Marching Mind: The Sickness and the Theory

I am always amazed at the number of variations any one band can bring to an already eclectic range of musical styles. Take, for instance, Marching Mind, a band out of Vancouver, BC, that sometimes describes its sound as "grog," or "grunge-prog." Ultimately, these titles are quite useless, but they point to the difficulty of giving labels to all the kinds of music available to listeners these days. Marching Mind certainly has a sound all their own, but there remains something deeply familiar about the chord progressions, the changes in meter, tempo, and overall style. Listeners have heard this kind of music before, but never with this exact combination of sounds and styles. As I listened, I struggled to come up with any one idea that captures exactly what I think Marching Mind is doing. Here's what I came up with--progressive concept music. The Sickness and the Theory has the feel of a concept album, one that hopes to explore a range of human emotions, but that doesn't completely have its story straight. Don't get me wrong--I know this isn't a concept album, but it sure sounds like one. The music on The Sickness and the Theory is generally good. It favors upbeat sounds and motifs, clean vocals, bright guitar chords, and major melodies. I don't know what Marching Mind is trying to say lyrically, but the song titles strike a sense of mysticism, perhaps another reason why I am thinking of this album as speaking to a larger thematic concept. For listeners new to this band, I'd recommend tracks like "Vertigo of Silence" and "Steps of Avaran," and "Astral Transmission" since they bring out a great deal of this band's more progressive elements. My favorite track, "Locust Enigma," had, in my opinion, the hardest rock edge. I loved the crunching guitar parts and how they complimented the opening piano melody.

My main criticism of the album is that, despite the band's eclectic range of approaches, there is a paucity of overall texture and range here. This is a mash-up of progressive rock and grunge. I don't think this band has quite found a voice that sets them apart from other bands. Yes, they blend a variety of sounds, but it doesn't always add up to a sound that will make listeners recognize Marching Mind quickly enough. These guys are clearly very talented but I think that more albums will finally give them a sound to call their own. In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy listening to the heavy guitar riffs on "Locust Enigma."

Track Listing:
1. Conception
2. Vertigo of Silence
3. Reactivation
4. Borne Upon Tears
5. Steps of Avaran
6. Astral Transmission
7. Locust Enigma
8. Surge Subterra
9. Convergence

Added: May 8th 2012
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Band Myspace Page
Hits: 2884
Language: english

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