What do you think?
Rate this book
Destination Onward - The Story of Fates Warning
Created over several years with full cooperation of every member of Fates Warning past and present, author Jeff Wagner presents a highly detailed examination of one the greatest bands of all time with 'Destination Onward.'
- GenresMusic
Perfect Paperback
Published January 1, 2022
9 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
About the author
Jeff Wagner
18 books30 followersJeff Wagner is an American writer and published author who writes books, articles, reviews, CD liner notes and blogs about heavy metal.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 19, 2023
Надявам се Фейтс да издадат още един албум защото както казва лидерът Джим Матеус
"Ние не сме вече първа младост и годините напредват , но ако някой ден се събудя и напиша материал достатъчно прогресив ще бъде с тези момчета , не искам да казвам че това е краят "
"Ние не сме вече първа младост и годините напредват , но ако някой ден се събудя и напиша материал достатъчно прогресив ще бъде с тези момчета , не искам да казвам че това е краят "
November 26, 2022
Metal Injection had an article about this book over the summer and how the first 500 pre-orders would receive a signed copy by the band. Alas, I was not one of those 500 yearning souls, but nevertheless, I really enjoyed this read. Beyond expectations. (The signatures wouldn’t have really mattered to me anyway.)
Now, it should be known that I’ve never been much of a progressive metal fan, and while “progressive” has become a kind-of catch-all for anything that’s remotely cerebral, contextually layered, and doesn’t fit into an established sub-genre of metal, it certainly has its palette of phenomenal bands to which Fates Warning is one that’s been around for 40 years. I think most would agree it all goes back to Rush, with Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Yes, and other 70s bands laying the groundwork. OK, so as a kid back in the 80s, I was solidly a power, thrash, and speed metal fan. But I had a first-period homeroom class one semester in high school, and there was a super-cute skater girl in the row in front of me always wearing headphones and listening to a Walkman, which I did likewise. Several weeks in a row I saw the same cassette case next to her, Queensrÿche’s Operation Mindcrime. I was too shy and socially inept to talk to her, but I went out and bought the album . . . and it BLEW MY MIND. To this day, I will consider it one of the best albums of all time. Apparently Queensrÿche was the then-modern incarnation of “progressive metal” and I now see why. Savatage and Fates Warning too carried the torch, and Dream Theater then mushroomed the genre in the 90s. I wasn’t aware of Fates Warning until the Chasing Time compilation came out in ’95 (I must have missed the vids on Headbanger’s Ball before, but the “grunge” fanaticism ruined that show too). I was older, more musically mature, open to new things after the Grunge Gold Rush became pop, and a young college kid studying fine art and art history after spending three years in the infantry. Chasing Time was, and remains, a beautiful collection of the band’s work up until that point. (While reading this book, I listened to their entire catalog again, rediscovering old favorites and traveling through new wonders where headphones certainly help one hear the complexity of the compositions and treasure them more deeply.) Just about all of these musicians are still making phenomenal music in many ways, and they are close friends throughout. This might be one of the hallmarks of the progressive metal scene writ large (minus Geoff Tate).
Wagner gives us a wonderful chronicling of the band through the decades, album by album, hearing the various musicians, producers, artists, and others through their own voices and perspectives. Its thoughtful and reflective, thought-provoking and humble. It also gives a nice overview of how the music industry has dramatically changed over the decades—for good and bad—and how we now all have access to just about anything ever recorded, which lends itself to exploration if one has the compulsion for such exploits. Being a professional musician is a hard life, for many varied reasons, and see why through Fates Warning. Overall, this was a nice distraction from my usual fare of books, and it encouraged me to be more distracted with similar finds.
I was listening to The Metal Show on Bandcamp, and the host (Brad Sanders) was interviewing singer/violinist Sarah Pendleton of The Otolith and SubRosa, and at one point she shares just how hard it is for musicians to make a living doing exactly what they are passionate about: making music that thrums through our souls. The free-for-all heydays of the late-90s with Napster and Limewire ruined many people’s relationship with music, and the value we placed upon it. (That Operation Mindcrime cassette probably cost me eight or nine hard-earned dollars in 1988, and I listened to it hundreds of times until the tape-deck finally ate it. This was during some of the darkest moments of my life and metal music almost exclusively helped me through them. Then I bought Operation Mindcrime on CD.) Now streaming services rule the wasteland and nobody but the pap-pop stars make anything close to a living from the royalties. Supporting the musicians you love directly, or though the record labels or via websites like Bandcamp, can definitely help keep musicians fed and pursuing their passions, to which we can all then enjoy more and more of. If you value it, you should reward the artists directly responsible for its creation.
Wagner hosts the Radical Research podcast too, so check it out. Metal for life. \m/
Now, it should be known that I’ve never been much of a progressive metal fan, and while “progressive” has become a kind-of catch-all for anything that’s remotely cerebral, contextually layered, and doesn’t fit into an established sub-genre of metal, it certainly has its palette of phenomenal bands to which Fates Warning is one that’s been around for 40 years. I think most would agree it all goes back to Rush, with Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Yes, and other 70s bands laying the groundwork. OK, so as a kid back in the 80s, I was solidly a power, thrash, and speed metal fan. But I had a first-period homeroom class one semester in high school, and there was a super-cute skater girl in the row in front of me always wearing headphones and listening to a Walkman, which I did likewise. Several weeks in a row I saw the same cassette case next to her, Queensrÿche’s Operation Mindcrime. I was too shy and socially inept to talk to her, but I went out and bought the album . . . and it BLEW MY MIND. To this day, I will consider it one of the best albums of all time. Apparently Queensrÿche was the then-modern incarnation of “progressive metal” and I now see why. Savatage and Fates Warning too carried the torch, and Dream Theater then mushroomed the genre in the 90s. I wasn’t aware of Fates Warning until the Chasing Time compilation came out in ’95 (I must have missed the vids on Headbanger’s Ball before, but the “grunge” fanaticism ruined that show too). I was older, more musically mature, open to new things after the Grunge Gold Rush became pop, and a young college kid studying fine art and art history after spending three years in the infantry. Chasing Time was, and remains, a beautiful collection of the band’s work up until that point. (While reading this book, I listened to their entire catalog again, rediscovering old favorites and traveling through new wonders where headphones certainly help one hear the complexity of the compositions and treasure them more deeply.) Just about all of these musicians are still making phenomenal music in many ways, and they are close friends throughout. This might be one of the hallmarks of the progressive metal scene writ large (minus Geoff Tate).
Wagner gives us a wonderful chronicling of the band through the decades, album by album, hearing the various musicians, producers, artists, and others through their own voices and perspectives. Its thoughtful and reflective, thought-provoking and humble. It also gives a nice overview of how the music industry has dramatically changed over the decades—for good and bad—and how we now all have access to just about anything ever recorded, which lends itself to exploration if one has the compulsion for such exploits. Being a professional musician is a hard life, for many varied reasons, and see why through Fates Warning. Overall, this was a nice distraction from my usual fare of books, and it encouraged me to be more distracted with similar finds.
I was listening to The Metal Show on Bandcamp, and the host (Brad Sanders) was interviewing singer/violinist Sarah Pendleton of The Otolith and SubRosa, and at one point she shares just how hard it is for musicians to make a living doing exactly what they are passionate about: making music that thrums through our souls. The free-for-all heydays of the late-90s with Napster and Limewire ruined many people’s relationship with music, and the value we placed upon it. (That Operation Mindcrime cassette probably cost me eight or nine hard-earned dollars in 1988, and I listened to it hundreds of times until the tape-deck finally ate it. This was during some of the darkest moments of my life and metal music almost exclusively helped me through them. Then I bought Operation Mindcrime on CD.) Now streaming services rule the wasteland and nobody but the pap-pop stars make anything close to a living from the royalties. Supporting the musicians you love directly, or though the record labels or via websites like Bandcamp, can definitely help keep musicians fed and pursuing their passions, to which we can all then enjoy more and more of. If you value it, you should reward the artists directly responsible for its creation.
Wagner hosts the Radical Research podcast too, so check it out. Metal for life. \m/
September 18, 2022
A fitting tribute to the most underrated of progressive metal's legends. I enjoyed reading all the details behind the songwriting process over the years and there's a good selection of interesting anecdotes shared by each of the band members that give a strong look into their dynamic. The one downside was there were some moments where the author seemed to dip into discussing other bands a bit much (a section discussing the internal band drama of Queensryche felt particularly off-topic to me, even if FW witnessed it), which I suppose is indicative of the fact FW never really had much drama, at least nothing to the extent we associate with many metal bands. Even so, the fact the music always came first for them is a strong aspect of their appeal, and this book does a great job at going in depth on that front and is a great treat for longtime fans such as myself.
August 22, 2022
Exhaustive coverage without being an exhausting read!
July 25, 2022
One of the best music-related biographies I’ve ever read.
February 21, 2024
Destination Onward is not for everyone but is for everyone who is a fan of or has respect for Fates Warning. The book details their long career album by album. Those details paint a clearer picture of how the songs came about as well as why the albums sound the way they do.
Jeff Wagner's life and career revolves around writing about heavy music and, as a fan of Fates Warning, he takes great care in telling their story honestly and accurately. Wagner weaves the history of the band from just before its inception through thirteen studio albums. While taking turns to introduce new people or keeping track of the members as they explore side projects, Wagner weaves his way back to the center thread, Jim Matheos and his musical vision.
Everything about this book is thoughtfully done. The physical book is made well with the "french flap" cover design and a soft texture that's uncommon for paperbacks. Sixteen pages of color photos sit in the middle of the book while black & white photos are placed throughout. The last section of the book reminds the reader the musicians are also fans and includes various favorites lists.
I recommend listening to the albums while reading about them. It opens the music up further with little Easter eggs and random nuggets of interesting facts that aren't noticed with a casual listen. Destination Onward will also open the door to "new" music with the mention of bands one might not be familiar with.
Jeff Wagner's life and career revolves around writing about heavy music and, as a fan of Fates Warning, he takes great care in telling their story honestly and accurately. Wagner weaves the history of the band from just before its inception through thirteen studio albums. While taking turns to introduce new people or keeping track of the members as they explore side projects, Wagner weaves his way back to the center thread, Jim Matheos and his musical vision.
Everything about this book is thoughtfully done. The physical book is made well with the "french flap" cover design and a soft texture that's uncommon for paperbacks. Sixteen pages of color photos sit in the middle of the book while black & white photos are placed throughout. The last section of the book reminds the reader the musicians are also fans and includes various favorites lists.
I recommend listening to the albums while reading about them. It opens the music up further with little Easter eggs and random nuggets of interesting facts that aren't noticed with a casual listen. Destination Onward will also open the door to "new" music with the mention of bands one might not be familiar with.
October 5, 2022
An amazingly written and well researched biography on one of the seminal, yet tragically underappreciated, prog metal bands of all time. Jeff leads the reader on a story (not just a rehashed timeline of events) from the band's humble beginnings to their graceful conclusion(?) and final album. A worthwhile read for fans of the band of course, but also fans of this genre in general. Read the book, reacquaint yourself with the music as you go, and come away with an appreciation for the immense impact and incredible art that this group has left behind.
October 7, 2023
An exhaustively thorough look at one of the most interesting and beloved heavy/power/progressive metal bands of all time. Every former member of the band and relevant person has been interviewed or acknowledged and the author, Jeff Wagner, does an excellent job at telling the story of the band from multiple people's perspectives.
August 13, 2025
A thorough and well researched biography of one of rock music’s most underrated bands. I’ve always loved their music—even more as I get older—and this gave me a deeper appreciation for the band and their members.
April 14, 2024
A FIVE star read! Thanks Jeff for writing with such details and passion. Thanks for the Fates family to contribute to this books. All you need to know about Fates Warning!
February 6, 2026
Intimate insight into the life behind a rock band, especially one as great as Fates Warning.
December 2, 2025
Interesting effort. Matheos' willingness to leave the band and "sell" the name to the others and Alder's frustration over the Arch/Matheos effort are probably the highlights of this book. At times Matheos is painted as a cold SOAB. The "spit the drummer" Queensryche incident does not belong in this book. More info about OSI is an option that should not have been discarded that easily. All other weaknesses of the book are fan-based. Inside out is a mediocre album with half the choruses ripped-off from Parallels. Somebody needs to say it since the author doesn't
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews