In our quest to start filling some of the holes in our archives, I decided to review this Marillion disc. I think that I have made it pretty clear that I’m partial to the Fish era of Marillion. That doesn’t mean I don’t like the Hogarth era. It’s also not about Steve Hogarth at all. The music changed. It tended to get more “song” oriented, more “folk rock” like. It was a bit more formulaic.

This album really showcases the strengths and weaknesses of the era. There is a lot of emotion here. That’s a strength that’s largely due to Hogarth himself and his vocal deliveries. On the downside, a lot of the album seems to follow a very similar formula. There isn’t a lot of change from one song to another. Still, there are a few cuts that break that, and the epic really feels like it could have come from the Fish era of the band. Overall, this is a very good album with moments of brilliance that far exceed that rating.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2014  Volume 6 at lulu.com/strangesound.

This piece starts more or less like a folk rock song, and it stays in that kind of format for a while. The thing is, it just keeps growing and building and becomes quite a powerful prog rocker near the end.