Marillion – An Hour Before It’s Dark

The tale of Marillion is a tale of two bands. The first is a group who despite being branded “the least cool band in the world”, achieved worldwide success with a string of masterpiece albums that captured the sound and spirit of classic progressive rock. While Yes and Genesis had abandoned their roots for the greener pastures of new wave and pop, Marillion embraced lush keyboard, grandiose theatrics, and lengthy pieces with open arms. Despite the 1988 departure of singer Fish, the band soldiered onwards with new frontman Steve Hogarth, evolving their signature sound as time marched forward. Then, around the late 90s, something happened.

Marillion reinvented themselves as a progressive alternative rock band of sorts, along the lines of what Radiohead was doing at the time with albums like OK Computer (1997) and Kid A (2000). Granted, the band has never abandoned the writing or musical traits that made them so loved in the first place. They’ve just tailored said traits throughout the years to accommodate each subsequent release. Some albums have seen this turn of the century formula utilized to create a work of brilliance (i.e. 2004’s Marbles). Others have their redeeming moments, but fail to resonate as a fully cohesive piece. And then you’ve got an album like An Hour Before It’s Dark, which despite not making that initial cerebral connection with me like say Misplaced Childhood (1986) or Seasons End (1989), most certainly has the potential to do so in time.

An Hour Before It’s Dark picks up where 2016’s Fuck Everyone and Run left off, and arguably the last few Marillion releases prior to that. The backbone of the album are four multifaceted suites which largely follow the storytelling template of introduction, rising action, climax, and falling action. These suites are “Be Hard on Yourself”, “Reprogram the Gene”, “Sierra Leone”, and “Care”. From both a musical and lyrical standpoint, this may be Marillion’s most delicate collection of songs to date, and I don’t say that lightly. The lyrics are extremely vulnerable and the band’s delivery largely mirrors this. Hogarth’s vocals seldom rise above a whisper, and when they do, they’re enveloped by a layer of vast synths/strings and passionate guitar work.

The two songs that don’t fit into these arcing narratives are potent as well. The first, “The Crow and the Nightingale”, can best be described as a showcase of atmosphere within atmosphere; a delicate ballad reminiscent of the Brave era that I could get lost in over and over again. The other, “Murder Machines”, is brooding alt prog with a standout psychedelic guitar solo from founder Steve Rothery and melodic Beatlesesque touches throughout. This Lennon/McCartney (with an emphasis on Lennon) influence also makes itself present throughout the various main suites, specifically the “Invincible” section of “Reprogram the Gene”. B

As I said earlier in this review, An Hour Before It’s Dark didn’t immediately grab my heartstrings upon first listen…or second listen…or third for that matter. However, with each listen, those strings are wearing thinner and thinner. It’s only a matter of time before I ultimately surrender and let the bane of the British music press take hold of my heart, just as I have many times before, and am almost certain to again come the next Marillion release. In darkness, Marillion is a musical light!

7 out of 10

Label: earMUSIC

Genre: Progressive Rock

For fans of: Fish, Genesis, Radiohead