MARK 1 - ABSOLUTE ZERO - 2001

Hailing from Gloucester, Masachussets, this trio of young musicians have been playing as a band since 1997 and together have managed to create music which has its roots firmly embedded in their seventies influences. However, at the same time the group have managed to incorporate within their musical structure a modern element, giving their music a fresh and new sound.

The group are Kyle Jones (lead voice, Yamaha SY85, ARP Pro Soloist, bass), Chris Molinski (drums, percussion, programming, voices) and Robert Difazio (electric guitar, voices). All linked by a love for Steely Dan, the three also had their diverse musical tastes ranging from The Police to Led Zeppelin. However the album that sparked off their musical creativity was Selling England By the Pound (Genesis) which in turn led the band to further explore their musical dimensions as well as to create themes revolving around their music. On Absolute Zero the band talk of everyman's struggle against an oppressive, mechanized society.

The album opens with Through The Looking Glass and the impressive nature of this album is immediately apparent. An extremely tight number, the Genesis touch is felt both in the use and manipulation of the vocals as well as in the keyboard licks, though I should also mention that the vocals have a similarity to Peter Hammill. During the guitar solo there is a cue taken from The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway (Genesis) (the bass and drum section) and this is something that the group often revert to, with great effect.

Again And Again has a Steely Dan touch with its laid back seventies jazz-funk feel. Here one must mention that the mastering on the album was done by none other than Roger Nichols, known for his work with Steely Dan, Frank Zappa and Crosby, Stills & Nash. His work with such luminaries from the seventies must have been great to the band and his input must have complemented the band's feel and love for that musical genre.

Oscar The Office Supply Thief shows that the band do not only take their cues from the bigger and more propgressive bands of the sevenmties. The various styles also seem to have rubbed off on the band with a jazz-funk rhythm permeating through, while Exodus has a more dramatic feel to it as Difazio creates some lovely guitar licks.

The Mind Eraser starts off with a Genesis-like introduction, though its eventual development has cues taken more from the Steve Hackett of late (ie Darktown) with use of an industrial electronic sound to the music. I must admit that Jones' voice started to get to me slightly by this partry of the album as it seems to be limited in its range and sounds constantly strained. Ultramodern Blues has the band slowing down the beat considerably to another piece of electronic-based music which has the main musical brunt born by the keyboards.

Easy Way Out reminded me of the work that Peter Hammill has been producing lately, one of progressive rock's most underrated vocalists and composers. On the other hand, Showdown comes as a contrast to most of what the album has offered so far. This is because the music seems to more accessible and straight forward, almost too commercial sounding for Mark 1. This time round the music seems to be a nod in the neo-progressive direction and could pass as a demo vrsion of an early Marillion or IQ track. The reason why I say that the track could be a demo is because Mark 1 tend to rather minimalistic in their approach and cut out the frills from their music presenting just the bare minimum as regards instrumentation and structure. This track then progresses into Identity Crisis which once again a nod in the direction in the classical progressive rock direction with a rhythm that reminded me of Robbery, Assault And Battery (Genesis). The album comes to a close with Meltdown, a lengthy instrumental, once again heavily based on keyboards.

With a nod in the direction of The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, with regards to the storyline, Absolute Zero is an impressive debut, made even more so when one considers the fact that the group are still in their teens. After listening to this album, it seems that the future for this band should be bright as they mature both in age and musically. Ultramodern Rock or Nu-Prog seems to be here to stay and Mark 1 are at the forefront of this movement

Conclusion: 7 out of 10.
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