THE VISITOR

ARENA were a "supergroup", a conglomerate of layers of sedimentary rock of MARILLIONic, PENDRAGONian and ASIAtic musical epochs. Bearing a resemblance to all of these performers on this, their 3rd release, they concocted a canard that can be ignored or parlayed into a Master's thesis. Though "The Visitor" might be less complex than some of its influences, veering close to Arena rock at times, it also makes for a less frothy and denser statement, which can be construed just from the relatively brief track lengths that bleed into one. Most of the numbers offer succinct melodies and catchy choruses that nonetheless manage to avoid sounding forced or formulaic.

While the verbosity of the story necessitates that this be a vocal heavy project, and Paul Wrightson delivers with dramatic panache and angst, the excursions of guitarist John Mitchell have a voice all their own that complements Wrightson, in splendid evidence on "Serenity". Clive Nolan seems to understand this and only wrests power from his bandmates often enough to file any metallic edges that occasionally surface, as on "Pins and Needles". A few ballads, like "Tears in the Rain", also help to offset the type of unbroken intensity that unravels many a neo prog album.

Like any worthy concept work, a few of the most memorable themes, such as from the harrowing and hallowing "the Hanging Tree", perhaps the one track here that stands on its own as a masterpiece, do reappear just often enough to tie together any loose or frayed threads. "The Visitor" is a coherent statement that indulges the considerable egos involved without pandering to them.