John Arch

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John Arch (born John Maurice Archambault, May 15, 1959 in Colorado Springs^[1]) is an American progressive metal singer, most notable for his work with his band Fates Warning. He also co-wrote the majority of the songs with Matheos, and was the sole lyricist. After their third album, Awaken the Guardian, was released, Arch left Fates Warning due to conflicts with his personal life.

Arch kept himself out of the metal scene for seventeen years (he now works crafting cupboards), with the exception of an unsuccessful audition for upcoming progressive metal band Dream Theater. He made his return in 2003, when his EP A Twist of Fate was released. The EP includes musicians Jim Matheos, Mike Portnoy and Joey Vera, all of whom Arch worked with at some point in the past. The EP shows that Arch's unusual vocal ability has not dwindled over the years. The album contains only 2 songs, although these total nearly half an hour (one written solely by Arch, one co-written by Arch and Matheos - marking the first time the two wrote a song together since Awaken the Guardian). The album was very well received by fans, normally receiving 80% or higher on most review sites.

His style is similar to the quasi-operatic stylings of Geoff Tate of Queensrÿche and Midnight of Crimson Glory in that all three prefer singing in a tenor range appended with a well-developed head voice, not falsetto as is usually assumed to be used by these singers.