FUGAZI

As I gave five stars to Script for a Jester's Tears, I could not rank Fugazi by the same way, but it just a great album. Rougher that its predecessor, Fugazi becomes more aggressive and a bit less musical. After Script, is the best Marillion album in my opinion.

The opening track Assassing begins with an outstanding guitar riff, to flow then into a solid guitar-keyboard pattern, which has some reminiscences from the Abacab one. Great track with some short but superb keyboard solos. Punch & Judy is another one based on rough guitars, with an "old prog style intro", and a strange but good melody line. Jigsaw is in a ballad format, but really good, in wich Fish makes a great job. The next two songs fills into the prog style but are a bit annoying. She chameleon has an stunning intro with a church organ, but then loses in a monotonous track, except for a good keyboard solo by Mark Kelly. The same happens with Emerald lies, in which the main thing is the drum job by the new member Ian Mosley. At the end comes the best. Incubus is a long track with two parts. The first half is a bit humdrum prog number, but the second half is a true masterpiece. After a great piano melody, the fantastic voice of Fish gives way to an incredible guitar solo by Steve Rothery. This solo is one of the best I ever heard on rock music (in the level of Firth of fifth or Time). After that Fish joins over the guitar with an amazing melody line. The title song closes the album in a fantastic way. This track combines piano parts, soft melodies, agressives and rough guitar tunes and a closing section with a strange but outstanding melody that only Marillion can create.

Not a masterpiece but a great addition for any progrock collection, mainly because the last two tracks. Four stars.