"[1] Such erroneous attempts to label the band did not hold true and reflect the consistent efforts of Australia's mainstream 'rock' journalists to put down artists they did not understand.
In so far as it is relevant, style wise TMOC were a fusion of Joy Division and Killing Joke, with chorus laced guitar chords played over heavy driving bass and drum rythms in which influence of avant guard bands like Suicide and the'post punk' of Big Black and the Jesus Lizard can be heard.
The likes of Big Black, Shellac, Helmet, the Jesus Lizard and Rollins Band were gaining fans in Australia.
Guest programmers on ABC's Rage like Henry Rollins, Lydia Lunch and Sepultura played the 'Battlesick' music video.
2022 saw 'A Different Kind Of Tension Tour' announced, kicking off in August with the band playing two shows in their hometown of Adelaide on the back of the band's induction into the South Australian Music Association’s Hall of Fame,[3] sitting alongside other legends including No Fixed Address, Cold Chisel, The Angels, Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter and the Masters Apprentices.
The band also played dates in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and finishing the tour on the Gold Coast and Brisbane in September.
The Mark of Cain were formed as a punk rock group in Adelaide in mid-1984 by Rod Archer on lead vocals; Gavin Atchison on drums (ex-Spiral Collapse); John Scott on lead guitar (ex-Spiral Collapse) and his younger brother Kim Scott on bass guitar.
[1] John had read Demian, which featured " a loner who thought his dark feelings were there for anyone to see as he walked down the street – the Mark of Cain.
[1][5] They replaced Archison with a succession of drummers: David Graham, Roger Crisp, John Rickert, Neil Guive and then Campbell Robinson by late 1988.
[6] They covered two tracks by former Phantom groups, "Journey by Sledge" (the Visitors) and "Seein' Double" (Shy Impostors) for a gig give-away album, Assorted Desecrations and Magnificent Mutations, in October, by various artists, to celebrate the label's tenth anniversary.
"[9] Ox Fanzine's Joachim Hiller opined that it "combined gloomy early eighties sounds with brachial, bass-heavy Noiserock.
The lyrics suggest a love song of sorts, yet this is no sappy Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young 'Judy Blue Eyes' folkie-lust.
"[9] Emery opined that the group's "style has been interpreted as misogynist, arrogant, aloof and even just too bloody loud, but its potency has never been questioned, nor the Scott brothers' commitment to duty.
[11] The Scott brothers, each took sabbaticals from the band during 1990 (John) and 1991 (Kim) to undertake a "work-related project", including travelling to Chicago.
[1] The EP was the recording debut for Robinson's replacement, Aaron Hewson (ex-Order of Decay, Grunter), who had joined on drums, after the release of their second album, The Unclaimed Prize.
[12] Early in 1994 the group performed on the Big Day Out tour and followed, in February, with a non-album single, "Tell Me", on the Insipid Vinyl label.
[14] It gained wide radio support for the group with national youth broadcaster, Triple J, providing their singles, "First Time" and "LMA" with substantial airplay.
Verging very close to a ballad, 'LMA' displays all the trademark MOC stop/start syncopation at a much reduced tempo, showing that beneath the hard and tough engineering bloke exteriors they have sentimental sides.
In December 1996 the Mark of Cain released, Rock and Roll, a compilation album of remixes of the group's earlier material.
"[19] Jasper Lee of Oz Music Project opined that "[it] sees a more refined anger that is shown in particular by the drumming prowess of new drummer [Stanier], which adds to the intense vocals of John Scott... the sound on this album is clear and crisp, bringing down the line all the bile and angry bits to be expected of the band with many a reeling, robust audio left hook that blasts the listener through the speakers.
The Mark of Cain, with Stanier aboard, commenced recording a new album, Songs of the Third and Fifth at Broadcast Studios (Adelaide, Australia) in February 2008,[4] with engineer Evan James.
A second single, "Heart of Stone", was released in September 2012 and finally the long-awaited album, Songs of the Third and Fifth, appeared on 2 December of that year, through Fuse/Feel Presents, earning favourable reviews.
[3] The Mark Of Cain in 2023 announced they are a proud addition to the brand new Off The Rails one-day mini-fests in NSW in October and would be joining Amyl & The Sniffers and other bands.
In 2024 the band continues playing the remaining shows of the 'Ill At Ease' live tour in January and headline the 'Nice Day To Go To The Club' festival in South Australia on 24 February.