There are numerous bands with the name Marathon: 1. Marathon was a melodic punk band from various parts of upstate New York, formed from the ashes of bands such as Standfast, De La Hoya, and Building On Fire. They toured the US and won fans with their sincere political lyrics and catchy melodies. In May of 2006 Marathon played their final two shows in New Brunswick, NJ and Syracuse, NY. Members of Marathon continue to write music and tour the world in bands like Attica! Attica! and Polar Bear Club.
1. Marathon was a melodic punk band from various parts of upstate New York, formed from the ashes of bands such as Standfast, De La Hoya, and Building On Fire. They toured the US and won fans with their sincere political lyrics and catchy melodies.
In May of 2006 Marathon played their final two shows in New Brunswick, NJ and Syracuse, NY. Members of Marathon continue to write music and tour the world in bands like Attica! Attica! and Polar Bear Club.
2. Marathon is a band from Brisbane, Australia. They play a mixture of '90s influenced metal/hardcore, abrasive noise-rock (Albini, Denison, etc) and modern American and Canadian crust.
3. Marathon is an indie rock band from South East England. They released their debut single "300 Miles" in March 2010.
4. Marathon is a Dutch neo-prog band that was formed in Enschede in the early 90's. They recorded two albums and then followed up with a live CD just before continuing their musical journey as ENorm. They recently started their ENorm?s Marathon Revival playing songs from the Marathon era.
As far as influences go, SAGA definitely comes to mind; add a few touches of RUSH for the muscle and some AOR-like ballads ? la WINGS OF STEEL, and you'll have a good idea of what they sound like.
Guitarist Ronald 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 ? la Steve Rothery. On the band's second album, "Norm", the SAGA influence is somewhat less obvious. Although it still includes its fair share of hard tracks, it is overall more reflective, leaning closer in style to art rockers FOR ABSENT FRIENDS. It still features some good interplay between keyboards and wailing guitars. 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. The live album offers a good selection from the two studio albums.
Recommended to fans of MARILLION, RUSH, SAGA, FOR ABSENT FRIENDS, EGDON HEATH, in fact to anyone with an ear for melodic rock with progressive undertones.
Line up
Eric ten Bos - lead and backing vocals
Ronald ten Bos - guitar
Tony ten Wolde - keyboards
Willem van der Horst - drums and percussion (1st album)
Ferry Bult - drums and percussion (2nd album)
Jacques Suurmond - bass and pedals
The First Run (1994)
1. Beyond the Veil
2. Man in the Mirror
3. The Seventh Dimension
4. Medicine Man
5. I'll Be There
6. Open Field
7. Voices
8. Patterns of the Landscape
9. Red Ride
10. A Wall
Norm (1996)
1. Ozone Layer
2. Heart of Another One
3. Norm
4. The Beauty of Silence
5. Casanovas
6. Somewhere
7. Crime (He Didn't Commit)
8. Magic of Music
Live (1999)
Beyond the Veil
Man in the Mirror
The Seventh Dimension
Medicine Man
I'll Be There
Open Field
Voices
Patterns of the Landscape
Red Ride
A Wall