“Strange Land are a three piece who certainly like to make a lot of noise with their cerebral progressive rock/metal ... well, I said noise? Yes, but I meant it in a good way, as the Wisconsin-based band pays a lot of attention also to melody, not only to the complexity of guitar riffs.” - Igor Italiani, progressiveworld.net
As with many original bands the sound of Strange Land is difficult to describe. In the most generic sense the band falls into the progressive rock/metal category, along with such bands as Fates Warning, Queensryche, Savatage, Rush, Zero Hour, Pain of Salvation, and Galactic Cowboys. Strange Land, however, prefers not to wear its influences on its sleeve. Rather, the members blend all of their past musical experiences and outside musical influences into one unique musical vision. Each member of Strange Land takes an equal part in the writing and arranging of its music, and the project continues to evolve through changes in membership, making Strange Land as much a living idea as it is a band.
Strange Land was established in November of 1998 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Within the first six months of its existence, the band had written and arranged eleven original songs. Gabor Kleinbloesem of Strutter Magazine said of the Foundation demo: "Some more of these catchy and progressive tunes and this Strange Land may be counted as one of the latest sensations from the USA." The band self-released its first full-length album Anomaly, which included 12 tracks and almost 70 minutes of material. The album was recorded in the fall of 2001. In 2002 the band put the final touches on a 4 song demo of brand new material which was well received by fans at the 2002 Prog Power USA festival. The band finished its second full-length album entitled Blaming Season in late 2004, which has been well received by fans and critics alike since its release. Catharsis was released in the summer of 2009. This is an indie release but has sold well through word of mouth and to the Strange Land faithful. Besides the United States, Strange Land music has been enjoyed by fans in Canada, England, France, Spain, Germany, Japan, Brazil and other countries around the world. Strange Land receives regular airplay on stations such as Progulus Radio, WMSE, and to their delight, received airplay on Iron Maiden front man Bruce Dickinson's internet radio show.
Strange Land has opened for national acts like King's X, Tiles, Discipline, Gary Hoey, former Marillion front man Fish, Three, shredder Joe Stump, fusion supergroup McGill/Manring/Stevens, and Event. The band was a finalist in the 2005 Emergenza festival, among the top 14 acts out of a field of 200+ bands drawn from Milwaukee to perform in that year's international competition. Strange Land regularly played progressive music festivals and clubs in the Milwaukee area, as well as Detroit and Chicago from 1998-2010.
In the summer of 2010, member Sean Gill decided a change of pace was needed and moved to Denver, Colorado. The band made plans to continue working long distance. In late 2010 Strange Land founding member Chad Novell left the band to pursue other interests. Brad and Sean decided to work as a studio duo. Free of the constraints of what could be reproduced live, the now-duo embraced the possibilities of pushing the limits of their musicality. They began releasing singles in late 2012, leading up to a new album, Δ-v in 2014.
Instrumentation
Sean T. Gill - Guitar/Bass/Vocals/Keys and Programming
Brad Klotz - Drums/Vocals/Winds and Brasses
Primary Discography
Anomaly (2001)
Blaming Season (2005)
Catharsis (2009)
∆-v (2014)
Marionette
Strange Land Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I feel powerless
To cut myself down
Always so willing
To blindly trust
Those who would mislead me
Gave it all away
They played me for the fool
As I danced for them all
They watched and they waited as I
Trusted with my life
I will cherish nothing
And regret all
Of what we once were
Abused and exhausted
And afraid to reach out
To anyone ever again
So now I creep back
To my charmed and
Simple little life
They played me for the fool
As I danced for them all
They watched and they waited as I
Trusted with my life
Soaked in the sorrow
Of the reality
That I no longer care
And I, I can't believe
That after all this time
I still haven't learned
Gave it all away
Gave it all away
They played me for the fool
As I danced for them all
They watched and they waited as I
Trusted with my life
Will I ever learn
Talk all you want
You only feigned interest
Why are you still talking to me?
The song "Marionette" by Strange Land delves into themes of powerlessness, betrayal and the feeling of being used by others. The lyrics describe the singer as a puppet, whose strings are being pulled by "insane people", leaving them feeling helpless and unable to cut themselves free. The feeling of powerlessness is further emphasized by the singer being "always so willing to blindly trust those who would mislead me". The chorus of the song highlights the sense of being played for a fool by those who the singer had trusted with their life.
The lyrics suggest that the singer had given their all to someone or something, only to have it taken advantage of, leaving them feeling abused and exhausted. The singer is now afraid to reach out to anyone ever again, preferring instead to return to a "charmed and simple little life". The chorus is repeated, with the singer expressing their soaked sorrow in the reality of the situation, that they no longer care, and cannot believe that they still haven't learned, with the line "will I ever learn?" being a recurring theme of the song. The final verse of "Marionette" seems to address the singer's perceived lack of value and their disbelief in why someone would still talk to them despite their worthlessness.
Overall, "Marionette" is a song that speaks to anyone who has felt powerless, used, or taken advantage of. It emphasizes the need to be cautious of who we trust and the consequences of blindly following those who may not have our best interests in mind.
Line by Line Meaning
Insane people pull my strings
I am being controlled by people who are not in their right mind
And I feel powerless
I am helpless and unable to resist this control
To cut myself down
To break free from this control
Always so willing
I am always eager to please and comply
To blindly trust
I trust people without questioning their intentions
Those who would mislead me
The people I trust are actually leading me astray
Gave it all away
I gave everything I had without receiving anything in return
They played me for the fool
The people I trusted took advantage of my vulnerability
As I danced for them all
I entertained them and did what they wanted me to do
They watched and they waited as I
They were patiently waiting for the right moment to exploit me
Trusted with my life
I put my complete trust in them, to the point of risking my life
I will cherish nothing
I have given up on love and affection
And regret all
I am remorseful for everything that has happened
Of what we once were
Of the time when we were truly happy and content
Abused and exhausted
I have been maltreated and worn out
And afraid to reach out
I am scared to seek help from others
To anyone ever again
I have lost faith in people and will not trust anyone again
So now I creep back
I return to my old life without drawing attention to myself
To my charmed and
To my simple and blissful life of ignorance and illusion
Simple little life
My life is small and insignificant, but it is also safe and comfortable
Soaked in the sorrow
I am overwhelmed by sadness
Of the reality
Of the truth that I can no longer ignore
That I no longer care
I have lost interest and motivation
And I, I can't believe
I am shocked and surprised
That after all this time
Despite everything that has happened
I still haven't learned
I have not gained wisdom or insight from my experiences
Talk all you want
I do not want to listen to what you have to say
You only feigned interest
You pretended to be interested, but you were not
Why are you still talking to me?
I do not want to talk to you, so please stop
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: IAN HUNTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind