CONTAGION

The legendary Clive Nolan and Mick Pointer have been the two constants of the band since it's inception, while there have been three different bassists, three vocalists, and two guitarists, with Steve Rothery of Marillion a guest guitarist on "Crying for Help IV" from "Lion's Cage", which happens to be my favorite Arena passage. But even though some of the key players have changed over time, the overall signature sound of the band has not. "Contagion" continues the tradition as the songs leading up to "Bitter Harvest" (except for "An Angel Falls") are, for the most part, heavy and intense, as Nolan, Pointer, Salmon, and Mitchell soar together on the instrumentals "This Way Madness Lies" and "On The Box". Rob Sowden's voice exudes desperation and fear as the world crumbles around him, but turns soulfully expressive as he finds his savior has not abandoned him, leading him to his ultimate destiny.The record is full of many songs, sixteen pieces grouped up in different sounding moments, and that's something that gives a good and varied range of songs. From the beginning the sound is stunning, similar to "The Visitor's" beginning, with a flurry of powerful guitar riffs and keys. As we carry on with the listening we find different moments of soft and calm periods that burst into sounding supernovas, the music explodes in our ears soaking the whole record with emotion. "Witch Hunt", "An Angel Falls", "Painted Man", shape a first part of strong guitar playing and drums inside a typical-Arena mid- tempo. Then we go directly to the dynamics of "This Way Madness Lies". Sweet pieces with power house guitar flashing wrapped up in thick coats of keyboards and nice melodies, such as "Never Ending Night" or "Skin Game". "On the Box" is one of their best songs, a piece made out of brilliant keys and great passages full of imagination, a good example of Anglo-Saxon prog rock. The truth is that the best songs are the instrumental ones like "Riding the Tide" where the producers shine brightly. There are many pieces and they all follow a thread of impressive production work. Therefore i guess we can all find the record a bit exhausting.