The Mark of Cain
Encyclopedia
- This page is about the band from Australia; see Mark of Cain for other uses.
The Mark of Cain is a hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
/alternative metal
Alternative metal
Alternative metal is a genre of alternative rock and heavy metal that gained popularity in the early 1990s. Most notably, alternative metal bands are characterized by heavy guitar riffs and experimental approaches to heavy music.-Origins:...
band from Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. Their style has been likened to that of Helmet
Helmet (band)
Helmet is an alternative metal band from New York City formed in 1989. Founded by vocalist and lead guitarist Page Hamilton, Helmet has had numerous lineup changes, and Hamilton has been the only constant member....
and Rollins Band
Rollins Band
Rollins Band was an American rock band led by singer and songwriter Henry Rollins.They are best known for the songs "Low Self Opinion" and "Liar", which both earned heavy airplay on MTV in the early 1990s...
, yet this band predates both of those groups and was influenced by the early work of Joy Division
Joy Division
Joy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band primarily consisted of Ian Curtis , Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris .Joy Division rapidly evolved from their initial punk rock influences...
and US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
hardcore
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
. The Mark of Cain was formed in 1984 by brothers John (guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
) and Kim Scott (bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
), with Rod Archer on vocals
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
and Roger Crisp playing drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
. Before long, Archer had left the group and John Scott took on the vocal role; The Mark of Cain has remained a trio ever since. The Scotts have been the core of the band which has featured some 15 different drummers. Currently, that position is held by former Helmet member John Stanier
John Stanier (drummer)
John Stanier first came into the spotlight in 1989 as the drummer for the band Helmet. He is known for his speed, endurance, and precision as a performer....
, who is also concurrently with Tomahawk
Tomahawk (band)
Tomahawk is an experimental alternative metal/alternative rock supergroup from the United States. They formed in 2000 when Fantômas, ex-Mr. Bungle and Faith No More singer/keyboardist Mike Patton and ex-The Jesus Lizard guitar player Duane Denison started swapping tapes with the intention of...
and Battles
Battles (band)
Battles is an American experimental rock group, founded in 2002 in New York City, comprising guitarists Ian Williams and Dave Konopka , and drummer John Stanier .-Biography:...
.
History
The band's first release was a single, "The Lords of Summer" issued by Sydney label Phantom RecordsPhantom Records
Phantom Records was an Australian independent record label established by Dare Jennings Phantom Records was an Australian independent record label established by Dare Jennings Phantom Records was an Australian independent record label established by Dare Jennings (founder of Mambo (Clothing) and...
in 1988. Following this, The Mark of Cain's drummer situation became reasonably stable for some time with the addition of Campbell Robinson and the band issued two albums on Adelaide label Dominator Records, Battlesick in 1989 and The Unclaimed Prize in 1991. The band's music came to the attention of Steve Albini
Steve Albini
Steven Frank Albini is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman, and Flour, and is currently a member of Shellac...
, who produced their next release, the 1993 EP "Incoming". This was the recording debut for Robinson's replacement Aaron Hewson, who had joined the band shortly after the release of The Unclaimed Prize.
Albini's involvement with The Mark of Cain in turn led to Henry Rollins
Henry Rollins
Henry Rollins is an American singer-songwriter, spoken word artist, writer, comedian, publisher, actor, and radio DJ....
producing the band's breakthrough album, 1995's Ill at Ease
Ill at Ease (The Mark of Cain album)
Ill at Ease is the third full-length studio album by the Australian hard rock/alternative metal band The Mark of Cain. It was released in 1995 by Australian label rooArt and produced by Henry Rollins. "First Time" and "LMA" were released as singles from the album...
. The first release on Sydney alternative label rooArt, Ill at Ease was the also the first to win wide radio support, with Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
giving the singles "First Time" and "LMA" solid airplay. A national tour followed, after which Hewitt left and Campbell Robinson returned. The next year, The Mark of Cain released Rock And Roll, a collection of remixes by artists such as Paul Mac
Paul Mac
Paul Mac is a musician, producer and music remixer from Sydney, Australia. He was classically trained at Sydney's Conservatorium of Music. Paul Mac formed the bands Smash Mac Mac, Itch-e And Scratch-e, The Lab, and The Dissociatives, as well as releasing two records under his own name...
and B(if)tek
B(if)tek
Btek was an Australian electronic music duo comprising Kate Crawford and Nicole Skeltys, originally from Canberra, who released three albums between 1998 and 2003. In 1999, Btek was nominated for an ARIA as "Best Dance Release" for the track "Bedrock" which appeared on their second album 2020...
. The band also contributed some songs to the soundtrack of the Australian film Idiot Box including a cover of "Degenerate Boy" by early Australian punk band X. This was a minor hit. Robinson was replaced by Stuart Baguley in late 1998 but Stanier was mooted as a member from mid-1999. He was taken on to provide the drumming on the next album This is This which was produced by Andy Gill
Andy Gill
Andy Gill is a founding member and guitarist for the English rock group Gang of Four, considered among the most influential post-punk bands...
of Gang of Four
Gang of Four (band)
Gang of Four are an English post-punk group from Leeds. Original personnel were singer Jon King, guitarist Andy Gill, bass guitarist Dave Allen and drummer Hugo Burnham. They were fully active from 1977 to 1984, and then re-emerged twice in the 1990s with King and Gill...
, one of The Mark of Cain's early influences. This is This was released by BMG
BMG
Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann...
in 2001 with the announcement that Stainer was now the band's permanent drummer.
According to their official website, The Mark of Cain commenced recording in February 2008 at Broadcast Studios (Adelaide, Australia) with John Stanier forming material for a new album set to be released in 2011. Mixing of the new album commenced in December 2010 in Melbourne Australia with Forrester Savell.