fates Warning book Destination Onward. “Yet there’s a thoroughly different approach here: vocals are delivered with a sort of nostalgic sadness, and the guitar work is layered in such a way as to feel dreamlike. These are rich sonic landscapes, visiting places haunting, beautiful, spectral and secret. The Matheos/Alder partnership is taken to some new and wonderful places here,” Wagner concludes.

‘Really Good Terrible Things’ shows the breadth and versatility of the acclaimed pair, along with a freshness that belies their long musical partnership. “We both still love making music and we really enjoy working together. There’s a good amount of chemistry there, I think,” Matheos shares. “We both know what to expect from each other.”

Jim Matheos – guitar

Ray Alder – vocals