Album Review: Marion Crane – Amphetamine E.P.

by Ora “Tre” Brasel

Album: Amphetamine
Artist: Marion Crane
Label: N/A
Release Date: July 25, 2009
On their first E.P. of six songs Marion Crane make a concrete statement of their arrival through deep and dark as hell lyrics, and a hard-driving musical landscape that fits around every word like a glove.
Four of the tracks- ‘Illegitimate,’ ‘No Exit,’ ‘The Cycle,’ and ‘Criminal’- were originally done as part of a project that Thomas Hill (vocals, guitar) created and put together himself to fully bring out the nightmare in his head, and Marion Crane is the soundtrack to that nightmare. With Jasper Judge (lead guitar), Adam Tillis (drums) and Stan Martell (bass) at his side on this E.P., they have really managed to bring the nightmare to life in every way musically possible, and unlike most nightmares this is one you truly want to have your eyes, ears and mind open to experiencing.
The two newer songs on Amphetamine, ‘Sociopath’ and ‘Adrenaline,’ are further evidence that as a band the possibilities are endless to where they can go if they keep producing tracks like the ones presented here. Each song manages to project a different, direct and vivid world into the listener’s ears with intensity or controlled fury, but at the same time still manages to keep connectivity between them.
It is hard to really say what deserves the most praise, because every element seems to have been done to near perfection. The vocals come in so many different varieties and sounds, and just when you think it sounds like another musician you are familiar with, Hill twists it in his own original way that you never see coming. On each and every track the guitar work by Hill and Judge manages to intertwine together magnificently with the rhythmic foundation of Tillis and Martell to create a synergistic effect that pushes and burns each of the songs further into the folds of your brain.
If you want a glimpse into the future of new music, especially that which leans toward the heavier side of the alternative/rock universe, then by all means you should seek out marion Crane and this E.P. out to experience yourself. The only complaint that I have whatsoever is that these six great songs make you yearn for another fix from the band. Perhaps this is why it is titled Amphetamine.