JOEY VERA 'Would Love To' Play Shows With FATES WARNING Again: 'I Know That There's Offers Coming In From Promoters'

In a new interview with George Dionne of The Rock Is George podcast, ARMORED SAINT bassist Joey Vera was asked about the current status of FATES WARNING, the progressive metal band he has been a member of for three decades. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Man, I wish I had an answer for you… I don't have any news with that, and I'm bummed about that because I do get asked about it a lot. And I'm still in touch with Jim [Matheos, FATES WARNING guitarist] and with Ray [Alder, FATES WARNING singer]. We text each other. I probably text with Ray more frequently than Jim, but we're still in touch. And we're sort of, like, 'Hey, we miss you guys. Let's go out and do this again.' And they're, like, 'Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.' Well, everybody's busy, which, it's kind of true. Everybody's doing other things at the moment."

Joey continued: "But I haven't given up. I would love to do more shows. And I know that there's offers coming in from promoters, 'cause sometimes they come to me. And I'm, like, 'Hey, man, I got no pull here. You gotta go to the booking agents and you gotta go to Matheos and Ray.' But the interest is still there, and I hope that one of these days I can have something better to tell you than what I'm trying to get through right now. [Laughs]"

Four years ago, Vera told VWMusic about how he landed the FATES WARNING gig: "I'd been friends with Jim Matheos and the guys since 1984. In fact, they asked me to fill in for Joe Dibiase back in 1989, when he had a family emergency during their 'No Exit' tour, so I flew out and played four shows with them on the East Coast. One day, I got a call from Jim in 1996, and he asked me if I wanted to play on their new album. I said, 'Hell yes.' I didn't know then that I'd still be working with them after all these years, but it's been one of the most fulfilling things I've done."

Back in February 2024, Alder was asked by Seb Di Gatto of The Metal Gods Meltdown if there were any plans for FATES WARNING to go back into the studio in the near future. He responded: "No. Jim doesn't wanna write any more music for the band. I think he just kind of feels it wouldn't be honest — he wouldn't be honest with himself or to the fans. He's just really not into it at the moment — I don't know; he says not at all, but who knows in the future? Maybe he becomes inspired or bored. I don't know. We'll see."

Ray previously touched upon the fact that FATES WARNING has likely made its final album in May 2023 while talking to Sakis Fragos of Greece's Rock Hard magazine about his decision to continue making solo music. He said at the time: "With FATES, after we did the last album and Jim saying he doesn't wanna write any more FATES WARNING music, I have to do something. I'm a singer. I can't just get a normal job. I mean, music is my life; it's been my life since I was 16 years old. I've been in bands — shit, since I was 14 years old I've been in bands. The first time I ever sang, I think, I was 14, [in] my brother's band. So it's my life. I don't know what else I would do otherwise."

Pressed to clarify if Jim really said that he wasn't interested in writing any more FATES WARNING music, Ray said: "Yeah. [He said it] when we did [2020's] 'Long Day Good Night' [album]. That was basically his saying he doesn't wanna write any more FATES WARNING music. It doesn't mean we won't ever tour again. I would love to tour again, and Jim would as well; we've already discussed it. It's just a matter of getting everyone together. Joey's in five or six different bands. And Bobby Jarzombek, Bobby's now playing with George Strait, one of the biggest country music stars in the world, and Bobby's his drummer now. But George doesn't really do normal tours; he does one-off shows now and then. And so it's really hard for Bobby to leave for more than a week or two to be on tour. So we've been trying to deal with that lately."

Asked if that means that there will be no more new FATES WARNING music in the future, Ray said: "It doesn't seem like it. I can't speak for Jim. Of course I would love to, and everybody else would, but at this point I don't think Jim wants to write anymore."

As for why he thinks Jim isn't interested in making any more FATES WARNING music, Alder said: "You've gotta ask him, man. You've gotta ask him. I can't speak for him. Sorry."

FATES WARNING hasn't performed live since the completion of the band's North American tour in April 2019.

FATES WARNING has been a formidable presence in progressive metal for more than four decades, helping to shape and drive the genre without ever compromising its integrity or losing relevance.

FATES WARNING, with John Arch on vocals, unleashed three albums (1984's "Night On Bröcken", 1985's "The Spectre Within" and 1986's "Awaken The Guardian") that would go on to influence progressive-minded bands like DREAM THEATER, before Arch left the group and was replaced by Alder.

NORTH SEA ECHOES, the project featuring Alder and Matheos, released its debut album, "Really Good Terrible Things", in February 2024 via Metal Blade.

Photo credit: Stephanie Cabral