| Talk about upping the ante on the progressive, moody and intense aspects of their music. This is Wake Pig,
but with a much more dark feel. The title of the album should clue you into the fact that this is going to be
a darker 3 (Summercamp Nightmare wasn't really all THAT scary), but most of that darkness is carried in the
lyrics. You still have harmony in the music, with some beautiful landscapes grounded in Joey's fantastic guitar
playing. Billy Riker throws in some nice metal leads and added crunch, but Joey's guitar is still the center of
the group, even if it isn't always in the forefront.
A great example of this is "My Divided Falling", which begins with a blues-inspired guitar intro by Joey before
the full band stomps in. The song then changes tempos, oh five times or so and ends with a metal riff, some
light growling and a choir of angels. For me this is probably the best representation of the latest incarnation
of 3 and their unique styling . . . all less in than four minutes. Crazy, crazy song.
Some songs I wish would continue on past their three or four minute mark, like "Battle Cry", building into a
crescendo to rival Amaze Disgraced, but alas nothing comes close to touching that song (hell, they put it on
three albums). Regardless, there is a plethora of quality songs on here and I expect a number of them to be
jammed out live, evolving over time.
Though the variety in sound isn't the same as what you would find on Paint By Number, Joey is trying some
new things with his vocals and the band is more in tune with each other than ever before. The inclusion of
"Been to the Future" (with full band) leaves me scratching my head, but it doesn't detract from the overall feel
of this album. This is a great, rocking album full of dark overtones with a variety of sound and some light
experimentation. This album deserves to be listened to by any fan of good music. Too bad not many people have
heard of 3. That just leaves us lucky few.
~ Drew
August 06 2007 |
