F E A R (F*** EVERYONE AND RUN)

I will put it this way: This album is a masterpiece. This is arguably the best Marillion album. This is a towering achievement of modern progressive rock music. This is a memorable and emotional journey that will get under your skin and will stay there forever. This is, of course, the majestic 2016 release named 'F E A R (Fuck Everyone and Run)' by Marillion, and happens to be their 16th studio album - maybe their most political album overall so far, but also maybe their most deeply touching one, maybe their most instrumentally powerful work, absolutely genre-less, maybe their most divine and otherworldly work.

This is the record that follows up another very excellent modern Marillion album, 'Sounds That Can't Be Made' from 2012, and while similarities may be drawn between the two, 'F E A R' is definitely an entity of its own, with the stark political and personal topics Steve Hogarth sings about, the vivid portrayal of the characters and the scenes, aided strongly by his intelligent selection of words, and to top it all, there is the scenery, brilliant and ethereal instrumentation that the five members of the band have constructed. Probably a shocking title for such an elegant-sounding band, 'Fuck Everyone and Run', as sung on 'The New Kings', is adopted "...not in anger or with any intention to shock. It is adopted and sung tenderly, in sadness and resignation inspired by an England, and a world, which increasingly functions on an "Every man for himself" philosophy.", as told by h himself.

Sometimes dark, sometimes uplifting, sometimes very dystopian and hopeless, and sometimes inspiring and futuristics, this album is comprised of just six songs, three of which ate multi-part epics depicting h's disappointment and willingness to see something change with the world we live in. Separated by the shorter and beautiful songs 'Living in F E A R' and 'White Paper', the epics shine through as some of the strongest progressive rock music to have ever come out of England, flowing gently into one another, the album makes perfect sense as a whole, with the recurring characters and topics.

Abandon your dreams of gold! And listen to 'F E A R' instead! This album is as impressive and important as things like 'In the Court of the Crimson King', 'The Dark Side of the Moon', and 'Close to the Edge', it is just released in a different time... And what a time!