F E A R [VINYL]

For a start, I view the Fish & Hogarth Marillion periods as completely separate things. Personally I find it ridiculous to compare them and that would be unfair to both lead men. I don't view it as a competition...they both have their own distinct merits/style/differences. Being a Marillion fan from right back in the day I feel blessed enough to have enjoyed what both incarnations of Marillion have produced.Anyway, my review comes from a position of owning every Marillion album they've made available. This is of course a Hogarth Marillion album so should be view accordingly. Personally I've viewed the whole timeline/back catalog of Hogarth led albums as a bit of a rollercoaster with regards to quality. Don't get me wrong, I, at the very least, like them all....but some stand out more than others. Its to be expected of course. No artist/band in history can be expected to last as long as Marillion has and churn out continued improving material. Its simply not possible considering the flow of creative juices throughout ones life.I'm staring down the barrel of 50 years of age and from my experience bands of longevity tend to, if they're lucky, slowly deteriorate in produced quality but still drag the deterioration out. The longer the better for fans. They may technically play better, record better etc....but the true musical/lyrical fireworks, the true sparks and cutting edge appear at the beginning of their careers/collaborations and dim with time.I've lost count how many times over the years I've read reviews of albums from long careered artists from people exclaiming such statements as `best thing they've done in years', `a return to the good 'ol days' and of course the 'ol favourite `a return to form'....only to hear the product and think to yourself otherwise.This album, for me anyway, is different. Completely different. Personally I love `Seasons End'....it gave me hope of what was to come after the departure of the genius wordsmith that was Fish. I then really love `Brave'. Beautifully theatrical. From that point on I find all their albums a bit, how can I say, unmemorable and musically bland. Yes they're are noticeable high points with particular tracks now and again but the general trajectory is downwards. Thinking about it now as I type `Afraid Of Sunlight' is an excellent album and that is a high point within a general period of blandness....until we get to FEAR.I've given this a lot of thought....and can honestly say, hand on heart, its the best thing they've ever produced....and I honestly mean that. There, I've said it. I've no idea where the creative fire came from so late in the day but come it did. Maybe its the product of sensitive, life experienced, intelligent and concerned/scared minds but come it did. Theres a quality about this album that I simply can't resist. I've played it countless times and keep returning to it. It gives....and gives....and gives again. Musically its exceptional, but I'd expect that from the lads. They are all top quality musicians and the studio element to their work has never been in doubt....but the sheer lyrical quality coupled with the themes of this album defy the sands of time. They just do. If you're going to tackle big subjects/concepts you've got to really spell it out and in a way that strikes a cord, just like Roger Waters still manages to do, and for me Steve Hogarth does this with this album. He tells a tale, a tale of his life right now and that of the band, and his concerns for the current/future state of elements in our society. Analyse what he says, and the way he says it, and if you've a conscientious mind you'll agree.Congratulations and thanks to the band for a truly magnificent, time defying album. Brilliant, just brilliant.

Fantastic album one of Marillions classics. Brilliant album, a must have for any Prog Rock fan

As with all Hogarth era Marillion albums you have to listen to the whole album at least three times for the message to start coming through! You also notice how clever the instrumental hooks are and realise that this is an album of stunning vision and audio quality. The subject matter ranges from ecological, financial and humanitarian fear, guilt, ageing and an over riding sense of frustration and anger with our government, the banks and business leaders who in one way or another manage to spread fear into all of us mortals.The album is over an hour long, weighing in at 68 minutes of perfect prog magic, 5 songs, three of which extend to over 15 minutes each with so many beautiful layers that really encapsulate everything that Marillion have become over the past 27 years since Steve Hogarth joined the band. Eldorado (16.07), The Leavers (18.27) and The New Kings (17.52). All band members excel on this recording with H's insightful lyrics especially Eldorado III : Demolished Lives with a heartbreaking observation of what is going on across Europe with migrants ;I see myself in them, the people at the borders.Waiting to exist again, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters.Denied our so called golden streets, running from demolished lives,into walls.Steve Rothery's achingly brilliant guitar solo's especially Eldorado II : The Gold and The New Kings II : Russia's Locked Doors. Trewavas and Mosley's fine melodic engine room of sound and last but not least Mark Kelly who is just having the time of his life here, contributing a wide range of keyboards to every track especially The Leavers III : Vapour Trails in the Sky, a truly sublime and beautiful piece of music. In fact I'd go one further to say that The Leavers and El Dorado are quite possibly the best songs they have written!I'm a remainer, bought Script all those years ago in 1983 when I was 17, heartbroken when Fish said goodbye, apprehensive when Steve stepped in, jury was out after first 2 albums, even though on those, there were tracks that held a belief that they could rise once again to greatness. In 1994 they released 'Brave' and all reservations vanished as I sat and listened to a masterpiece. Ever since then, they have continued to amaze me with their innovative ways of funding albums and tours with fan power and they've also written some stunning music along the way. Out of This World (1995), This Strange Engine (1997), Quartz (2001), Ocean Cloud (2004), Somewhere Else (2007), Gaza (2012) being particularly outstanding.This album is being hailed as the best they have released in 20 years, Marbles (2004) was obviously a highlight and I think after now hearing F E A R for a 4th time whilst reviewing I definitely agree. So here I am at the age of 51 still getting excited about a new album by one of my favourite bands, my poor family being subjected to this as we speak although I have to say my 16 year old daughter knows every word to The Man From The Planet Marzipan and my 19 year old son has just downloaded this album onto his phone. My work here is done.

Tutto okay

Marillion haben in der gewohnten, bewährten Besetzung Hogarth/Trewawas/Kelly/Rothery/ Mosley 2016 mit F.E.A.R. ein mal wieder von den Fans vorfinanziertes Album von hoher musikalischer Qualität vorgelegt.Während es in weiter zurückliegenden Perioden der Bandhistorie zu größeren stilistischen Veränderungen gekommen war (beileibe nicht immer zur Freude der Fans), hat die Band nun schon seit einigen Alben nichts wirklich Neues mehr vorgelegt.Man scheint seinen Stil vorerst gefunden zu haben und wiederholt ihn, so auch hier, mit neuen Melodien und Arrangements.Das muß nichts Schlechtes sein, wenn man sich nicht kopiert, und das ist hier zum Glück nicht der Fall.Auf lange Gitarrensoli, überbordende Finale nach einem langen Aufbau oder schweißtreibenden Powerrock wartet man hier vergeblich, Marillion setzen auch auf "F.E.A.R." wieder auf viel Gefühl und Qualität mit vielen Feinheiten.Man setzt im Vergleich zu ganz alten Alben mehr auf die feine subtile Ansprache, in die man sich länger "reinhören" muß.So manch eine negative Rezension beruht wohl auf mangelnder Geduld, sich auf die Musik wirklich konsequent einzulassen.Und manch einer wartet auch nach 32 Jahren immer noch auf ein neues "Kayleigh"....Aus musikalischer Sicht kriegt man also mal wieder viel geboten.Nur halt relativ gleichförmig, ruhig, ohne größere Ausbrüche.Das genaue Hinhören und Achten auf Feinheiten ist hier Trumpf.Beim ersten Hören klingt vieles bekannt, kommt einem die Musik wie Versatzstücke aus den letzten Alben vor.Mit jedem konzentrierten Hördurchgang wächst sie dann aber reichlich.Auch produktionstechnisch kann man nicht meckern, das Album ist neben CD-und Vinylversion auch limitiiert als SACD erschienen (keine Hybrid-SACD, man kann sie also nur auf einem SACD-fähigen Gerät abspielen!).F.E.A.R. ist die Abkürzung für "F**** EVERYONE AND RUN" ,und dieser Titel hat seinen Grund.Marillion werden hier in den Texten sehr politisch.Leider werden sie dabei sehr konkret, was mir nicht liegt.Warum glauben Künstler eigentlich so oft, daß ihre Hörer in allen Punkten ihrer Meinung sind?Höre ich an einer schönen emotionalen Stelle eines Stücks einen Text, den ich so nicht unterschreiben würde, nervt mich das.Andere Künstler (zB Steven Wilson) bleiben da nebulöser, schneiden kurz problematische Themen an, ohne mit dem erhobenen Zeigefinger missionieren zu wollen.Von manchem wurde das Album schon als "mutig" gefeiert und als "Musik mit erhobenem Mittelfinger".Als besonders mutig empfinde ich Aussagen aber nicht, bei denen keine negativen Konsequenzen zu befürchten sind, die eher dem Mainstream entsprechen.Mit Radioboykott haben sie jedenfalls wegen ihrer Thesen nicht zu rechnen.Für mich klingt das eher nach Anbiederung denn als Protest.Und mit der Suggestiv-Frage "we can`t keep letting them in?" schießen sie dann den Vogel ab.Geht`s noch?Mit manchen Aussagen liegen sie aber für mich durchaus richtig, nur würde ich mir für`s nächste Album wieder andere Text-Themen wünschen.Immerhin hat man aber nicht das Gefühl, das einem beim Roger Waters-Album "IS THIS THE LIFE WE REALLY WANT" beschleicht, nämlich, daß es vorrangig um die Texte, um das Absondern der eigenen Meinung, geht und die Musik nur Resterampe zur Untermalung darstellt.Bei "F.E.A.R." wird zuerst tolle Musik geboten.Tiefgründige und sozialkritische Texte sind auch willkommen, hier geht`s mir dann aber doch zu weit, aber das ist meine persönliche Sicht der Dinge.Andere sehen das ganz anders.Insgesamt gesehen wurde hier wieder ein starkes, emotional ansprechendes, gut klingendes Album abgeliefert, das diesmal sehr konkret politisch wird.Ich meine:Bono gibt`s schon.Und der nervt.Trotzdem wirklich schöne ca. 68 Minuten Musik.

Una joya para los que añorábamos al Marillion de los primeros trabajos con Hogarth al frente. Con un sonido delicado y contundente al mismo tiempo y una producción a conciencia, Marillion recupera la senda sinfónica y se reinventa. Un disco para escucharlo de corrido. En estructura recuerda a la densidad de Brave, algunos punteos a Holidays in Eden y en algunos momentos de apoteosis vocal a Afraid of sunlight. La voz de Hogarth ha envejecido, es comprensible, pero está a la altura del resto de la banda. Lo que más sorprende es que posiblemente sea el mejor trabajo de los británicos. Se nota que se han tomado un tiempo para crear esta obra de arte. Ojalá sigan en esta línea

I waited a bit to write this review, just to make sure I wasn't just responding as a fanboy.This is a stunning work of music. It's in many ways the most atmospheric album Marillion have ever made. It doesn't care about pop music, or traditional song structures, or anything like that, and some might find that offputting.But if you listen to the album, you first realize that even though there are songs or sections of songs, it's best enjoyed as a single musical statement. Yes, 70 minutes is a long time, and you might wonder why they couldn't just get on with it. The simple answer is that the music, the themes, and the feelings deserve to be mulled over, to grow, develop, intertwine, and resonate, and thus not a minute is wasted.The topics of the album, although written from a distinctly British perspective, resonate well with this American and the political climate of the 2016 election. I also have it on the headphones during my commute into Manhattan and it's a surreal soundtrack for that. It's about the issues that should matter to all of us in the mid 2010s--climate change, the consolidation of wealth and power, the use of force and the treatment of those displaced by it. It doesn't offer much in the way of solutions (although the track "Living in FEAR" presents an alternative of trust and openness to the hatred, fear, and greed that surround us) but it puts us on notice that we had better start paying attention and demanding alternatives to the trends that Steve Hogarth ("h") has laid out for us.And the music. The music! People who want a Marillion album to be an hour of Steve Rothery's screaming guitar solos will be disappointed, but the fact of the matter is the band, including Rothers, have never sounded better. Mark Kelly's keyboards are definitely front and center, but he's got sounds and textures he's never developed as much as he does here. Ian Mosley is perfect with his drumming, adding textures and laying down the groove. Rothers knows when to play quiet and when to play loud. H has an amazing voice for a 57 year old, and he knows how to use the complexity that age has brought to his vocal cords to maximum dramatic effect. He doesn't sound like he did when he was 30, he sounds so much better, his wisdom coming through in every syllable (and he has perfect musical diction, from a purely technical standpoint.) Pete Trewavas sounds so great here as well--the thundering bass notes laying down a foundation and filling things out. The production by Mike Hunter is his usual high standard--the layering of the music still allowing the parts to shine when necessary."Living in FEAR" and "White Paper" are probably the most straighforward "songs" on the album. "El Dorado" is a sprawling masterpiece about war, refugees, and how our obsession with "gold" keeps us from making the morally correct choices. "The Leavers" was written about the surreality of the life of the touring musician, but might as well be about the alienation of modern society. And the music is the most interesting and developed of the band's career. "The New Kings" is the climactic end of the album, a treatise on the consolidation of wealth and power in our world, and in many ways it's the classic Marillion song, with multiple passages, slowly buring and develop music, and and explosive and emotionally powerful ending. The albums ends with "Tomorrow's New Country", providing perhaps a note of cautious optimism and a call to action.This is not an album to be taken lightly, it demands your attention and complete engagement. But it is an album that rewards you mightily for that attention. It will get inside your head, and it will make you appreciate a group of musicians who have been together for over 30 years and what that makes them capable of.

Bon, Marillion fait du Marillion. Et ce n'est pas un scoop ! J'avais écrit dans mon premier commentaire que je ne me lancerais pas dans une critique de l'album, d'autres s"en étant déjà chargés avant moi. Mais bon, cet opus est sans doute l'un des meilleurs de leur prolifique discographie et pas d'accord avec quelques commentaires jugeant l'album insipide : on n'a pas dû écouter le même disque. Par ailleurs, je trouvais comme une très bonne initiative du groupe d'avoir concocté une version en mullticanal (5.0 sur la pochette en SACD mais en vérité en 5.1, que je n'ai pu vérifier, faute de caisson, comme me l'a corrigé un commentaire). Cela fait déjà un petit moment que Marillion se prête à l'exercice, mais uniquement sur leur site, et pour des versions blu-ray audio, qui obligent à acheter le support 2 fois, si l'on veut l'écouter dans sa voiture par exemple : Radiation, et Sounds that can't be made (et donc le "vrai" mix de FEAR). Là, pour les non (encore) équipés, ils peuvent tout de même acheter le SACD puisqu'il est hybride, c'est-à-dire avec une couche CD lisible sur n'importe quelle platine, et attendre le jour-j. La musique du groupe trouve là un support idéal (un peu à la manière de Pink Floyd) pour profiter pleinement de cet album, à l'ambiance planante. Mais, parce qu'il y a un mais, enthousiaste à l'idée d'un nouveau disque en 5.x, je n'ai prêté qu'une oreille discrète au moment de la première version de mon commentaire. Mais d'autres critiques, plus critiques, m'ont poussé à réécouter plus attentivement. Et je dois avouer que le mix proposé (contre la volonté du groupe visiblement) n'est pas si bien réalisé que cela. Donc, à y regarder de plus près (ou écouter) il donne plus l'impression au final d'un passage par un processeur de reproduction surround comme les deux célèbres marques des salles de cinéma. Pas désagréable pour autant mais très éloigné du travail effectué par exemple sur Genesis, Yes ou Porcupine Tree. Alors pourquoi diable Marillion n'a pas souhaité faire profiter à l'ensemble des fans le mix original alors qu'il le propose sur d'autres ? Quoi qu'il en soit, cette version reste à prendre comme un bonus, pas aussi coûteux que certains ont pu le laisser entendre (17€ sur le marketplace, frais de port inclus) puisque l'original n'est plus.