Dutch neo-prog band Marathon (not to be confused with Italian and German bands with the same name) were formed in Enschede in the early 90's. They recorded two albums and then followed up with a live CD just before breaking up. As far as influences go, Saga definitely comes to mind; add a few touches of Rush for the muscle and some AOR-like ballads à la Wings Of Steel, and you'll have a good idea of what they sound like. Guitarist Erik Ten Bos clearly dominates the first album with his Ian Crichton-like power chords, ringing arpeggios and jerky riffs; on slow numbers, he can get pretty emotional with some melodic solos à la Steve Rothery. As for compositional contents, both albums are a little uneven but still make for an enjoyable ride overall. Impeccable production (lush, polished, pristine sound), good vocals and choruses as well as solid musicianship.
Mark Kelly is a resourceful fellow. Marillion’s keyboardist was, amongst other things, the main architect behind his band’s ground-breaking crowd-funding music business model, introduced many years ago. Kelly has shown no less innovation in his own music with the side project Marathon. The group’s debut album, titled ‘Mark Kelly’s Marathon’, has been thirty years in the making for Kelly, and was announced during September’s Marillion Couch Convention (the 2020 Lockdown version of the Marillion Weekend.)
Appearing with Kelly are performers Oliver Smith (vocals), Pete Wood (guitar,) John Cordy (guitar), Henry Rogers (drums) and Kelly’s nephew Conal Kelly on bass. Marillion bandmate Steve Rothery also appears on one song…
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