CONTAGIUM

'Contagium' is an EP of Arena and was released in 2003. It's the second of the two EP's made to complement their fifth studio album 'Contagion' released in the previous year. The other EP is 'Contagious', also released in the same year.

'Contagium' contains four tracks plus a multimedia section. One of the most interesting items from the 'Contagion' live tour merchandising is this EP, a reasonably necessary EP that complements the studio album. It includes three brand new songs 'On The Edge Of Despair', 'The March Of Time' and 'Confrontation', and a new special remix of 'Salamander', a track included on their studio album 'Contagion'. The multimedia section contains some interesting extras: 'Painted Man' special video footage from the 'Contagion' live show, Ghost Vocals featuring John Mitchell, 'Contagion'The Story', Tour Photo Gallery, Lyrics Page, 'Contagion Screensaver' and a Master Track list. As with 'Contagious' EP, it also contains the instructions where must insert the new tracks of the EP, into the original album.

The line up on the EP 'Contagium' is the same line up of the studio album 'Contagion' and the EP 'Contagious'. So, the line up is Rob Sowden (vocals), John Mitchell (backing vocals and guitars), Clive Nolan (backing vocals and keyboards), Ian Salmon (bass) and Mick Pointer (drums). It has also the collaboration of the March of Time Choir with Les Wardle, Chas Allen, Mark English, Paul Brown, Jon Stralding, Mike Orlev, Olga Orlev and Slan Robert.

'Contagious' has four tracks. Arena loves to bring to any album even more special encores, like Maxi's or EP's under the fans. Most of these gifts are made visually appealing, musically but usually modest and important only for the most die hard fans. This is no different with the two EP's of them, 'Contagious' and 'Contagium'. The structure of this EP is pretty much similar to 'Contagious'. This work is better than 'Contagious', but my conclusion will almost be the same.

The first track 'On The Edge Of Despair' is a very good track that sounds to me very familiar as other several themes from the album 'Contagion'. Like with 'I Spy' from their other EP 'Contagious', I sincerely think this is really an excellent track that could be perfectly part of their studio album 'Contagion'. I'm also convinced that 'On The Edge Of Despair' is, without any doubt, the most elaborated and the best track of the whole EP. It uses the same familiar riff of the 'This Way Madness' instrumental of their album 'Contagion', but combines it with semi-acoustic vocal sections. The second track 'The March Of Time' is another excellent track very powerful and melodic in the same line of the previous track. This is a very catchy song magnificently balanced between the acoustic and gentle parts and the electric hardest and darkest parts. It's a very typical Arena song that sounds as a remake of many other songs from the band. However and despite being a great Arena's song with some excellent vocal performance, some great guitar work and beautiful heavy keyboard playing, I really think that it lacks to it some quality and originality to be a great song. The third track 'Confrontation' is another fine instrumental track like so many others we can found on 'Contagion' and 'Contagious'. As the others two previous tracks, this one is quite heavy and bombastic, although it also features a break with acoustic guitar and mellotron. Once more John Mitchell and Clive Nolan plays fine guitar and keyboard parts, throughout the song, showing their great talents and skills. The fourth and last track 'Salamander' is a special remix of an original song taken from their fifth studio album 'Contagion'. Unlike the remix of 'Witch Hunt' on 'Contagious', this new version of 'Salamander' is quite a nice surprise. It perfectly shows that is possible to turn something into a techno track and when remixing the song, the rock style can be maintained and give to song its own identity. For instance, this new version includes completely new riffs and breaks. Still, as happened with 'Witch Hunt', I can't see interest in remix those songs. It seems to be a truly completely useless thing. It could have been avoided too.

Conclusion: As happened with 'Contagious', 'Contagium' is an EP with leftover songs from 'Contagion' plus a remixed song from that album. So, it seems to be made as a complement to 'Contagion', and because of that, is able to make the most of this EP. Probably the right things to do would is following the instructions of the band and hear the album 'Contagion' inserting the four tracks into the EP in the right places. Still, and unlike Easy Livin, I must confess that I didn't have the courage or the patience to do that, as he did. So, my final words about this EP are merely dedicated to the songs in that context. Like 'Contagious', 'Contagium' is an interesting and good EP of Arena. The three new tracks are good extensions of the 'Contagion' album but, in my humble opinion, they're in general less good and less creative than the tracks on that album. In relation to the remix track 'Salamander', it's also, without any doubt, better than the remixed track of 'Contagious', 'Witch Hunt'. Concluding, 'Contagium' is definitely better than 'Contagious' but my conclusion is almost the same. This is a good complement of 'Contagion' and a good companion to 'Contagious' but it's only a very interesting item for Arena fans with some new things to enjoy and explore, really.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

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