Marillion
Radiation

THE REVIEW

Definitely "Radiation" is an album that quite distinguishes itself from the previous works of this band. Marillion over the years have always been able to renew themselves, presenting interesting and noteworthy records, open to experimentation, while always maintaining that touch of originality that has made Marillion one of the most important and followed bands in the Neoprogressive scene, an originality that, in my view, they acquired with the entry of Steve Hogarth into the band, where he debuted with "Seasons End". This record already partly strays far from the Marillion with Fish, who were clearly influenced by Genesis' music, and not only that, even Fish's voice seems to resemble the warm and direct voice of Peter Gabriel. To be fair, however, it must also be said that the early Marillion with Fish released records that have remained in the hearts of many fans, such as "Misplaced Childhood" a cornerstone of progressive rock, where the single "Kayleigh" achieved great success worldwide. After "Clutching at Straws", the last album with singer Fish, the subsequent "Seasons End" built a bridge between the new and old Marillion, leading up to "Holidays in Eden", where the band showcases a more approachable sound compared to previous works. This change of direction, however, leaves a bitter taste for fans more attached to the band's old musical style, even though "Holidays in Eden" is undoubtedly a great album. The subsequent "Brave", however, is considered by general critics to be the first great masterpiece of the Hogarth era, while subsequent albums like "Afraid of Sunlight" and "This Strange Engine" once again take a different path, full of ideas, where the band's creativity and desire to renew is never lacking, causing discontent among some fans who did not appreciate these changes in direction, which are nevertheless important for a band open to experimentation.

"Radiation" is yet another turning point for Marillion, a good, interesting album where guitars and vocal approach take on a primary and essential role in all the tracks. The album opens with the track "Costa Del Slough" which immediately disorients the listener, with a confused, uncertain, and fragmentary sound, that seems to allude in the first seconds to the entire album. It is followed by "Under The Sun", a very bright track with a nice chorus, excellent riffs and solos by Steve Rothery. At the end of the track, bassist Peter Trewavas pronounces the following phrase: "Thank God we don't do this on stage, eh?"

Steve Rothery concludes by exclaiming: "Good evening Amsterdam".

Let's leave Rothery in doubt, as "The Answering Machine", the third track of this album, arrives, carefree and engaging, accompanied by Steve Rothery's acoustic guitar. The fourth track on the album "Three Minute Boy" is a very delicate song, beautifully interpreted by Steve Hogarth vocally, equally delicate is the following "Now She'll Never Know" sweetened by Mark Kelly's keyboard, a very sweet yet also sad song, as the musical lyrics demonstrate:

Now she'll Never know
What anyone could tell her
Now she'll never know
What anyone can see
Now she won't believe me