SEASONS END

Marillion concluded their successful formative decade of the 1980s with a new singer and a daring stylistic continuation of the musical explorations from their previous two albums. In a bold attempt to escape the Fish imprint, they moved on recruiting Steve Hogarth, a brilliant and radically different singer, who had sent them a tape upon a friend's advice, and the rest is history, as we know. What 'Seasons End' stands as is a beautifully underrated and occasionally overlooked piece of music by Marillion, perhaps because of the immediate change within the band, or because of the effect and popularity of the previous four releases by them. In any case the record surely sets a slightly different tone, it serves as a [musically] transitional work that simultaneously reenacts some familiar sounds, and hints at the possibilities the band would go on to explore on future releases, where they gradually become this independent and genre-less musical entity we recognize nowadays.

'The King of Sunset Town' is arguably a very reminiscent sonic continuation of where 'Clutching' had left off with 'Sugar Mice' and 'The Last Straw'. Of course, the expressive and memorable voice of Hogarth immediately leaves an impression that the band is "expanding its territory", in a more metaphorical way. The miraculous 'Easter' is a better offering of what the band would go on to be musically interested in in the near future, and the same goes to other great tracks on here, like the title track, 'Berlin', 'The Space...'. It is within these longer pieces of music that Marillion are able to fully express and develop a more recognizable vocabulary. 'Hooks In You' is a fascinating attempt at a commercial hit, while the other shorter songs also present fine melodies. 'Seasons End' is as lovely as it is divisive among Marillion fans and music lovers, but it is a fine collection of beautiful music that seems to have dated quite well.