earMUSIC have announced the release of the brand new Marillion album, FEAR (Fuck Everyone And Run), on September 23rd. The album will be available on SuperAudio-CD DigiPak (strictly limited to the first run), CD JewelCase, LP and Digital formats. This, the band’s eighteenth studio album, features five brand new tracks and the feeling within the band themselves is that they may well have produced their best ever work. Marillion has certainly not mellowed with age; the album artwork shows the acronym FEAR embossed on a gold ingot, and the songs themselves bear the hallmark of true quality.

Whilst the album title itself is certainly provocative, it’s not meant to be offensive. The title itself features as a line in the track “New Kings” and is delivered as a plaintive falsetto. Steve Hogarth said, "We've used FEAR as a title with some relish, but only as it shows that we haven’t shied away, but it's said with sadness. There are two basic impulses behind human behaviour: Love and Fear, and all the good stuff comes from love."

FEAR sees the band taking on the big themes but they do not see it as their place to preach to people. "New Kings" looks at the ravening beast that modern capitalism seems to have evolved into, "El Dorado" examines the notions of political entitlement and the modern challenges for the UK, "The Leavers" examines the impact of a transient life on the road for those constantly waving goodbye.

The job is simple, says Hogarth: "We use the amazing privilege of having both a platform and an audience to encourage people to look in the mirror and ask themselves the big questions - by doing just that ourselves."

Buoyed by the feeling that on FEAR they have very much nailed both the music and the lyrics, Marillion are looking forward to touring the new material. The focus has been on bottling that lightning that typifies the creative process, staying away from the safety zone and getting it right.

As Hogarth says, "We don't know how many more albums we'll make, or how long we'll live.  Everything has to be the best it can be."

With the final tinkering and finessing done, with FEAR, Marillion show that they are as vital and potent as ever. Peerless and, yes, fearless…

Tour dates:

June
17 - Zürich, Switzerland - Rock The Ring (Supporting Queen)
19 - London, England - Stone Free Festival, The O2 Arena
 
July
2 - Madrid, Spain- Noches del Botanico
14 - München, Germany - Muffathalle
15 - Erfurt, Germany - Gewerkschaftshaus
16 - Wertheim, Germany - Burg Wertheim
18 - Stuttgart, Germany - LKA-Longhorn
19 - Berlin, Germany - Huxleys Neue Welt
20 - Fulda, Germany - Universitätsplatz (Supporting Deep Purple)
25 - Slupsk, Poland - Dolina Charlotty X Festival

August
5 - Schwetzingen, Germany - Open Air im Park (Supporting Foreigner)
6 - Nürnberg, Germany - Lieder am See (Supporting Manfred Mann + Foreigner)
8 - Cologne, Germany - Theater am Tanzbrunnen (Supporting Foreigner)
9 - Pilsen, Czech Republic - Depo
11 - Schaffhausen, Switzerland - Stars in Town Festival (Supporting Status Quo)

September
10 - Verona, Italy - Teatro Romano di Verona

October
21 - San Francisco, CA - The Regency Ballroom
22 - Beverly Hills, CA - Saban Theater
25 - Denver, CO - Paramount Theatre
27 - Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre
28 - Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre
29 - Northfield, OH - Hard Rock Live
31 - Toronto, ON - Danforth Music Hall

November
1 - Montreal, QC - Virgin Mobile Corona Theatre
2 - Québec City, QC - L'Impérial Bell
4 - Boston, MA - Royale Boston
5 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
6 - Philadelphia, PA - Keswick Theatre
8 - New York, NY - PlayStation Theater
27 - Aylesbury, UK - Friars Waterside
28 - Manchester, UK - Manchester Academy
30 - Glasgow, UK - O2 ABC Glasgow

December
1 - Leeds, UK - Becket Student Union Leeds
3 - Cardiff, UK - The Tramshead
4 - London, UK - O2 Forum
6 - Utrecht, Netherlands - MusicCentrum
7 - Utrecht, Netherlands - MusicCentrum
9 - Lille, France - L’Aeronef
10 - Paris, France - Elysee Montmartre
11 - Lyon, France - Radiant-Bellevue