Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Arena
Label: Verglas Records
Release date: 2003
Running time: 58:44
Rating: 5/5
»Contagion«, the fifth studio effort from British neo-prog champions Arena, is for plenty of devotees of this all-too-often overlooked outfit even their best album to date, and some members of the band itself admit as much. Keyboard grandmaster Clive Nolan and drumming veteran Mick Pointer, the founders and chiefs of these standouts of new-century progressive rock, managed to pull off something on »Contagion« that was unthinkable for Arena until recently: for the first time, they kept the same crew of musical buddies as on the previous album, the excellent »Immortal?« (2000). Besides Pointer and Nolan, who was always also the main lyricist, concept man and chief arranger, that lineup featured the brilliant guitarist John Mitchell, the one-of-a-kind singer Rob Sowden and the all-round bassist Ian Salmon, and in the end it held together for almost ten years. In that time they created three unforgettable studio masterpieces. »Contagion« was the second of them, matching the extraordinarily high level of »The Visitor« from 1998, which until then had rightly been considered their magnum opus, in conceptual depth and in arranging and songwriting polish.
Arena have always been the most cynical and gloomy outfit of all the British neo-prog bands, so it’s no surprise that the overall mood on »Contagion« is packed with dark, tense and melodramatic visions of a post-apocalyptic near future in a dystopian social order, where the central role is played by a devastating virus slowly eating away at the last remnants of a sick civilization, while those who don’t die on first contact with it are increasingly turned into some kind of zombies by the infection. That’s what Nolan’s concept is about, unfolded through the individual lyrics, which tell how a virus unleashed by a vengeful “terrorist” slowly and uncontrollably spreads across the globe and people drop like flies. The lyrics are cynical as hell, then, but also intelligently incisive and full of rage at human stupidity and the total apathy of modern society.
It’s perhaps no real surprise that »Contagion« was also Arena’s heaviest effort at the time of its release, since some of Mitchell’s guitar phrases wouldn’t be out of place in plenty of prog metal bands. Lavish symphonic arrangements under Nolan’s keyboard direction give each piece a recognizable, grandiose symphonic-prog continuity that traces its roots back to Pointer’s first band, the legendary Marillion. Sowden, meanwhile, fits into the collective perfectly with his distinctive vocal approach and delivers perhaps even the best singing performance of his time as a member of Arena. You could say he’s one of the few singers in neo-prog whose voice would sound great in plenty of other genres too. On the mighty vocal harmonies, he gets effective backing from Nolan and Mitchell, who have proven more than once that they’re not just excellent instrumentalists but also possess considerable vocal talent, which goes especially for Mitchell, who these days also earns his bread as the singer/guitarist of cult prog/pop rockers It Bites.
The intense atmosphere never lets up from start to finish of the »Contagion« conceptual epic, beginning with the opening bomb »Witch Hunt«, which long ago became a “people’s song” as one of the best-loved Arena classics. A full-bodied guitar riff is surrounded by frenetically booming synth textures and backed by uncompromising drum flourishes, which together create an almost classic prog-metal motif. When Rob’s energetic vocals come in, the whole thing picks up strong melodic dimensions too, peaking in an epic chorus. Mitchell wouldn’t be Mitchell if he didn’t deliver a juicy, witty guitar improvisation right at the start, while the individual time-signature shifts, in the middle of all that rough, gloomy atmosphere, are some of the cleverest things in this fine band’s rich treasury of ideas. Suddenly there’s an unexpected transition into the short, piano-driven ballad »An Angel Falls«, where Rob once again shines with a bravura, emotional vocal performance amid the orchestral flourishes.
The conspiracy-tinged »Painted Man«, which tells of corruption and an outcast stranger, the designated scapegoat for all the woes of a modern racist society, bends under the weight of spirited guitar passages and the symphonic swells of Nolan’s keyboard empire, which together create an almost solemn atmosphere. Once again there’s no shortage of grandiose guitar and keyboard improvisations, while Salmon’s bass lines are especially lively this time. The ultra-dramatic instrumental »This Way Madness Lies« doesn’t let up when it comes to weaving a post-apocalyptic atmosphere, ideally co-created by melancholic guitar passages and restless synth swells, while the individual rhythmic transitions are timed as carefully and intelligently as can be. The excellent »Spectre At The Feast«, an uncompromising sketch of a “brave new world”, is the only piece on »Contagion« out of 16 tracks that runs longer than five minutes, which is just enough for Arena to gradually build a melodramatic atmosphere, where Rob’s emotionally rich, glowing vocal performance especially shines. The atmosphere is incredibly dynamic and keeps shifting, which means that just when a ray of hope breaks through and a somewhat lighter mood takes hold, a dark cloud of decadence and corruption covers it all up again.
»Never Ending Night« opens as a piercing ballad, after which Mitchell’s delicious soloing indirectly makes sure the structure of this excellent piece takes on much more complex dimensions. »Skin Game« is another uncompromising trip through the dark meanders of the human psyche, while Sowden’s theatrical vocal performance is once again a pure triumph of epic melodrama. In the closing section there’s a surprising twist into an optimistic mood, as a brief ray of hope shines through on the wings of a mighty guitar melody. The relentlessly tense »Salamander« is yet another one of the highlights of »Contagion«. The claustrophobic, gloomy atmosphere is underpinned by complex rhythmic patterns, while the peak of the composition is its melodic, uplifting chorus. Here Clive’s keyboard genius and cleverness are confirmed all over again, as he weaves witty synth improvisations and spins mighty ambient curtains.
The dynamic instrumental »On The Box« features numerous inventive electronic and organ textures courtesy of the genius Nolan, plus a bravura guitar solo from the fingers of one of the most creative prog rock guitarists of today. The atmosphere this time recalls the soundtrack to some sci-fi, dystopian horror flick. »Tsunami« has a heap of Salmon’s irritated bass improvisations, while the main architects of the tense, mysterious atmosphere this time are Nolan with his keyboard orgies and Sowden’s theatrical vocals. Some would label »Bitter Harvest« a prog-metal power ballad, though it’s really a lot more than that. The members of Arena all prove themselves once more to be distinctive masters of building complex, hyper-dramatic atmosphere, which in these times, when every genre has no shortage of music completely empty in substance and emotion, is a very important and rare quality. »The City Of Lanterns« is a short, melancholic lament that somewhat recalls the old balladic saga »Crying For Help« and serves as a kind of overture to the complex, rhythmically accelerated instrumental »Riding The Tide«. With its wild keyboard and guitar improvisations and solemn central motif, the latter is yet another one of the album’s triumphant moments.
The touching piano ballad »Mea Culpa« marks the conceptual moment when a few rare individuals in the ruined dystopia start to realize what they’ve brought this planet to, but it’s already too late; the final blow to the human race can no longer be escaped. Rob’s heart-rending vocal performance, in which pessimism and optimism blend, is once again a chapter all its own. With »Cutting The Cards«, yet another epic masterpiece, »Contagion« races toward its final revelation. Acoustic arrangements slowly shape a mighty melody, while Mr. Snowden once again convincingly slips into the role of chronicler of the last days of so-called civilization. It’s one of those epic, closing Arena classics in the vein of »Enemy Without«, where the concept gets its epilogue in a triumphant, uncompromising way. The dark and uplifting, but above all inspiring finale, »Ascension«, on the wings of mighty orchestral curtains and yet another bravura vocal performance from Rob, is the definitive farewell of the last representatives of the human race, who stayed alive for the sake of warning future generations about past mistakes while preparing them for a new, different beginning, which may or may not end in catastrophe once again.
The last days of humanity have never echoed through such a violently epic atmosphere of everything coming to an end as on the ominous masterpiece »Contagion«. After »The Visitor« and »Immortal?«, Arena have created yet another neo-prog rock classic of staggering ambient and conceptual proportions, one you have to bow to again and again whenever the best prog rock albums released since 2000 come up. Sadly, that hasn’t helped them much in stepping out of virtually total commercial obscurity, even though Arena really are one of those criminally overlooked bands of our time who, instead of corporate acts of dubious repute, deserve to be filling sold-out stadiums, since they come from the noblest prog rock sonic tradition and tackle every new musical project with their whole heart.
Lineup
Rob Sowden – vocals
John Mitchell – guitar, backing vocals
Clive Nolan – keyboards, backing vocals
Ian Salmon – bass guitar
Mick Pointer – drums
Production
Clive Nolan & John Mitchell
Track list
1. Witch hunt (4:17)
2. An angel falls (1:13)
3. Painted man (4:41)
4. This way madness lies (3:35)
5. Spectre at the feast (5:34)
6. Never ending night (3:23)
7. Skin game (4:43)
8. Salamander (3:59)
9. On the box (2:40)
10. Tsunami (2:38)
11. Bitter harvest (2:52)
12. The city of lanterns (1:22)
13. Riding the tide (4:28)
14. Mea culpa (3:46)
15. Cutting the cards (4:57)
16. Ascension (4:34)
