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Shadowland

Edge Of Night DVD

Review by Mark Johnson

Maybe they had a dream they were members of Marillion during the Fish era. Many of the lyrics are taken from references to Script for a Jester’s Tear, Fugazi, the book/movie A Picture of Dorian Gray, (including Clive Nolan actually bringing a picture of himself, that looked similar to the image of Dorian Gray, onstage), or the many horror films Nolan mentions later in the video. There are several references in the songs to chameleons, jigsaws, and too many more to mention. One of the most memorable lyrics is “Don’t try to recapture old memories / Before memories crumble into dust.” Good point. I wish they had taken their own advice.

However in fairness, this is their first live video in thirteen years, so much of the material is classic fan favorites. I have actually never heard any of their albums until hearing them live on this video. Much of their catalog was taken out of distribution or not available in the USA during their thirteen year hiatus. I had an interest in the music based on some of the other bands with which the members share time. The filming is actually pretty good compared to some of the other videos I have watched from this venue and the neo prog genre in general. This is a favorite filming location that I guess all bands in the genre must frequent. The fans react as if they are given free passes to attend and rarely, if ever, respond the way a real fan base would during a concert. (Editor’s Note: It might just be a cultural difference because American audiences tend to be more animated in their enthusiasm while many European audiences are more restrained.)

But you can tell this band was glad to be together again performing in front of an audience. They had a lot of energy throughout the show. They had definitely been rehearsing and rarely if ever missed a beat. So the performance was good. Nolan has a very dramatic way of singing and drawing the audience into the song even if after a while they all begin to sound the same with the cliché launching guitar riff, the running keyboards and synths, the dark “we have no control over our future and are powerless to change anything” lyrics, etc.

There is just so much going on in the world to write about that it is hard to think that these bands want to go back to the past. Many of these members participate in a tour called the “Script for a Jester’s Tour “which is a tribute to the Fish era of Marillion and one of Marillion’s most successful albums, Script for a Jester’s Tears. It’s obvious that Shadowland and many of the bands in neo prog really miss this era and are trying desperately to hold on to the sound and lyrics from that era as long as fans will pay to see it again...and again…and again…

This article originally appeared (in a different form) at Prognaut.com.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2010  Volume 6 at lulu.com/strangesound.

 
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