BRAVE

If there was still skepticism about the future of Marillion after the departure of Fish (which after Holidays in Eden would be warranted), Brave should abate it all. This is the bands most ambitious outing to date: a 70+ minute concept album taking a look at a runaway teenage girl on a bridge, contemplating suicide and what led her to such a situation; it was inspired by a story Steve Hogarth saw on the news. The atmospherics, one of the strong points of Hogarth-era Marillion, get even more ethereal here, Hogarth's vocals are his most powerful, the guitar solos are as impassioned as ever, and the rhythm section continues to be solid. I don't want to get too deep into this album, but I will say that every song is a highlight in some way, and it is the most gratifying of Marillion's works, along side their debut.