Reviews discussion

MARILLION — Script For A Jester's Tear
Review by bristolstc

I used to LISTEN seriously to THIS!!!!? What was I on!? Marillion together with Arena (who just happened to be a much later spinoff/imitation) were the most vulgar insult to progressive music ever created, because they not only created "neo prog," but all the evil hypocrisies that go along with it. Let's start first in the vocal/lyric department. Fish is an awful singer who tried not very hard to clone Peter Gabriel's approach circa Lamb Lies Down and Trespass. His screeching, histrionic, overbearing vocals sound more like a really bad imitation of Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson and though I'm not a great fan of Maiden, at least they didn't pretend to be something they weren't. The lyrics are written at first you think from someone whose heart is at least in the right place, but then you realize a tantrum throwing track like "Forgotten Sons" which sounds pro British Soldier anti IRA on first listening is just an excuse to write another twisted and violent song about death (what is by the way wrong with that,hm?). Fish is the real problem here, choking you and suffocating you, but the whole band are a problem. This whole record is a lie. Progressive rock? No way!!! Marillion like all neo prog are like a bad marriage of overproduced heavy metal and smug allusions to a kind of music not only the band could care less about or understand, but a kind of music people didn't understand who liked this nonsense. There isn't one passage here that I can listen to, in fact I will never listen to anything by Marillion with Fish again and haven't for years! To give credit where credit is due, after Fish left Marillion released TWO good albums (oh,marillion are suddenly good, with Hogarth on vocals,hm?)- Season's End (I've really just been told its good by a friend of mine) and Holidays In Eden (this is great and you should listen to what an improvement Steve Hogarth is), actually- make that two good records and one pretty good attempt at making a concept album- the underrated and very listenable Brave. Back to this disaster, though, no matter how hard Marillion would try to avoid the mistakes of their past (what past was there before Script, hm?), they had commited the worst insult to progressive music ever with Fish and there is no forgiving them for it. The production is horrible and sounds like any other bad 80s production job, the lyrics are made even worse by Fish's delivery which is to scream, grunt, and yowl every word like someone has just stuck a knife in his back (wishful thinking), and the playing is so clunky that every tempo or mood change turns into a nightmarish exercise in inept arrogant w**king (didn't know w**king is a legit word, hm?) The whole sound is bad, and Fish gets the bad music he deserves here. Neo prog? I'm even growing tired of IQ who I still have to admit I have a soft spot for (maybe because they didn't fake things and were honest) and I strongly feel there were things more "progressive" in Shy, Grand Prix, Tobruk, and the other Brit/American hard pomp rock bands. Pomp was what prog turned into, not this neo nonsense. The absolute worst track on the album is "Forgotten Sons" made even worse by the fact you know a bad imitation of "The Knife" is coming for a whole album. He even has the nerve to use the line "For Those Who Trespass Against Us" in it! What would the average soldier who Fish is trying to convince do to him? Sock him in the jaw! He'd probably more likely be a Deep Purple fan than a Marillion fan anyway. Give me Maiden if I want to be put into a painful state of mind when listening. The problem is that Bruce Dickinson was technically a very good singer who didn't always have the best material, Fish is a TECHNICALLY HORRIBLE SINGER who writes awful lyrics to go with awful material. There is no way to erase the shameful stain left on music by neo prog, and it began and was obnoxious here. Not even music

color:

agressive tone

the "cloning" issue

how..."subjeKctive" & "objeKctive"

sorry for the tone.

Edited by Ricochet - November 04 2006 at 13:55

Stonebeard angry!

Everybody has the right to give his opinion but I have my severe doubts about Bristolstc his review because he spents an awful lot of time to nail an album in a very theatrical agressive and provoking way, this is a bridge too far in my opinion. I am on the brink to nail some of Bristolstc his favorites in the same way but I have just grown up last year

Edited by erik neuteboom - November 04 2006 at 15:51

I'd like bristolstc to sign up and discuss this in the forums - I'd be happy to set him right

Indeed, that was a lot of crap from someone who listened a sh*tload of times to the album then spent a sh*tload of time destroying it just for the sake of it... Tell me about counter-productive reviews... It's okay to have harsh opinions about a band, an album, a song... It's okay to write it on the forums but wouldn't time be better used pointing at what you actually like when writing a review?...

If I gave my genuine opinion of that review in the same terms and insulting language, I'd probably be banned - and rightly so.

eugene wrote: Certif1ed wrote: I'd like bristolstc to sign up and discuss this in the forums - I'd be happy to set him right   I'd like to see this duel...without taking sides...maybe...

Hatchet, axe and saw ...

I've removed the Marillion review, and invited the reviewer to submit a new one. I've made it clear to him though that he is quite entitled to his opinion, but he needs to express it in a less aggressive way.

Ricochet wrote: Actually there are three words you once said yourself:"dull, dull and dulland did I mention it is dull?"so, still clenched?

    
Nowhere did I attack any band members or a genre of music - or even try to attack the band or its music.

I simply stated an opinion about a particular album, then reviewed the music in such a way that explained in detail how I had formed that opinion, making the disclosure of my opinion a fair one - not an attack or cheap insult - making references to identifiable points in the music.

You, like anyone else in the entire world, are perfectly welcome to discuss it in the forums any time - that's what they're here for - and I won't run away like some child playing "Knock down Ginger", as was the case here.
    
    
    
    

Edited by Certif1ed - November 05 2006 at 17:30