LANDMARQ: Origins (PROGRESSIVE ROCK): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

To celebrate its almost 25 years of existence, Landmarq is publishing a double retrospective in 2014, retracing its career marked by the presence at its head of two singers as charismatic as they are remarkable, having proven themselves in numerous progressive projects before or after their passage in what is a leading group of the neo-progressive movement.

Damian Wilson, Landmarq's original frontman, thus sees his performances from the band's first three albums summarized in nine carefully chosen tracks, with the epic Ta Jiang and The Vision Pit's flagship track, the punchy Narovlya, at the top. Of neo-progressive obedience, the tracks coming from this first period of the band's career are rich in twists and turns, in a rather direct form, skilfully mixing heady melodies and syncopated rhythmics, the whole punctuated with flamboyant guitar soli, evoking the best of their glorious elders of Twelfth Night. The progression through the set list shows the incredible vocal abilities of the man who was once expected to be a part of Iron Maiden!

In contrast to his male alter ego, Tracy Hitchings first rolled his hump around the four corners of the progressive sphere by collaborating notably with Clive Nolan. Her arrival at Landmarq led the band to develop its symphonic aspect even more, with keyboards taking up more and more space, without however relegating Uwe D'Rose's magic guitar to the sidelines. The compositions thus take more space, the punchy female voice of the "Queen of Prog" adapting perfectly to the tracks once worn by Damian Wilson, and that we find here live (Tailspin, After I Died Somewhere), extracts of the 2 albums released during the band's long studio break (Thunderstruck and Aftershock). To complete this album dedicated to beauty, we'll find four tracks from Science of Coincidence (two live and two in studio), as well as two others from the latest album. And to crown this real best-of, nothing better than a last unreleased track, Origins, specially recorded for the occasion, and whose 11 minutes prolong the adventure like a hyphen drawn between a majestic past and a promising future.

If the interest of such a best-of remains limited for the familiar listener of the band, it remains an excellent entry point for those who would like to discover a band with an assertive personality, evolving in a neo-progressive universe, where it is not always easy to stand out from the competition. Rarely solicited for awards and highlights of all kinds, Landmarq proves, if need be, that they are indeed part of the bands evolving in the first progressive division, this collection of tracks sweeping his entire career being rich in elements that will make any follower of the genre shiver with happiness. We're asking for more! - Official website

LANDMARQ

ORIGINS

GLASS ONYON

PROGRESSIVE ROCK