VIGIL IN A WILDERNESS OF MIRRORS

Just like Marillion, Fish managed to make a great first album on his own. Although I don't find his solo direction as interesting as Marillion's Seasons End the music here is quite enjoyable. Unfortunately this wouldn't hold on for too long since Fish's creativity started to slip on the later releases.

On this debut album he manages to craft an enjoyable set of tracks starting with a complete masterpiece performance on the first track, Vigil In A Wilderness Of Mirrors, which almost made me forget that he ever left Marillion! But just as this debut offers some of the best material that Fish has ever recorded as a solo artist it also gives us few quiet uninspired offerings. I really wish that the quite dull song The Voyeur (I Like To Watch) wasn't on this album and although View From A Hill is not as uninspired I feel that the track goes all over the place and the end result offer me very little pleasure.

After all these mixed reactions and comments I still consider this album to be an excellent release that all fans of the early Marillion albums and Neo-Prog genre will definitely find interesting.

***** star songs: Vigil In A Wilderness Of Mirrors (8:46) The Company (4:07) A Gentleman's Excuse Me (4:20)

**** star songs: Big Wedge (5:25) State Of Mind (4:45) Family Business (5:22) Cliche (7:06)

*** star songs: The Voyeur (I Like To Watch) (4:45) View From A Hill (6:39)