Work in early 2020 just as Covid-19 started to take hold, and continued as uncertainty, anxiety and death rates began to soar in the world outside the studio walls.

Mood here could have been sad, gloomy, full of anger and fear. Instead, hope, strength and compassion prevail and dominate the entire work.

To produce An Hour Before It’s Dark, Marillion sought inspiration (and discipline) showing great attention to detail in Peter Gabriel’s RealWorld studios in Bath. Marillion has clearly taken things to another level.

They never cease to surprise me. Anyone who knows the British band for years knows the secrets of Marillion: their ability to dive into new spheres with brilliant melodies and gorgeous songwriting. Their music is a very kind of melodic melancholy sumptuous dreamy prog rock. Steve Rothery’s guitar is sublime (on Every Cell, for example). Like David Gilmour, there is nothing flashy or flamboyant in his guitar playing. No! It’s about majesty and luxuriating in a sort of warm comfortable blanket of sound.

My conclusion is: An Hour Before It’s Dark is, without question, a truly amazing album. Not only from a musical point of view, but also from their unique ability to hit the nerve of the times with social, political and personal topics. Uplifting, full of love and hope and care, It is joyous, engaging, human – so human – and so lush. The fans needed this album. This album needs the fans to tell the world what it is.

You really should listen to this album with headphones. My (expensive) hi-fi equipment can’t succeed in reproducing the complete spectre of bass ranges. They sound a tad too muted while both mediums and trebles are nicely balanced. I don’t blame their sound engineers, but my system which is obviously not efficient enough.

👉 The Tracks you don’t want to miss are underlined below in the Tracklisting block