MUSIC REVIEW: Marillion - Seasons End

"To lose, to gain..."

Marillion fans must have been freaked out when the band brought in Steve Hogarth to replace the idiosyncratic Fish. It seemed that the band was toast when Fish took off, taking his uniquely expressive voice and his amazing poetic faculty with him. His influence on early Marillion music was unquestionably big.

But Hogarth's first outing with the band collectively removed most fans' apprehensions. Although Hogarth lacked Fish's poetic abilities, he suited the band perfectly with his fine vocal abilities and remarkable emotional expression. The music is the classic neo-progressive stuff that the band does so well, and the band retains its ability to touch the listener in myriad ways. Hogarth-Marillion's lyrical subjects are less personal than Fish's, and tackle social issues (like "Easter," which implores for peace in Ireland, or the title track, which explores environmental spoliation in a pretty way), but they are emotionally intuitive nonetheless. The album is perfect if one disregards the rather trite "Hooks In You," a fairly standard pop song that represents the album's weakest moment (fortunately it's less than three minutes long). Rothery's solos are as elegant and emotive as ever, and Kelly's keyboards add an important layer of beauty to the songs.

There's song highlights aplenty. If you make a CDR without "Hooks In You," you get one of Marillion's best albums, from either era.