BRAVE

After the "pop" music flavored previous album released by Marillion (Holidays in Eden) I really didn't know whether this album would impress me much. The fact that this is a concept album drew me to it and I hoped that it would be a return to form for the band regarding their progressive side.

The music starts off almost ominously and immediately I'm drawn in. By the end of the second track - "Living with the Big Lie" - I'm impressed. Thus far the music has been an emotional ride vectoring on the depressive and has an incredibly sad undertone to it. "Runaway" continues the mood nicely although it is a little more lighthearted in structure compared to the previous two tracks. The keyboards seem a little more dominant on this album than on previous albums and I'm impressed with Trewavas on bass. "Goodbye to all That" livens proceedings up to start with before taking the music back into emotive, depressive, territory - it does go on a little too long in its meandering. At this point I'm looking for a track to lighten the mood a little and I get it in the form of "Hard as Love" which is a rocking track until it mellows out towards the third of the track mark. It does flesh out once again, thankfully as the next track leads back into sad, depressive, territory. "The Hollow Man" is the album highlight thus far of the album, for me. "Alone again into the The Lap of Luxury" brightens the musical mood although it does go on longer than it should in my opinion. "Paper Lies" keeps the mood brighter in "rock out" territory. "Brave" is an anguished, mood, track. "The Great Escape" continues the anguished mood. That for me is becoming a problem with the album thus far - it doesn't damn well let up. It's like forcedly running a long way where there are second wind breathers for a time but then the run has to go go on. The Rothery lead toward the end of the track serves as a drink of cool water along the way. "Made Again" is a gentle lighthearted closer to the album and to the story.

The bonus tracks on the bonus CD (1998 release) as a whole, to me, are better than the album so I would say that the 1998 release is a must. Perhaps my reasoning for that is that the bonus cd is more lighthearted than the main body of the album itself which I found to be a trip into heavy depression country. The album is very dark and if one is suicidal to start with and is on the point of committing the ultimate end act then I would say do not listen to it under any circumstances. I'm torn on how to rate the album as although I liked it for the main part it isn't an album that I would want to spend a lot of time with aside for the occasional listen. I would have given this a three rating however because of the bonus cd which I enjoy a great deal I feel comfortable with a four.