Left

In 1994, no one could accuse Athan Maroulis of being idle. Although he had moved to Los Angeles and become the lead singer of Spahn Ranch, Maroulis was still singing lead for the Philadelphia-based Tubalcain — and the fact that the two bands were based on opposite sides of the United States (about 2,900 miles apart) was a real challenge. Recorded in Philly in 1994, Tubalcain's six-song EP, Left, came at a time when Maroulis was doing a lot of bi-coastal commuting between his new home (L.A.) and his former home (Philly). Frequent commutes between the East Coast and West Coast can be exhausting, but Maroulis certainly doesn't sound exhausted on this EP; in fact, he is as inspired on dark originals like "Carbon Black" and "Pull" as he is on an intriguing cover of David Bowie's "Andy Warhol" (which lends itself quite nicely to an industrial/goth makeover). Listening to Maroulis' performances on Left, it is obvious that he still took Tubalcain seriously — moving to L.A. and joining Spahn Ranch had not taken away his enthusiasm for Tubalcain. But there are only 24 hours in a day, and by the end of 1994, Maroulis and the other members of Tubalcain had made a tough decision: they were going their separate ways (although Maroulis and drummer Harry Lewis were subsequently reunited when the latter also moved to L.A. and joined Spahn Ranch). 25 Assorted Needles, Tubalcain's first album, is the band's most essential release, but Left is a strong follow-up — and it was a respectable way to end the band's brief recording career.