Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Arena
Label: Verglas Records
Released: 1995
Rating: 4/5
The roots of Arena’s debut go back to 1979, when Mick Pointer formed the band Silmarillion, which shortened its name to Marillion after guitarist Steve Rothery joined. After a grind of garage rehearsals and gigs on local stages, Mick’s dream finally comes true soon after the arrival of charismatic Scottish singer Derek Dick, who becomes much better known by the nickname Fish. He indirectly gives the band a clearly recognizable sound and direction, and from there things shoot skyward. After two more changes of bassist and keyboardist and the release of the debut “Script For A Jester’s Tear” (1983), today recognized as a central classic of progressive rock, a legend is born. Marillion get shot into the ranks of the most sonically interesting and unpredictable bands of the 80s and become famous as the main torchbearers of the new wave of progressive rock. Just as the doors to commercial success swing wide open, Fish hatches a “conspiracy” against Mick, who is suddenly branded unsuitable for the band’s further direction. Mick, who had obviously been drawn to somewhat heavier sounds all along, is suddenly forced out of the band he had diligently built for so many years. But he takes his vision and the sound of the original Marillion with him into his new project, which only finds fertile ground in the early 90s, when he runs into Clive Nolan, the seasoned keyboardist of cult neo-prog outfit Pendragon. By then Clive had already tried his luck with his own band Shadowland, where he lived out the visions he never managed to realize in Pendragon. Shadowland were in many ways an embryonic version of Arena, though it always lacked that finishing touch, the springboard that separates an ambitious project from a serious band with its own recognizable sound. Mick and Clive then decide the time has come to create a band that would embody the best elements of neo-prog rock and combine them with an original sound that would set them apart from their genre peers from a mile away. Once guitarist Keith More, bassist Cliff Orsi and singer John Carson join them, Arena is born. What follows is their mystical debut “Songs From The Lions Cage”, which blew way past the originally planned frame of an ambitious project and gave birth to a band with a mighty sound and plenty of hidden aces for all lovers of unpredictability and mystery from the best school of British (neo) progressive rock. Even though they will grow and refine their sound from album to album, “Songs From The Lions Cage” is much more than the usual debut served up by your average fresh-faced band, because you can feel throughout that these are old music cats who skillfully blend instrumental finesse with incredible ambient magic, amplified by mystical poetry steeped in ancient legends. And that will be the greatest asset that stays with the band on their following albums too.
“Out Of The Wilderness” opens with a snarling, almost menacing guitar riff laid over a droning line of Nolan’s synths, which soon take the lead and tip the song into a fairly complex section where melodic, refined guitar parts blend into atmospheric keyboards. After a building rhythm, Carson’s dramatic vocals kick in. He isn’t exactly among the technically most polished singers (which shows especially in the higher registers, where his voice often “dies out” prematurely), but he makes up for it very skillfully with dramatic expression and a variable tone that faithfully follows the legacy of Peter Gabriel and (especially) Fish. The resemblance to the latter is often the main reason some sections more than obviously recall early Marillion; something that will thrill all the nostalgics. Carson’s stint with the band will be short-lived, since Clive and Mick will replace him on the very next album with the technically and expressively far better Paul Wrightson, which will indirectly bring them a much more original sound and push them into the league of the most interesting bands in modern prog rock. Still, it has to be admitted that John did a very good job for the band’s developing image at the time, when it was still searching for its true sound. His vocal vision was in many ways followed by his technically superior successor too. Nolan’s mystical sound of organs and synths constantly keeps up a sense of mystery and unknown expectations, which weave around the poetry laced with ancient themes. In the second part, over subtle guitar passages and tasteful synths, a cheerful transition follows that tips the song into a majestic section, rounded off by Carson’s energetic and expressive vocals. Next comes the short acoustic piece “Crying For Help I”, the first of the interlinked, conceptual chapters under the name “Crying For Help”, which mainly serve to connect the individual pieces and act as romantic overtures to the longer epics. The first part is little more than a one-minute appetizer before the grand “Valley Of The Kings”, an excellent neo-prog epic whose best feature is the interplay of calmer, refined sections and energetic motifs. The main thing conjuring images of ancient Egypt in the listener’s head is More’s excellent guitar riff, the energetic and lyrical vocals, and Nolan’s keyboard artistry, which are often the main source of the band’s identity and own sound, which would otherwise more or less sound like a good copy of early Marillion. In the middle there’s a short, spine-chilling passage where droning synths and a “frightened” vocal pile on the drama until a melodic guitar cuts through it energetically and drags it over rich plains of keyboard curtains all the way to the final climax. The romantic, baroque-flavored “Crying For Help II”, with its exceptionally beautiful keyboard and acoustic guitar melody, again shows the band’s gentler side and again moves it away from comparisons with other neo-prog bands. Then comes the magnificent epic “Jericho”, one of the best pieces on the album. It opens as a melodramatic ballad led by Carson’s exceptionally expressive vocals, before layered synths come in brilliantly while the guitar holds the central melody the whole way. But it’s at its best in the second part, when sonically incredibly tasteful and rich synths burst in in an unbelievably witty and original way, completely changing the course of the song and tipping it into much more mystical and complex waters. Individual motifs keep shifting while, over an energetic rhythm and Carson’s excellent vocals, the composition elegantly and completely unexpectedly comes to an abrupt end. This creates the effect of the walls suddenly collapsing around the central lyrical subject, the first walled city in human history and still the lowest-lying city in the world today (250 m below sea level), brought down, according to the Bible, by the sound of siege trumpets. “Jericho” is truly one of their first classics, and they can be rightfully proud of it, since it’s marked throughout by incredible energy, variety and rich lyrical expression. “Crying For Help III”, backed by ambient synths and piano and interrupted in the second part by an alarm clock ringing and phone keys being pressed, is another mystical disconnect and preparation for yet another piece rich in sonic expression. Arena continue their fascination with mythology and mysterious historical events through “Midas Vision”, another genuine classic, opened by a frenetic guitar riff, howling keyboards and Carson’s rich lyrical expression. The peak of the composition is certainly the excellent, melodic chorus, which vividly reflects the ancient Greek tale of the materially greedy Phrygian king, whom the gods, led by Dionysus and Apollo, punished soundly for his arrogance (the first with the “gift” of the golden touch, so that everything he touched turned to gold; the second “rewarded” him with a pair of donkey ears because, as a judge, he credited Pan with more skill at playing the pipes). The nostalgic ballad “Crying For Help IV” is by far the most interestingly structured of the four “Crying” chapters on the album, since besides the sensitive keyboards and rich vocal expression (where you can also detect some of the technical weaknesses I mentioned earlier, which his successor will compensate for very successfully), it’s also adorned by an exceptionally subtle guitar. A special guest on guitar adds to this magic too: none other than Mick’s old companion, the aforementioned Steve Rothery, who delivers his trademark, subtle soloing, which is also the best solo on the album. Hearing this short but deeply symbolic collaboration, you seriously have to ask why Rothery doesn’t put some energy into solo projects too, since he’s a guitarist you simply can’t get enough of, whether it’s in Marillion or elsewhere. Interestingly, the song has just the right retro vibe and really sounds like it was pulled straight out of the 80s; in the spirit of those power ballads that Marillion themselves pushed to the symbols of ambient perfection. The big, triumphant finale and true heaven for all lovers of progressive melodies and unpredictability comes with the unforgettable, more than 14-minute mystical epic “Solomon”, the best piece on the album, full of incredible twists and stunning intensity, which can go toe to toe with the best work of Mick’s former band at any moment and announces that Arena aren’t joking around. “Solomon”, which tells of the legendary king of Israel and Judah, David’s son, renowned as the ideal of a wise and mighty ruler and credited with several parts of the Old Testament, serves up all the main elements that will mark the band in its future as well. After a calm intro, Carson’s excellent vocal performance (which here, more than anywhere else on the album, recalls Fish), layered guitar passages, shamelessly snarling bass and dynamic drums carry it into turbulent and unpredictable waters. It’s incredible how nicely they’ve balanced the calmer, ambient sections, where a full keyboard sound and slide guitar reign, with far dirtier rhythms that are usually closer to progressive metal than progressive rock (which they’ll crank up further in the future). At the end we witness an exceptionally melancholic yet majestic finish, as weeping guitar passages and dramatic synths trade off in harmony, complemented by mighty drum fills that vividly show just how badly Fish misjudged Mick’s talent. For lovers of legends and mysticism there’s absolutely nothing missing here, and the main feeling after the album’s close is like a final revelation after dramatic adventures.
“Songs From The Lions Cage” of course has its “flaws” too, , which show mostly in the fact that it often has a more than obviously similar sound and direction to Marillion’s legendary debut. Though it’s light years away from me declaring it a copy, since it contains a series of recognizable, previously mentioned elements that shaped Arena as a unique band right from the start. Whoever isn’t bothered by this similarity to Marillion will thoroughly enjoy this treat, which will bring back the authentic neo-prog magic of the 80s combined with a modern sound. In the future Arena (as already mentioned), mostly through lineup changes, tackled numerous improvements, and over time any comparisons with Marillion vanished completely. In the end comes the inevitable conclusion that “Songs From The Lions Cage” is still a rather overlooked album (even among fans of the band), even though it’s one of the better progressive rock releases from the turn of the 90s and also one of the best debuts. So I can say with a clear conscience that it’s a neo-prog classic that no fan of the genre should be without. If you’d like to soak up Solomon’s wisdom, uncover Midas’s secret, tremble behind the walls of Jericho and feel a hint of immortality in the Valley of the Kings, spin the songs from the lion’s cage and set off with Arena into a world of unforgettable legends, where you’ll never have to cry for help against all the manner of shallowness and harsh reality that they scare you with on most of today’s radio stations.
Lineup
John Carson – vocals, backing vocals
Keith More – guitar
Clive Nolan – keyboards, backing vocals
Cliff Orsi – bass guitar, backing vocals
Mick Pointer – drums
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Steve Rothery – guitar (track #8)
Tracy Hitchings – backing vocals
Tosh McMann – backing vocals
Martin Albering – backing vocals
Marc Van Dongen – backing vocals
Track list
1. Out Of The Wilderness
2. Crying For Help I
3. Valley Of The Kings
4. Crying For Help II
5. Jericho
6. Crying For Help III
7. Midas vision
8. Crying for help IV
9. Solomon
Album length: 58.22
