of the US, sharing the stage with numerous bands like Motörhead, Queensrÿche, Anthrax, Overkill, Anvil and Armored Saint. In 1986, original guitarist Victor Arduini left the band and was replaced by Frank Aresti, and the third Fates Warning album, Awaken the Guardian, was released in November of that year. It has been regarded as a groundbreaking and essential progressive metal release, working towards creating a more mythical atmosphere and a more fully realized progressive approach in song form; with complex and unusual riffs, and numerous tempo changes amidst frenetic and evocative vocal lines, however maintaining a basic fluidity. Awaken the Guardian also made history by becoming the first album released on Metal Blade to enter the Billboard 200 chart, and saw Fates Warning sharing the stage with bands like Queensrÿche and Saxon. Lineup changes and rise to near fame (1987–1993) In 1987, original vocalist John Arch left the band prior to the start of work on the band's next album, and was replaced by Ray Alder. Their first album with Alder, No Exit was released in March 1988 and further developed the direction taken by the prior album with a more powerful sound all the while setting aside the fantasy themes and atmospheres. It featured one of the first prog metal suite of the genre, "The Ivory Gate of Dreams," which is based on the Gates of horn and ivory. No Exit gave Fates Warning their highest chart position to date on the Billboard 200, entering at number 111 and staying on the chart for thirteen weeks; it also helped build the band's popularity worldwide, with the videos for "Anarchy Divine" and "Silent Cries" receiving considerable airplay on MTV's Headbangers Ball, and Fates Warning touring almost non-stop in support of the album, playing with bands like Krokus, Savatage, Armored Saint and Flotsam and Jetsam. Following the tour in support of No Exit, original drummer Steve Zimmerman left the band in 1988 and was replaced by Mark Zonder, just as Fates Warning was preparing for their fifth studio album. The resulting album, Perfect Symmetry, was released in August 1989. The album abandoned the aggressive sound of No Exit, in favor of a more melodic and experimental one along with a melancholic atmosphere and intimate lyrics. Perfect Symmetry was full of extremely complex arrangements and an unusual and very articulated rhythm section, and is often regarded as a seminal prog metal album,