SEASONS END

Derek Dick, known under the pseudonym of "Fish," was the singer for Marillion for their first four albums. Fish then resigned from the band to form a solo career. He was replaced by Steve Hogarth, also known as "h," who still to this day is Marillion's frontman. Fish was less of a singer as he was a storyteller. H has a different voice, and at first when I heard his vocals, I wasn't sure if it was appropriate for Marillion's music based on what I had already heard from them. I didn't take long for me to realize that H is a far better singer than Fish. He has full control of his voice and has a beautiful tone, making him possibly my favorite singer of all time. Hogarth's lyrics, like his singing, is also quite different from Fish's, in a way that I can't quite describe. There's a decent percentage of Marillion fans that think "Clutching at Straws" was the last great release from the band and that everything that followed it was subpar or absolutely atrocious. I'm of the opinion that Marillion evolved with H as their frontman, because no other band sounds like them. Not only are they prog, but they're also progressive in the literal sense. H has always had his finger on the pulse and imbues that into Marillion's music and lyrics. Marillion were no longer compared to Genesis with H because they reinvented their sound into something that was completely original and new. However, experimentation increases the potential for failure, and there are definitely some poor quality H-era Marillion albums, but I've always admired the band's willingness to be different and cover new ground with each record that they release. I am an unabashed H-era Marillion fan, and I know that proclaiming that could result in condemnation from Fish-era fans, but I don't care. This era of the band deserve more recognition and appreciation. "Seasons End" is the first album to feature Steve Hogarth on vocals. The Fish-era of the band lingers in the sound of this album as many of these songs were written while Fish was still in Marillion. That's why I find this album to be a good introductory album to get into the H-era of Marillion if you are familiar with the Fish-era. I've always considered Marillion to have a pop undertone to their music, and that is apparent on "Seasons End," and even more so on the album that followed it, "Holidays In Eden." However, this album is still prog with a capital P.

"Seasons End" opens with "The King of Sunset Town," which has a long, building intro that crescendos into an impressive Steve Rothery guitar solo. The song itself has a great chorus melody and climaxes at the end. An amazing start to the album. "Easter" is a song that brings me nostalgia, which is odd as I had only first heard this song a couple of years ago. It's essentially a love song to Ireland and the beauty of its land. Steve Rothery's guitar solo on this track is one of his best and most passionate. The end section has a bouncy 5/4 rhythm and never fails to put a smile on my face and even tears in my eyes. "The Uninvited Guest" is a nice rock song. The first side ends with the title track, which is my favorite song on the album. This song is hauntingly beautiful. Steve Hogarth gives an emotional vocal performance and Steve Rothery plays yet another amazing guitar solo. The last couple minutes of the song are atmospheric and gorgeous. When H sings "So say goodbye, say goodbye...," I get full body chills.

Side two opens with "Holloway Girl," starting with a nice Pete Trewavas bassline and Mark Kelly's atmospheric synths. I used to not care for this song, but now I absolutely love it for it's grandiosity. "Berlin" is a dark song that begins with ambient guitar arpeggios and saxophone from Phil Todd. The song ebbs and flows and the moments that hit are incredibly climactic and showcase H's stratospheric vocal range. "After Me" is a simple song that starts off poppy and acoustic, but then a key change occurs during the midsection and the song explodes into an arena rock ballad. This song, yet again, shows how versatile of a singer Steve Hogarth is. "Hooks in You" is pure 80s hair metal and I love it. Steve Rothery's guitar riff paired with Mark Kelly's synths and Pete Trewavas' one-note bassline drives the song forward. Steve Hogarth sings with a bit more edge on this song. The final song, "The Space..." is one of my favorite Marillion songs. Every moment of this song is extraordinary. Steve Hogarth's vocal performance is incredible, especially at the end of the song which definitely ranks among his best vocals ever recorded.

In conclusion, "Seasons End" is a masterpiece of progressive rock music and proved that Marillion could continue without Fish as their frontman, though some may disagree. This album clearly demonstrates the band's desire to change up their (somewhat derivative) sound. Even though some of these songs were written with Fish, I have a difficult time imagining what they would sound like without H singing as "Seasons End" contains some of his best vocal moments.