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I don’t listen to many EPs; I prefer albums because they are longer and tend to explore a set theme or idea until the end of the album. However, because one of my most played albums this year is an EP, I decided to look into some other EPs that caught my attention. This brings me to Sorrow Lands, from a band called Marek.
Reap me of my soul
Burn me and walk away
I am meaningless to all of this
I am nothingness in your eyes
Marek is a new band, but Sorrow Lands tells me that this band wants to set roots down before they decide to do anything else. The minute Sorrow Lands begins, emotion hits you like a ton of bricks—it’s heavy and incredibly psychological, as if there are demons that need to be exorcised. The music reflects this, echoing the sentiments expressed on the album. Sorrow Lands talks about suicide and how he has a dialogue with himself regarding his current state of mind. It seems he has nothing left to lose if he decides to sink into his depression and his sadness; if he sinks into it, then he has everything he needs in order to end his life. However, towards the end of the album, he finds the will to live again, and decides to conquer his inner demons and rebuild his mind temple.
The music seems to shift from complete sadness to a sense of hope – for the most part, the music is dark and heavy. It’s chaotic, but there is a melody underneath the chaos that resonates with the listener. Gradually, the music begins to shift from the depressive tonalities to something livelier, evidenced by the instrumental track “Sorrow Lands”. Throughout the album, the heavy guitars seem to assault you with every note, showing the depth of emotional turmoil the speaker goes through. This comes to a head with “Sorrow Lands” and the final track, “The Second Temple: Mind”. The quiet strains of “Sorrow Lands” shows the beginning of catharsis; it lets the listener relax before returning to “The Second Temple: Mind”, which is livelier than the rest of the album. There are small touches of shoegaze of the track, giving it a certain warmth that had been lacking. This ends the album on a hopeful note, and you end up hoping that the speaker finds some sort of inner peace.
Now, there are some things that could do some work. While the production is of good quality, and the musicians clearly know what they are doing, cohesiveness in some of the ideas and themes might make things cleaner. It’s easy to lose track of your place when you are listening to the album, which doesn’t make a good first impression. However, patience is paid off when the album gets to “The Second Temple: Mind”; the tonalities and emotion in that song are clearly needed after the onslaught of anguish Sorrow Lands conveys.
This is clearly a good first effort for a band barely setting its roots. As a listener, I can only hope that the band continues to improve with time. I am excited to see where the band’s potential can go; perhaps another EP or a full-length album can help explore those venues.
