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THE GHOST YOU GAVE TO ME

3

Crossover Prog


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3 The Ghost You Gave to Me album cover
3.45 | 60 ratings | 3 reviews | 14% 5 stars

Good, but non-essential

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Studio Album, released in 2011

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Sirenum Scopuli (1:10)
2. React (4:12)
3. Sparrow (4:04)
4. High Times (4:38)
5. Numbers (4:39)
6. One with the Sun (6:09)
7. The Ghost You Gave to Me (3:57)
8. Pretty (4:51)
9. Afterglow (4:11)
10. Its Alive (3:51)
11. Only Child (7:18)
12. The Barrier (5:27)

Total Time 54:27

Line-up / Musicians

- Joey Eppard / acoustic & electric guitars, vocals, string arrangements, producer
- Billy Riker / guitar
- Daniel Grimsland / bass, backing vocals
- Chris Gartmann / drums & percussion

Releases information

Artwork: Colin Marks

CD Metal Blade Records ‎- 3984-15045-2 (2011, US)

Digital album

Thanks to yam yam for the addition
and to projeKct for the last updates
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3 The Ghost You Gave to Me ratings distribution


3.45
(60 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(14%)
14%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(46%)
46%
Good, but non-essential (32%)
32%
Collectors/fans only (8%)
8%
Poor. Only for completionists (0%)
0%

3 The Ghost You Gave to Me reviews


Showing all collaborators reviews and last reviews preview | Show all reviews/ratings

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by Conor Fynes
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars 'The Ghost You Gave To Me' - Three (7/10)

I have been enamoured with the band Three (or '3') ever since I saw them several years back opening for the immortal Dream Theater. Even though very few in the audience had ever heard of this US act before, it would be difficult to pinpoint someone who wasn't blown away by their performance. Highlighted by the unsurpassed acoustic guitar talents of frontman Joey Eppard, the band was tight and powerful, and my introduction to Three was met with a shortness of breath. Although a recording of old songs has some out since that concert and the big album they were touring for, 'The Ghost You Gave To Me' is the legitimate follow up to 'The End Is Begun'. Back is the powerful songwriting and dynamic presentation that first attracted me to the band, and I have no problem saying that Three have released another fine record. 'The Ghost You Gave To Me' may have even stood a chance to become the band's defining record, were it not for a few less-than-glorious changes that the band has made to their sound.

Three deserve their labeling as progressive rock, but they take a distinctly modern approach, skirting away from many of the conventions that has dragged down the prog 'genre' as of late. The songwriting is generally concise and melodic, and typically relies more on melodic hooks, rather than ten minute solos and the like. 'The Ghost You Gave To Me' is an eleven song set of Three's recognizable writing. With a sound that keeps in touch with current rock trends, Three juice up the music with dramatic flair and feeling. Much like 'The End Is Begun' and albums prior, Three delivers a powerful package despite hovering within a four-minute song format. All the same, the progressive quality comes in through the way the band performs these songs. One of the defining qualities of Three- and the reason I liked them so much to begin with- was the unique use of acoustic guitar in the music. Despite being dramatic rock music, the acoustic guitar work of Joey Eppard was rarely not at the forefront of the action, and for good reason too. The man is a genius with a six-string, and it was always amazing to hear the man pluck away with such complexity. While the songwriting and more rock-oriented aspects of Three are in full force here, the acoustics seem to be something that the band have skirted away from. The intro 'Sirenum Scopuli' is a tease, basking in acoustic glory, and the first 'real' song 'React' makes use of the acoustic guitar in much the same way that they did on the previous album. Throughout the rest of the album though, there is a clear sense that my favourite aspect of the band has become less of a factor in their music.

Instead of the acoustics, I actually feel that Three are beginning to tread into metal territory. This has been a band that has historically attracted the metalhead crowd, but until now, I never thought that they really incorporated metal into their music. Mind you, we still aren't treading into anything particularly extreme with 'The Ghost You Gave To Me', but parts of these songs do tend to crank up the guitars to the point where they would not sound out of place on a modern progressive metal album. To an extent, this tends to work well with this batch of songs. Most of the material that 'The Ghost You Gave To Me' offers is upbeat and energetic. Although his acoustic duties are somewhat subdued this time around, Joey Eppard's voice is taking even more of a forefront in the band's sound this time around, and while his higher register voice may not appeal to everyone in the progressive rock, or metal communities, he has an incredibly skilled voice. His heavy use of ad-libbing would put many a soul warbler to shame.

While I hate the use of paradoxes when attempting to explain something, Three indeed offers more of the same with 'The Ghost You Gave To Me', all the while making some considerable adjustments to how they perform as an act. The more rock-oriented feel to the band this time is no failure, but does not move me in quite the same way as the acoustic- freakout glory of some of their earlier music. Some issues of taste aside, Three are still an artistically vital act.

Review by memowakeman
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
3 stars Nice modern prog!

There are some bands whose sound may be easily linked with both, progressive and alternative rock, giving as a result music that might also be loved by the fans of those two genres; I believe it happens with 3 (Three), a USA band whose new album entitled "The Ghost You Gave To Me" has just been released through Metal Blade Records; an album that consists on twelve songs that together make a total time of 52 minutes. It opens with "Sirenum Scopuli", a one-minute introductory track with a mellow sound, acoustic guitar and vocals. It leads to "React" which is a song I fell in love since the first time I listened to it. The voice caught my attention and now I can say I like it a lot, the guitar sound is great (acoustic and electric), and I also like the effects, don't really know if made by synthesizers, but they put great atmospheres. The song may be catchy and easy to sing, I truly enjoy doing so.

"Sparrow" starts heavier (without being metal) and later slows down. I started saying that their sound may appeal to prog and alt rock fans, but I believe some metal fans could also like the band and this album, and this song is a nice example due to its variation in moods and styles. "High Times" connects nice guitar figures with a great voice (I once again highlight the effects). The structure is very good, the drummer plays his instrument really well, creating several sounds and exploding the drums at its best. Though I don't think it would be their goal, I would easily put this track as a radio-hit.

"Numbers" has some kind of suspense feeling at the beginning, but it later explodes and becomes heavier. The structure is repeated until minute two where a moment with short guitar riffs appear, but later the chorus returns. However, the last minutes are the best part of the song, due to the increased intensity and the powerful feeling they implement. "One with the Sun" is one of the longest track here, and it is mellower, softer than the previous ones. Here the composition is really good, well-crafted and intelligently arranged, a clear example of the great compositional skill of the band, though I admit this is by no means my favorite track.

"The Ghost You Gave To Me" has dynamism in its structure, with that cool sound prog-alt- metal that predominates in 3's music. Here what I like the most are the voices, and the guitar work. "Pretty" seems to be a heavier track but it actually slows down really soon and maintains a mid-tempo rhythm with some pauses, though in the chorus it is faster (and really catchy).

"Afterglow" is my least favorite track of the album, I don't really like it. Don't really know how to explain it, but I feel this particular song may be loved by the simplest kid on the block, due to its over-catchy sound and those friendly rhythms, though in the last minutes the drummer makes a good work. "It's Alive" is a much better song in every sense: compositional, executional, emotional, etc. I love the changes in rhythm and mood and how it is calm and all of a sudden it explodes.

"Only Child" is the longest track here and without a doubt one of their finest compositions. Since the first seconds we can notice the complexity of the strings and the accompaniment of drums and voice. It is a charming track in the first two minutes and a half, because it later changes and puts a darker atmosphere which will not abandon the song until the very end. The ambient is tense and in moments baffling; the song becomes even more ambitious just before the fourth minute, the musicianship is great and the faster rhythms wonderful; the addition of keyboards is also great. This song is worth the whole album, it is impressive.

And the album finishes with "The Barrier" which is a much calmer track that contrasts with the explosion of the previous one; in this song there is a mellow sound that announces the end, so it seems the band is saying goodbye.

The album is good without a doubt, with its highs and lows, but solid after all, however their style is not really my main attraction, and it evidently is not a masterpiece, so my final grade will be three (pun intended) stars.

Enjoy it!

Latest members reviews

2 stars I got this album in a spontaneous move, and as it was fairly cheap, I am not annoyed that I was so disappointed. There is not much to offer here in the way of progressive metal, more alternative, semi-metal "Foo-Fighters"-esque indie-pop. The album has some good material, but I just think the ... (read more)

Report this review (#914637) | Posted by The Mystical | Saturday, February 16, 2013 | Review Permanlink

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