A FEAST OF CONSEQUENCES

Fish's solo career after leaving Marillion has had many high points - indeed, just about every studio album of his since Sunsets On Empire has been a credit to his name - but it's never shone quite as brightly as Marillion's.

Part of this is that Fish seemed to take a little longer than Marillion to adjust to the new circumstances - whilst Marillion were able to maintain a lot of momentum with the solid Seasons' End, Fish's early studio albums were decidedly hit and miss affairs, with Fish and his various musical collaborators taking a while to settle on Fish's solo sound (which I'd argue was only finally teased out by the great Steven Wilson on Sunsets On Empire). Although Fish would eventually start producing albums that were every bit as special - even if they did have a different artistic emphasis - than the material his old cohorts in Marillion were producing, it took a good long time for him to start doing that, and by 1997 too many listeners had already written him off. (Sunsets On Empire performed miserably on its initial commercial release.)

But that's not the whole story, of course - you also need to consider that Fish has suffered more than his fair share of bouts of ill fortune and chaotic circumstances in his personal life over the years. Has some of it been self-inflicted? I'm sure the man who gave us the booze- soaked confessional of Clutching At Straws would be the first to admit that. Fish, however, has proved to be a true survivor with a knack for taking his personal experiences and turning them into fuel for his artistic fire - knock him down and he'll just write a song about the experience.

A Feast of Consequences is the perfect example of this. Emerging a full six years after the premier of 13th Star, its predecessor, it comes after a truly rollercoaster half-decade for Fish. 13th Star was a solid effort, and the fifth of an unbroken streak of high quality solo albums (I wouldn't rate a single Fish release after Sunsets On Empire at less than four stars myself), and Fish's career was looking brighter than it had for quite some time. As well as undertaking a successful US tour, he also landed a DJing spot on the UK's Planet Rock - putting him in the company of rock legends such as Alice Cooper - and his solo career finally seemed to be creeping towards the sort of prestige and high profile it deserved.

Then came a devastating rush of ill-fortune. A marriage forged and broken in the space of mere months would be a dramatic incident in anyone's life, but it was put into the shade by a health scare in which doctors had to investigate a growth on Fish's throat. Thankfully, it didn't prove to be cancer and surgery dealt with the problem, but these incidents combined to yet again put a dark cloud over Fish's solo career. This is a release which had to answer big, big questions: namely, could Fish still sing, is he in an emotional state to deliver a high- quality album, and are his musical collaborators up to the task of supporting him?

The answer to all of these is a resounding "Yes"! Anyone expecting the high notes of Script For a Jester's Tear will be disappointed, but they'd be fools to expect such a treat in any case - age happens, after all, but Fish's age-mellowed voice is a delight to listen to this time around. Musically, he's reunited in the studio for the first time since Raingods With Zippos (that I'm aware of) with Robin Boult, a long-time collaborator, and most of the band from 13th Star make a welcome return here. And lyrically, Fish's wit - never exactly dull - is as sharp as I can ever remember it being - take, for instance, All Loved Up, a second look at the themes of Incommunicado for the present generation of celebrity; Fish's lyrics cleverly evoke the naivety and self-deception of the song's narrator, a wannabe celebrity in well over his head.

Fans of Fish's prog past will not be disappointed either, since the album features a multi- part epic - tracks 5 to 9 form the five-part High Wood suite, a meditation on the costs of war. Fish has always had a good relationship with the armed forces, I suspect at least partly because despite his brash reputation he's actually a very thoughtful and considerate lyricist who is one of the few people out there who can write an anti-war song which expresses thorough horror and revulsion at the atrocities of war whilst also shedding a tear for those who've been tasked with fighting it and the emotional, moral, and physical cost war exerts on them - and he's been writing such songs ever since Forgotten Sons on Script. Here, his long-form rumination on fallen soldiers weaves in aspects of the traditional martial music of the British armed forces to create a piece which is at once recognisable as part of the progressive rock epic tradition but equally draws on influences that aren't usually heard in a prog context.

Fish and Marillion aren't ever likely to have a full-blown reunion - Steve Hogarth and Marillion are too tightly bonded as a unit for H to be ejected this late in the game for starters - but with this excellent album coming out a year after Marillion issued their own late career masterpiece in the form of Songs That Can't Be Made, I think it's fair to say that Fish and Marillion are now neck-and-neck in terms of the quality of their output and the power of their artistic vision. We don't know how many five-star albums either party has left in them, but I'm glad Fish was able to get this one out. It's a career peak on a par with and possibly even eclipsing Sunsets On Empire, and proof positive that over two decades after his solo debut Fish is maturing like a fine wine - certainly, there aren't many fish of this vintage who smell this good!

It's been a long time since I have posted a review. Credit Fish for bringing me back.

No suspense here. I will tell you ahead of time that this is getting 4 stars. Now, if anybody cares, let me explain why.

Fish is great. I've followed his career, highs and lows, since the beginning. Just to let you konw, this album misses his highs. Those heartthrobbing moments on Vigil, or Raingods, or 13th Star, are not there. On the other hand, the low points that I refuse to name out of charity are not there either. This is a very slick professional production (as was 13th Star.) The only flaw is that this album lacks a bit of the inspiration that inflated the previous one.

I would be remiss in mentioning that Fish has amazingly recovered from his throat surgeries. There was a time when we all feared he would never sing again. Thank God that never happened.

I leave it to others to explicate how Fish's ancestors fighting in WWI inspired this album. Do justice to this, please.

4 stars.

On this new release Fish displays a broad palette of musical styles while throughout showing his extraordinary skill as singer-storyteller. What I find myself liking throughout is how Fish's singing has strongly carried a torch started by Peter Gabriel. In fact, he may be better now than Gabriel ever was. The album has a lot of the same feel as Gabe's first solo album. My beef with this album is that there is a lot of music here that really wouldn't fall into a prog category, more like classic rock. I count four songs that are proggy (5, 8, 9, 11), three that are pseudo-proggy (1, 6, 7) and four that are not proggy at all (2, 3, 4, 10), and no real standout masterpieces, IMHO. Also, Fish seems pretty stuck on two themes in particular: environmental disaster and war, though his lyrical compositions are incredibly poetic. As a matter of fact, that is another feature that distinguishes Fish's music from almost all others on PA this year: the mature, sophisticated poetic quality of his words, delivery and images is so far beyond anyone else (at least those speaking in English, my most familiar language).

01. "Perfume River" (10:58) is notable for its three parts, beginning with bagpipes, some wonderful singing, and an energetic strumming acoustic guitar-driven section in the second half. (8/10)

02. "All Loved Up" (5:07) sounds like a TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS or JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP song, pure rural bluesy rock. (6/10)

03. "Blind To The Beautiful" (5:12) continues the MELLENCAMP/TOM PETTY trend on the softer end of the spectrum. A beautiful, heartfelt vocal performance. (7/10)

04. "A Feast Of Consequences" (4:29) is the third and probably most obvious of the MELLENCAMP/TOM PETTY genre. The female and background vocal supports are nice touches but fail to make this song a winner for me. (5/10)

05. "High Wood" (5:26) starts out as a sensitive, beautiful IAMTHEMORNING-like song up to the 2:10 mark when it kicks into PETER GABRIEL sound and style. It's eery-powerful in the chorus section, especially "the circle is unbroken." Like the use of spoken German at the end. Definitely one of the three best songs on the album. (9/10)

06. "Crucifix Corner" (7:25) opens very delicately with another stunning vocal performance. Again it kicks into drive with its 80s classic rock B and C parts. (7/10)

07. "The Gathering" (4:30) opens with a festive county fair sound and feel to it before turning into a kind of Celtic folk anti-war song. I hear a lot of ROBERT WYATT in this song-- especially in the way the horns are used. Also some J TULL. Unfortunately, this song has probably the least effective vocal on the album. (7/10)

08. "Thistle Alley" (6:08) sounds just like it came off of PETER GABRIEL's first solo album. Great delicacy in the instrumental play is offset with the raw and powerful insistence of the vocal performance. Great effect of the drums and bass with sparse guitar interplay. Another of the three best songs on the album. (9/10)

09. "The Leaving" (4:59). By the time you get to this song you start to realize that Fish is using one formula in the construction of his songs on this album: delicate, soft two-minute sparsely intstrumentalized intros shifting into a more standard pulsing rock formats for the remainder of the song (with sometimes a return to the delicacy of the intro for the final 15 or 30 seconds). An interesting guitar solo in the fourth minute. Another familiar PETER GABRIEL-like song and vocal in this one. The use of chamber strings is a highlight of this one for me. (8/10)

10. "The Other Side Of Me" (6:09) opens with some very familiar GENESIS-like guitar and piano. Deep, breathy-voiced Fish soon joins in with what I feel is the most powerful lyric and vocal performance on the album. I love the effect of the double-lined vocal from the 1:50 mark on and the excellent background voices in the "First person singular" chorus. The rise an octave at the 2:50 mark is also masterfully effective. Unfortunately, this is not a prog song but more of a country rock piece, again in the form used so effectively by JOHN MELLENCAMP, ROBBIE ROBERTSON, GUY MANNING and VAN MORRISON. (8/10)

11. "The Great Unravelling (6:32) begins with the riff from EMINEM's well-known "Lose Yourself" song. The riff is soon joined by a great and varied PETER GABRIEL-esque vocal performance. Another awesome lyric. Also great use of female vocalist (whom I assume to be Liz Antwi) as a foil/partner and CLARE TORREY-like vocal "instrument." Great instrumental performances throughout. This is the last of the three good truly prog songs on the album. (9/10)

A 3.5 star album, really, that is probably best defined by the "Good, but not essential" category but I am awarding four stars due to the outstanding vocal and poetic lyrics.

After six years of absence from the studio, Scottish progressive rock singer Fish has returned with a startling level of inspiration in the form of 2013's A Feast of Consequences. Fish's first album since 2007's Thirteenth Star was released after experiencing events that would be nothing less than traumatic for most people - going through both the end of a marriage and a throat cancer scare in a narrow window of time can't be easy, but as we saw on Marillion's Clutching at Straws, Fish's personal struggles often inspire some of his strongest work. A Feast of Consequences once again demonstrates this to be true.

The album shows Fish continuing to mature the sound that he has been toying with for most of his solo career. Sophisticated art rock characterized by melodic songwriting, witty lyricism, and influences from folk music is the name of the game on A Feast of Consequences, and although most listeners will probably label this as a prog album, the lengthy "High Wood" suite is the only segment here that feels progressive to me in any traditional sense. It's not important, though, as even the ballads here are well-delivered and musically engaging. "Blind to the Beautiful" and "Other Side of Me" may not be the most bombastic tracks in Fish's catalogue, but their pervading feeling of introspection make for fine examples of what ballads are truly capable of.

Fish's voice has mellowed over the years, and although he doesn't possess the soaring range that he once did, his performance on A Feast of Consequences has a soothing timbre that suits his musical explorations well. There really isn't much to complain about when talking about an album of this quality, and if you're a fan of Fish's solo career, you'll have no trouble appreciating what he has to offer this time around. It's good to have you back, Derek!

A Feast Of Consequences is the first album by the great Big Fellow in six years now, this owing to a combination of well documented personal and health issues. Thankfully, the throat problems that threatened to scupper his career appear to have been sorted out completely, and the only real thing you notice listening to this, as compared to earlier works, is the fact that his range has narrowed somewhat, although this, of course, could equally be due to advancing years. This is most noticeable on Other Side of Me, which is delivered in almost a monotone for much of the track.

Does it render this work a disappointment? Not a bit of it. This is a mature album, showcasing a unique talent, so much so that the disappointment of horrors such as Songs From The Mirror are now all but a distant memory. This is the continuation of a run of form that started with Sunsets on Empire, and included the exceptional Raingods With Zippos and the immediate predecessor, the hugely enjoyable 13th Star.

The subject matter is familiar to all those who, like me, have followed Fish from the very early days, this being war, the futility of war, the political issues behind such tragedy, but, of course, never forgetting the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice.

The music itself ranges from the thoughtful and subdued, as witnessed by the opening epic Perfume River, to the type of pop/prog which he almost made his own in All Loved Up, and the epic suite, this witnessed by High Wood, a five part musing on the sheer futility of it all. Amongst all of this are two quite sumptuous ballads, my favourite being the astoundingly gorgeous Blind To The Beautiful, a paeon to the heart wrenching loss of faith in life and beauty itself. The lyrical point of the whole work is best represented by the powerful title track.

Another noticeable thing about this album, to me, is just how much better Fish is when he is surrounded by cohorts he trusts and likes in what would, anywhere else, pass as a regular band. Robin Boult returns, very well indeed, on guitar, to join Steve Vantis on bass, Foss Patterson on keys, and the wonderful Gavin Griffiths on drums. Together, this bunch make a tightly knit troupe, and the well produced album is completed by the extremely powerful backing vocals of Elisabeth Troy Antwi, whose performance on the evocative Great Unravelling is simply brilliant. And we also have a wonderful set of artwork by the legendary Mark Wilkinson. Happy days!

Fish has, here, produced a powerful, and wide ranging, album, one that definitely appeals strongly to old boys such as I, but would, I feel, also be a decent introduction to those reading this review who might want to explore what a good, intelligent, modern rock album, with a range of tone and depth, might sound like. The aforementioned High Wood suite is the best example of how a progressive rock epic should sound, ranging from hush to toe-tapping, tub-thumping rock, from pastoral, Celtic fused folk, to lush keyboard led symphonic sounds. It has it all.

It should also, by the way, really now scotch all the nonsense I still read from those who wish for a return to Marillion. They are doing nicely without him, thank you, and, you know what? So is he without them.

Four stars for this, an excellent album, and very strongly recommended.

Fish is a strong character, not surprising in view of his taciturn Scottish heritage as well as the tortuous tribulations that seemingly spare no one, such as love, health and money troubles that many suffer through at one moment or another in their lives' journey. Suffice to say , his previous work, 'The 13th Star' was a fine return to form, after a series of good but not really exceptional albums, proving once again that heartache is a 'perfect nightmare' , a grand source of inspiration and a liquid fuel for the pen. The big man was always a great lyricist and exceptional live showman, so hearing him still writing and composing thrilling music is a bonus for any prog fan to admire. He has a sharp mind and sharper sense of motivating configurations such as irony, sarcasm, bitter truth and a hint of bile.

This release gets off the ground with the longest piece, a nearly 11 minute epic that proves his audacity as well as rejoining with a proggier sensibility that bodes well for the rest of the album as well as for the future. The odorous 'Perfume River' rolls along majestically, little hints of Paradise City from Guns & Roses ('take me down to the Perfume River' !?), sweeping synthesized keys add the necessary doom and gloom, ably handled by Foss Patterson a Fish veteran. Speaking of past cronies, Robin Boult is back manning the guitars and he must be the most underrated axe slinger in music by a country mile. Steve Vantsis handles the fluid bass and the marvelous Gavin Griffiths thumps the drums, he being among the best the UK has to offer as proved by his contributions to Mostly Autumn and Panic Room, among many others. A perfect entrance into matters that shed light on impressive words and astounding sounds. Fish is a tremendous bellower, armed with a voice that went through some recent deep throat surgery and all sounds fine. One of his best performances ever. Brrrrrilliant!

The balls to the walls approach on 'All Loved Up' is not my favorite style but, hey its only rock 'n roll after all, so let bygones be bygones and enjoy the ride, as it has a little punky style (nasty little clavinet in the background) that is ready to sign any contract and damn the torpedoes, a characteristic of this impulsive yet sensitive man, who lives and dies by his sword. The slithering mid-section has its 'own destiny', self-deprecating comments on fame and fortune. He sardonically mocks the 'in crowd' and 'the beautiful people', tossing in some F words to boot.

After the storm, the sun, as a ballad is needed to soothe the frizzled fur and segue additional commentary about that notion of beauty. 'I just can't see the beautiful anymore' he intones in his usual expert delivery. Aidan O'Rourke's violin only amplifies the sad lament. The lyrics again reveal what many fans know already, the man can write devastatingly effective yet simple poetry. Lovely!

The title track exemplifies his current 'state of mind' (slick, Thomas, slick) , a man who just does not feel inclined to give up and hide, boldly standing back up after every knock down, the lyrics here address these harrowing vicissitudes and his resolve to defend his sanity. As a fellow romantic, I take solace in his incredible strength and a source of inspiration to constantly thrive emanates from his work.

A five-song anti-war suite is next, once again stamping 'prog' credentials all over his song writing, as exemplified by the John Bonham-like thud on 'High Wood', propelled by some fiery guitar riffs and bombastic contours , Fish and Liz Antwi intertwining their lungs to better evoke the inflamed words. Boult shows some colossal grit and restraint, while Fish tosses in some German commentary (like he did with 'Manchmal'). The booming 'Crucifix Corner' just takes the mood to another level, a variation on the previous flow, a rambling discourse on the futility of endless conflict, a classic theme that he has approached many times before with great success. The orchestrations are truly grandiose, the beat relentless and the melodic passion is kicked around with strategic flair. This is great music from a resourceful poet and musician. The military marching band carousel revives old patriotic manipulations on 'the Gathering' , rallying the poor bastards to willingly give their lives for some form of King and Country and the 'promise of a Brave New World' that we all know will never happen. Armor, glory, surrender and family, all blended together by the sausage churning military-industrial complex propaganda. Goodbye youth and innocence, promises broken. 'Thistle Alley' conveys more forbidding afterthoughts, wounded corpses dancing under the Florence Nightingale candles, more hefty drumming (war and ballistic drums, hmmmm) and Fish really involving himself into the revolting 'danse macabre' carnage. This brutal onslaught takes no prisoners, the darkness is omnipresent and sensationally executed. Yeah, it's heavy! Orchestral confines marshal the battlefield, with more angry musings about thrust and counter-thrust, as 'the generals count the casualties', Fish has managed to address the futility of war in a convincing, lyrically enthralling manner that, unfortunately after 'Je suis Charlie', we all know it will never go away, humans are just not advanced yet to coexist in peace, the world will never be either 'Brave' nor 'New'. Just the usual cycle of evil and love. A perfect finale.

The sincerity drips on 'Other Side of Me', a ballad that shows another side of our Wedgeman, a heartwarming inner vision that opens up his soul for perusal, which is what any true fan would want! Still dealing with the pain of his near marriage to Heather Findlay, he remains a romantic giant, a bolder Bryan Ferry (the two have actually a lot of common virtues but we won't get into that today), not surprising then that they are my top two vocalists/lyricists. A simply gorgeous song.

'The Great Unravelling' serves as the ideal finale to a near perfect album, another dream laid bare, a modern percussive sheen, a sorrowful veneer and all drenched in evocative yet muscular music. A wailing Antwi performs amazingly in tandem with Monsieur Poisson, the passion overt and mercurial, 'ushered into the light' and a phenomenal ending, suave guitar solo and a confident , unbroken and courageous artist ready to face the next challenge ahead.

You are a hero, Mr Derek Dick.

4.75 victims of expectations

Review Nº 790

Derek William Dick, better known as Fish, is a Scottish singer, songwriter and actor. He achieved prominence as the lead singer and lyricist of the neo-progressive rock band Marillion from 1981 until 1988. With Marillion he recorded four studio albums. In his solo career he explored contemporary pop and traditional folk and rock, having recorded eleven studio albums. Music critics have acknowledged Fish for his voice, which has been described as both "distinct" and a "conflation of Roger Daltrey and Peter Gabriel". About his lyrics they have been generally praised as "poetic prose".

"A Feast Of Consequences" is the tenth studio album of Fish. The line up on "A Feast Of Consequences" is Fish (lead vocals), Elisabeth Troy Antwi (backing vocals), Robin Boult (guitars), Foss Paterson (keyboards), Steve Vantsis (bass guitar), Gavin Griffiths (drums) and many other artists, as guests, in several musical roles.

It has been six years since the last Fish's studio album, "13th Star" and this one, "A Feast Of Consequences". This new album has taken time to put together with Fish wanting to make sure that it was top notch both lyrically and musically but also in the illustrations and design. Fish spent a weekend at The Somme in the First World War battlefields in France. It inspired him to write the "High Wood" suite and helped to develop the illustrations and artwork of the album.

"A Feast Of Consequences" has eleven tracks. The first track "Perfume River" opens the album and really sets the tone of it. The song has two distinct sections. The first part is an atmospheric progressive rock piece with some excellent rhythmic drumming from Griffiths and swriing keyboards from Paterson. The second part is a more up-beat rock section led by an acoustic guitar. Vocally, this is the best Fish has sounded in quite a while. The second track "All Loved Up" is a much more straightforward song. It's a cynical look at the current culture of being a "celebrity" and contains Fish's trademark black humour. It's a pop rock number based around a simple riff from Boult. It's just a really melodic song that makes a statement about today's society. The third track "Blind To The Beautiful" is a real nice acoustic number. This is the first song on the album to prominently featured Elizabeth on the backing vocals. She harmonises well with Fish. Towards the end, there is a really good violin solo from Aidan O'Rourke that personifies the melancholy of the song. The fourth track is the title track, "A Feast Of Consequences". This is another straight ahead rocker based around a neat riff from Boult. All three main components of this song are excellent. The main verses have a nice groove. The pre-chorus backed by the piano is delicate and that leads nicely into the catchiest chorus on the album. The "High Wood" suite is the centrepiece of this album, indeed. It's composed by tracks, "High Wood", "Crucifix Corner", "The Gathering", "Thistle Alley" and "The Leaving". The first part, "High Wood", which, after a gentle intro, is pretty dramatic with some spiky guitar work and almost orchestral keyboard parts, leads beautifully into the second part "Crucifix Corner". Atmospheric is a good word to describe the opening of it. Fish's voice and the piano intertwine well as the song slowly builds up and it's not long before Boult's big guitars come in. During this section, Fish's vocal melodies are possibly some of the best that he has ever come up with. My favourite part of the "High Wood" suite is perhaps the third part, "The Gathering". From there, the album moves onto "Thistle Alley" which is very different from "The Gathering". It's a very dark piece that sees Fish almost approaching metal territory, in places. The fifth and final part "The Leaving" sums up the suite. It's a very poignant and intelligent piece, certainly very emotional for him. I have to congratulate Fish, as the "High Wood" suite is easily the best series of songs on the subject of war I've ever listened till now. The tenth track "The Other Side Of Me" is a typical Fish's ballad. Elisabeth's vocal contributions on this song are again excellent and feature the first proper guitar solo from Boult on the album. The eleventh track "The Great Unravelling" brings the album to a close very well. I really like the call and response vocals from Fish and Elisabeth and the really atmospheric keyboards. It also has the best instrumental break of any song on the album as Boult finally cuts loose for a really monster solo, which is the last thing you really hear before "A Feast Of Consequences" ends, indeed.

Conclusion: I must confess that I'm not completely comfortable to talk about Fish's solo musical career. In reality, I'm only familiar with the first two studio albums of him, "Vigil In A Wilderness Of Mirrors" and "Internal Exile" and his live album and the DVD "Return To Chilwood", besides this one. So, I really don't know if "A Feast Of Consequences" is his best solo work, as I've read before as the opinion of some critics. But, what I really know is that, overall, this is just a brilliantly written and constructed album. It's quite long, but it's so well paced that it just flies by without every feeling boring or contrived. I must say this is an album that still is growing on me and that's another thing that makes this an excellent album. Will we have to wait another six years for another album? Who knows and only time will tell us, really.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)