An Hour Before It's Dark
Studio album by
Marillion
Released4 March 2022 (2022-03-04)
Recorded2021
Studio
GenreNeo-prog
Length54:10
Label
Producer
  • Marillion
  • Michael Hunter
Marillion chronology
With Friends from the Orchestra
(2019)		 An Hour Before It's Dark
(2022)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Classic Rock[1]

An Hour Before It's Dark is the 20th studio album by British neo-prog band Marillion, released on 4 March 2022 by Intact and earMUSIC.

Background

On 3 August 2021, Marillion announced the launch of their new pre-order campaign for the recording and release of a new studio album, their first since With Friends from the Orchestra (2019).[2] Frontman Steve Hogarth said "the overall feeling" of the album "is surprisingly upbeat", with the Choir Noir adding "new soul" and "colour" to the music.[3]

The album includes a behind the scenes documentary about the making of the record, and a performance of "Murder Machines" from Real World Studios.[4]

Release

An Hour Before It's Dark was released on 4 March 2022.[4] To promote the record, several London black cabs were decorated with the album's artwork and free rides are given if the customer mentioned a password, which was the album's title. The promotion ran from 4–14 March.[3]

On 7 March 2022, the band announced a 9-date UK tour for September 2022.[3]

Commercial performance

On the UK Albums Chart dated 11 March 2022, An Hour Before It's Dark entered at number two, their highest chart position since Clutching at Straws in 1987.[5]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Steve Hogarth; all music is composed by Marillion

An Hour Before It's Dark track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Be Hard on Yourself"
  • i. "The Tear in the Big Picture"
  • ii. "Lust for Luxury"
  • iii. "You Can Learn"
9:27
3:52
2:07
3:28
2."Reprogram the Gene"
  • i. "Invincible"
  • ii. "Trouble-Free Life"
  • iii. "A Cure for Us?"
7:00
3:31
2:00
1:29
3."Only a Kiss" (instrumental)0:39
4."Murder Machines"4:20
5."The Crow and the Nightingale"6:35
6."Sierra Leone"
  • i. "Chance in a Million"
  • ii. "The White Sand"
  • iii. "The Diamond"
  • iv. "The Blue Warm Air"
  • v. "More Than a Treasure"
10:51
1:32
0:53
3:29
2:23
2:34
7."Care"
  • i. "Maintenance Drugs"
  • ii. "An Hour Before It's Dark"
  • iii. "Every Cell"
  • iv. "Angels on Earth"
15:18
4:37
2:27
3:18
4:56
Total length:54:10

Note: After 4 minutes of silence following "Angels on Earth", the CD will play a 12" remix of "Murder Machines".

Personnel

Marillion

Additional musicians

  • Bethan Bond – harp on "The Crow and the Nightingale", "Care"
  • Luis Jardim – percussion on "Reprogram the Gene", "Murder Machines", "Sierra Leone", "Care"
  • Kat Marsh – backing vocals on "Be Hard on Yourself", "Sierra Leone"
  • Sam Morris – French horn on "Care"
  • Choir Noir – backing vocals on "Murder Machines", "The Crow and the Nightingale", "Care"
  • In Praise of Folly String Quartet – strings on "The Crow and the Nightingale"

Production

  • Marillion – production
  • Michael Hunter – production, recording, mixing
  • Simon Ward – artwork

Charts

Chart performance for An Hour Before It's Dark
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[6] 25
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[7] 11
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[8] 7
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[9] 93
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[10] 2
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[11] 38
French Albums (SNEP)[12] 13
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[13] 2
Irish Albums (IRMA)[14] 58
Italian Albums (FIMI)[15] 16
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[16] 151
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[17] 32
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[18] 4
Scottish Albums (OCC)[19] 2
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[20] 9
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[21] 29
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[22] 6
UK Albums (OCC)[5] 2
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[23] 2
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[24] 1

References

  1. ↑ Everley, Dave (4 March 2022). "Marillion's new album is dramatic, hopeful, and one of the finest of their career". Classic Rock. Retrieved 10 March 2022 – via Loudersound.
  2. ↑ "pre-order". 15 August 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 Colothan, Scott (7 March 2022). "Marillion announce September 2022 UK tour". Planet Rock. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  4. 1 2 Ewing, Jerry (19 November 2021). "Marillion release full details of 'upbeat' new album An Hour Before It's Dark". Prog. Retrieved 4 January 2022 – via Loudersound.
  5. 1 2 "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  6. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Marillion – An Hour Before It's Dark" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  7. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Marillion – An Hour Before It's Dark" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  8. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Marillion – An Hour Before It's Dark" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  9. ↑ "Billboard Canadian Albums: Week of March 19, 2022". Billboard. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  10. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Marillion – An Hour Before It's Dark" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  11. ↑ "Marillion: An Hour Before It's Dark" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  12. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Marillion – An Hour Before It's Dark". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  13. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Marillion – An Hour Before It's Dark" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  14. ↑ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Marillion". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  15. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Marillion – An Hour Before It's Dark". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  16. ↑ "アン・アワー・ビフォー・イッツ・ダーク". Oricon.co.jp. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  17. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Marillion – An Hour Before It's Dark". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  18. ↑ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  19. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  20. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Marillion – An Hour Before It's Dark". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  21. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Marillion – An Hour Before It's Dark". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  22. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Marillion – An Hour Before It's Dark". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  23. ↑ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  24. ↑ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.