It's underrated, I have to confess I always was a bit sceptic regarding this album. I listened the album a few more times and I changed my opinion. It contains several progressive elements, in tracks such as "Splintering Heart", "The Party", "No One Can", "Dry Land" and "100 Nights", it's a good follow up to Seasons End.

Nothing pop here,Marillion as always,dark and beautiful.
Awesome album.

From what I have read from different sources, Marillion tried more commercial sound here with some pop rock influences, but failed miserably. Well, not that literally, since the album itself isn't half bad, just a little boring at times. Not their best record, but worth getting anyway. If you want more prog-oriented approach, then the remastered 2CD version is must.

I'm very fond of this album, the first Hogarth album I heard, when it came out, a lot of memories, reminds me of simpler, better times. I love the guitar work here and it's one of Hogarth's best vocal performances (along with Brave).

As a pure marillion fish-era this album is for me the first album of steve hogarth since most of the songs from "season's end" where written with fish's influence. I think "holliday in eden" is a better album for that. The songs are written to fit hogarth's voice and it sounded better overall. If i think this album is not at the level of the 4 fish jewels it is still a good album. I'm not a great fan of hogarth's voice but i like this album. It's one of the few that i listen sometimes (with brave/strange engine/marbles and FEAR). Fish has a voice to fit more agressive music and his solo career showed this often. This is why i left marillion fan base for Fish's. After brave marillion went for softer music and it seems boring for me. This is why i put a 7. Its a good album.....

Written by jeffster69 on 28.06.2022 at 22:13

As a pure marillion fish-era this album is for me the first album of steve hogarth since most of the songs from "season's end" where written with fish's influence. I think "holliday in eden" is a better album for that. The songs are written to fit hogarth's voice and it sounded better overall. If i think this album is not at the level of the 4 fish jewels it is still a good album. I'm not a great fan of hogarth's voice but i like this album. It's one of the few that i listen sometimes (with brave/strange engine/marbles and FEAR). Fish has a voice to fit more agressive music and his solo career showed this often. This is why i left marillion fan base for Fish's. After brave marillion went for softer music and it seems boring for me. This is why i put a 7. Its a good album.....

Fish's contribution to Marillion is overestimated (as was Peter Gabriel's in Genesis). Some of the ideas for Seasons end were crafted in demos with Fish, before he quit the band (if you can listen to the second disc of the Clutching at Straws remaster, you'll see it there).

Not all Marillion with Hogarth is soft. From a metalhead's perspective, maybe soft, but as a music listener in general, i say it's not.
As much as I enjoy Fish (solo), I still enjoy Marillion (with Hogarth) much more. There are hidden gems on all their albums, worth checking out.

Many piece of music where written with fish's influence. Many parts from the demos and in season's end can be found in "vigil..." but with a completely different treatment. Fish at that time had a much larger voice set than hogarth, the lyrics are also without comparison for me. Now, i was in charge of the company france during the 1993-1998 period and saw the creation of suits/sunset. during that period fish made his curve for à more direct music than prog rock that fitted his voice change to more aggressive singing. According to the singing i have always wondered what would have become a title like "king of sunset town" or "uninvited guest" with fish's voice but we'll never know. I'm not saying the post fish era is a bad period. As you said there are good things but each time i heard more punchy tracks with steve i didn't like it (albums like radiation for example trcks like hard as love etc...) , i really think steve is good in tracks like easter beautiful man of the thousand faces etc... For genesis i agree with you since my favorite albums are wind and wuthering and a trick... Singer changes in groups i love (acdc/iron maiden/helloween/genesis/etc..) never produced a "shock" like steve made when he replaced fish. I'm just not touched by the feeling he has in the voice. And during the 90's i was more fish or pendragon oriented...

Written by jeffster69 on 29.06.2022 at 16:08

Singer changes in groups i love (acdc/iron maiden/helloween/genesis/etc..) never produced a "shock" like steve made when he replaced fish. I'm just not touched by the feeling he has in the voice. And during the 90's i was more fish or pendragon oriented...

It's never bothered me, when I discovered Marillion back in the early 90s, I was listening to both Fish and Hogarth. The change did not shock me in any way. Later on I bought a DVD of the Seasons End tour. Fans seemed to be very welcoming to Steve Hogarth. And that show/DVD is awesome.

Héhé i know many Marillion fans discovered fish later and many fancies the steve period....