Seasons End is the dividing point between Marillion's two gargantuan eras. The band was in quite a critical conundrum after former singer Fish's departure, its credibility being in absolute jeopardy due to the belief of many that the aforementioned vocalist had always been the band's mastermind and that his loss would signify Marillion's impending downfall. How wrong they were. After bringing Steven Hogarth into the fold, the band stood its ground firmly and recreated its sound and approach to music, mainly due to the entirely new beginning that Hogarth's involvement with the band meant and the ensuing attitude and unity, which ended up in a completely unexplored direction for the band.

The entire album is an exact reflection of the band's aims at the time, which in large part meant proving that Marillion was not a band caught up in a specific point in time; a trend waiting to be forgotten. That set a priority of excellently arranged music with a certain degree of accessibility for Seasons End, and the outcome was a band inclined to more atmospheric aural surroundings, probably due to the fact that Hogarth's vocals demanded a truly natural ambience to flow freely and gracefully throughout the album.
That done, songs like the singles "Hooks In You" and "Uninvited Guest" were immediately well received with radio airplay, attracting the attention of a new generation of fans that could relate to the more laid-back pop aspect of the band. But Marillion hadn't sold out, however, as the emotionally strong and deep, majestic masterpiece "Seasons End" proves, showing where the band was headed. Other songs, such as the soothing "Easter," were brought in by Hogarth and given the "Marillion treatment," that being mainly an array of awe-inspiring solos and the band's trademark wall of sound and intricate arrangements. This last approach permeates "Berlin" and "The Space…," turning both tracks into two of the most moving songs in the entire album.

I'm sure some fans of old Marillion will disagree with me, but Hogarth's arrival to the fold was truly a blessing in times of trouble. It was, after all, a part of the Marillion collection that served as an introduction to what a new lineup with enormous potential could achieve.

-by Javier Elizondo

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