THREE

What I find fascinating about this album is the incredibly misleading album art. I expected something more along the lines of melodic death-metal, but instead I was greeted with poppy "Foo Fighters" garage metal. I expect that many people may like this album though, and it should appeal to other young prog fans.

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!

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.

"The Word Is Born Of Flame" opens with intricate guitar and laid back vocals but it does become fuller at 2 minutes. "The End Is Begun" is a catchy mid-paced song and we get a guitar solo after 2 1/2 minutes. "Battle Cry" has some good contrasts throughout between the lighter and heavier sections. "All That Remains" is a fairly straightup number.The guitar cries out before 3 1/2 minutes. "My Divided Falling" is a good one. It's intense and heavier but then it settles when the vocals arrive as contrasts continue.

"Serpents In Disguise" puts the focus on the drums and vocals. "Been To The Future" is laid back while "Bleeding Me Home" just doesn't do anything for me. That changes with "Live Entertainment" one of the best songs on here. A heavier rhythm and it's quite catchy. "Diamond In The Crush" has a good chorus. "Shadow Play" is mostly acoustic guitar and reserved vocals until it picks up after 1 1/2 minutes. It does settle back as contrasts continue. "These Iron Bones" is a good song with a heavy rhythm. "The Last Day" is a lighter song at first that gets more intense.

I think I need to re-visit "Wake Pig" to see if it is that much better than this one. No more than 3 stars for me on this one.

Hailing from New York state, the progressive rock band enigmatically titled Three came to many a proghead's attention when they were chosen to tour with prog metal heavyweights Dream Theater and Opeth as the opening act. Around this time, Three also put out 'The End Is Begun', which has since gone on to be widely considered a masterpiece of progressive rock. As part of the lucky crowd to see the band perform live with Dream Theater, I was absolutely blown away by the band's chemistry and energy, to the point where they came close to stealing the show altogether.

With a fan made out of me, I was eagerly awaiting the follow-up to 'The End Is Begun', naturally expecting something along the same lines of quality. Unfortunately, it seems the band decided to cave in and instead of making new material to rival the accomplishment of their magnum opus, they decided to revisit and 'revise' old material, compiling some previously unreleased songs and releasing it as a compilation; brought on by a struggle with their record label. Unfortunately, the fact that these songs were not originally intended to go together shines through the album painfully. While many of the poppy, upbeat songs here are strong Three tracks and well-performed, 'Revisions' sports little to no sense of album flow, and a few songs that might have been better left unreleased.

This is not to say at all that the songs on 'Revisions' are bad; to the contrary, many of the tracks here would be right at home on 'The End Is Begun'. However, it should take little convincing that new material would almost always be preferred over recycling songs in the stead of new inspiration. In terms of sound, the performance and music is similar to what 'The End Is Begun' was all about, except without the same flow, epic composition and intention that made the aforementioned album so magical. For all it's worth however, a few songs here really succeed. 'Rabid Animals' (the apparent single) is among the band's greatest songs for its great hooks and energetic performance. 'The Game' is also an interesting acoustic track, despite sounding like a progressively-inclined Jason Mraz cover. Other songs, like the obvious 'Bramfatura' rip-off 'Lexicon Of Extremism' or the irritating 'Halloween' feel very much like the band is trying to relive past glories, to lesser success.

'Revisions' is worth a listen as a fan of the band, but for someone who hasn't heard Three before, it might be better sticking to the band's legitimate albums before looking into 'Revisions'. Despite feeling like a bit of a weak excuse for a real album, there are a few songs here that shine in the band's discography.

Over their 10 or so year existence, Three has incorporated quite a few musical styles in their music. Sometimes it's easy to yell crossover prog at the complex multi-faceted music. From alt rock, to pop, to prog, to metal, to hard rock, to this, to that, to something else and they do it again! Lately, however, with their latest releases, the metal has become more prevalent. The music is still highly experimental, with so much fun stuff packed into the songs its amazing some of the music sounds as good as it does. This is one of their few albums where it does sound fantastic, where as some studio albums lack that spark.

Alien Angel is that signature Three sound mixed with that signature Three metal: the perfect Three sound. Joey Eppard's pseudo-virtuoso guitar playing and great vocals, mixed with Billy Riker smashing guitar work makes this track especially special. Not only is the metal riffing a great asset, but also that funky bass work that backs it. This track is no doubt a great way to open up the album.

Funky instrumentals for the win! Where's Max is one of those odd songs that always makes onto the track listing. The track displays an obvious Les Claypool and Primus influence, with out there bass work and busy funk guitar. The track is a little sloppy with organization, with a couple transitions that are weak. Overall, however, this track is a good one, and it really leads you to ask, where the hell *is* Max?

Ah, Dregs, the best song in their set list that it's been put on three albums (yay for puns?). Superb creativity oozes out of this song like an experimental goo. Perfect transitions between varying feels and dynamics, with some one quarter cheesy and three quarters really cool lyrics. There always seems to be a point in my favorite music where I just can't describe it's excellence, and this is one of them. This song is easily one of the best on this album, keeping up a nice streak of great tracks.

Wake Pig welcomes in Three's pop influence as a friend among it's others quite easily. The metal in the music is obvious, as is that signature funk-metal-prog-pop sound. However, much of the verses has that feel that years for the radio. However, the saving grace for this is the chorus. Ripping through any music that threatens its perfection, its finger popping excellence is superb. The rhythm is the best quality, keeping those notes perfectly in sync with each other. The breakdown instrumental section is the next plus, with some creative soloing that often isn't found in their music.

Bramfatura is simply a pretentious show off solo. But trust, that is NOT a bad thing. Heck, half of the classic instrumental sections in any prog song is just that. This shows shows Joey Eppard's impressive skills with the acoustic guitar. With this song, that man could easily go up against giants like Al Di Meola or John McLaughlin.

Trust is another nice funk-metal song with slight, but minimum, pop influence. Creative drumming and nice lyrical work keep this song going. Great breakdowns and creative instrumentation are also a great plus to this great song. It isn't the best on the album, but it easily keeps the great pace of the album going.

Dogs of War somewhat stops the continuity of upbeet funk-metal on this album. Much slower and melancholy than its predecessors, Dogs of War has a certain personality to it. Real compassion can be heard in the vocal work, with some deliberate and sincere instrumentation. I guess this track could be seen as a nice transition/intermission from the great string of fantastic tracks.

Soul to Sell is a short little vignette of funky pop prog rock. Clocking in at just over 2 minutes, not much is in the song, but it's still a strong effort. Some strong vocal work meshes quite nicely with the strong instrumentation, as always.

Queen goes back to those quintessential funk-metal roots. Opening with a fantastic riff, that breaks down to a jazzy vocal piece. This is the kind of stuff that really got me into Three, fantastic riffing, creative breakdowns, signature sounds, and just overall superb creativity. This track lines up right behind Dregs and Wake Pig as one of the better on the album.

Monster is way more funk than anything else. Another short vignette nearly three minutes, the funky bass is really what pushes the song along. It is weaker than the rest of the tracks, but is still a powerful performance. The song is a great 2 and a half minutes to listen to, even though the song isn't as creative as the rest of the album.

Here she is, boys, the epic of the day. The 15 minute rendition of the previously released Amaze Disgrace (now Amazedisgrace), is at its finest. Even by itself, a much shorter 5 minute performance, is impressive. It was easily the best track on the weak Summercamp Nightmare and Half Life. Powerful vocal, instrumental, melodic, rhythmic, and everything work makes this song spectacular. When the addition to the song starts playing, it really shows you the intense musicianship of this band. No, the solos are not played by John Petrucci or Joe Satriani, but they are still highly impressive. When the actual song stops, the hidden track (thank god) does not take long to open. The new rendition of Trust is creative and fun, and neither adds nor detracts from the overall song. After "Trust" finishes, a welcome drum solo is played, showing the drummer's creative and impressive talent. Overall, this dynamic song ends the album on a spectacular note, showing Three's capability of great dynamics and variety.

ALBUM OVERALL: A very, very strong album. Each track has special qualities and a strong sense of creativity, with that signature funk-metal sound. The only weak tracks are Where's Max? and maybe Dogs of War. Strong instrumentation really shows how the band can stretch their creative muscles. Vocal work is strong and compassionate, showing Joey Eppard's willingness to really pour himself into the music. 4+ stars.

Three, a great Crossover band that toured with Dream Theater, was definitely one of my favorite bands when THE END HAS BEGUN came out. But that was then. When I got REVISIONS, I was excited at first, hoping to find the same fantastic music found on TEHB. However, what I found was a sudo compilation album of previously released material. This concept of re- releasing mu sic is not new to Three at all, as many albums have revitalized tracks from previous albums. However the thing that is different about those re released tracks is that they were good songs, such as Amaze Disgrace or Broadway Alien. On Revisions, they picked tracks which I would categorize as Three's "bad tracks," that is tracks that really don't impress me at all. Not even a little bit. Many of the songs came off of Summercamp Nightmare, one of my least liked albums by any prog band. There a few songs that are good, such as YOU'VE BEEN SHOT of FABLE, but other than that I dislike the others strongly.

OVERALL: would have a better album if the re released tracks were more carefully chosen

First, I hated his vocals. I still do not like them, but I grew to ignore them. Still, I find them very annoying, kind of whiny at times. Shame, because the music is not too bad. They are talented musicians, not only at their respective instruments but at song writing. The album starts off strong.

Opens with a flamenco guitar and some gentle synth, that slowly builds. The second half of the song is really good and ends on a good note. It goes right into "The End is Begun" which may be my favorite track on the album. Some really cool guitar work, (especially that acoustic) and some double bass drumming! The middle section is mainly vocals, but the second half is strong and has a killer solo. "Battle Cry" has a really great riff, and some cool drumming to go with it. Again, middle is a bit dull and vocals annoy me, but ends well. "All That Remains" starts off cool, but is quite boring over the song.

"My Divided Falling" may be the second best on the album. Cool, intense song with some decent variation, and great instrumentation from everyone involved. Also, awesome solos!

The second half of the album falls off a bit of a cliff. Just a bit of one...There are some cool parts, riffs but overall a lot of the songs are just bland and pop sounding. It is a shame because there really are some great sections. However, overall mot of the songs fail to hold my attention, and again the vocals are very off putting.

Overall, a mediocre album. The first half starts off quite strong and is pretty interesting, but the second half is very bland, generic, and pop sounding. Standard through and through. The vocals get on my nerves, and a lot of songs are just boring. Talented musicians and can make some good music, and do show some good composition skills...but seem to squander it over the second half. All that added up, leaves this album smack in the middle.

Two and a Half Stars

BUMP: Three Stars