There are two schools of modern prog-rock out there. There’s the Look-Mom-I-can-play-more-notes-than-should-be-humanly-possible-and-I’ve-left-my-soul-at-the-door-in-the-process institution that just leaves me scratching my head in wonder. Kinda’ like those folk who do mind boggling math problems to relax. I don’t get it. Then there’s the school of prog that relies more on complex composition and involved ideas while retaining a sense of melody. Both schools can be pretentious as all hell, of that there’s no doubt. But the latter, generally speaking, has a bit more soul to it . . . is a more organic form of prog, if you will, and in some ways feels more natural for my primitive ears. So, I find myself leaning more towards melodic song-craft of Pink Floyd, Porcupine Tree, Riverside . . . and now, the band 3.
I had never heard of 3 prior to getting word through the grapevine that they were tapped to hold down the opening slot for the Porcupine Tree tour a couple of years back. This, of course, right in the middle of my phase where I thought every note, every breath uttered by Steven Wilson was genius, so if he was going to personally endorse a band, well by Lemmy’s mole(s) . . . said band must be brilliant! And 3 are just that . . . brilliant, but not in the way that I had expected. I picked up The End Is Begun with the mindset that 3 were going to be the second or third . . . maybe fourth coming of the mighty Tree, but the whole thing didn’t really go over like that. In fact, The End Is Begun kinda’ landed with a hollow thud to my expectations. However, it was the subsequent listening parties that had me realize that musically, the album is remarkable, filled with some of the catchiest melodies this side of Simon & Garfunkel, and the compositions are anything but simplistic . . . this album fits nicely with those avant prog albums in your collection . . . and it has elements of heavy metal that will have you unconsciously throwing the horns in the air, waving them around like you just don’t care.
First off, singer/guitarist Joey Eppard has one of the more unique and instantly recognizable voices I’ve ever heard. His voice is light and airy, yet strong . . . strong without being gruff and aggressive, and it matches up with the music perfectly. Not too heavy, not too light . . . just right. Where “The Word is Born of Flame” comes across as more of an intro to the album, the title track is the first song that we get to hear the band in full flight. Opening with a stunningly acoustic guitar strum fest, accompanied by some distorted guitars, ethereal keys humming in the background, and beat that will have you bobbing your head, “The End Is Begun” is a lesson in both composition and performance. Each member of 3 attacks their individual part, providing some fascinating points of interest, all while keeping the song moving. The musicians provide splashes color to the piece that enhance the song rather than bury it in senseless notes. They never take away from the mood of the song, creating that perfect balance of skill and soul. The riff is heavy and grooving, the arrangement is heady and unpredictable, the vocals are filled with melody . . . maybe a little operatic and over the top at times, but it works to the desired effect. Stunning tune!
“All That Remains” is a beaut! There is so much going on within the music of this track that it’s hard to pinpoint what’s happening, what the song is all about, what room I’m even sitting in . . . epic! The music has so much texture to it, pulling in tones and scale runs that remind me of Queen, vocals that life the spirit through their quality of tone and the melody that they’re delivered in. The guitar work on this tune is amazing, soaring solos and distorted textural riffs over clean arpeggios create this wild and complex sounding passage that will have your ears trying to pick out the various notes from the various instruments . . . like watching a swarm of butterfly dip, dive, zig, zag, and weave through a lush grassland. And, if you’re not singing the chorus by the end of the song, you’re simply dead inside!
Put your seat belts on for “My Divided Falling” as this song bursts out of the gates with Eppard’s bizarre slap style guitar playing and builds with intensity from there. The accents drum and cymbal crashes, the explosive bursts of bass and guitar notes, all working in conjunction to give the song a streak of nasty. To make things even more intense with this track, so much of it is in some weird time signature; for part of it sounds like 4/4, but then goes off into something that requires greater division of fractions. The most amazing part? There’s still an unforgettable melody to the whole thing! Heavy as a fully loaded cement truck, complex as a strand of DNA, and unforgettably melodic at the same time . . . who does that?
Arguably the most intriguing song on the album is “Serpents in Disguise.” Highly technical dramatics performed in the context of a poppy rock song, beautiful melodies mixed with elements of heavy metal and progressively complex arrangements. I love listening to this one through headphones . . . in that little world I can more clearly hear the musical nuances like the bass notes sliding up and down the neck, the pinched harmonics from the distorted guitars, the clean toned arpeggios from the acoustic guitars, the distinct cracks in the vocals . . . all these quaint elements that alone may not mean so much, but played in the context of the song, add so much flavor.
Admittedly, it took me awhile longer to get into The End Is Begun than most albums, and I really don’t know why that is. Maybe it was one of those wrong album for the wrong time moments, but it certainly didn’t have anything to do with the quality of the music. The more I listen to this disc, the more I find myself breaking down the individual performances, the various segments of the song, dissecting every little piece and passage of the music like some weird and maniacal biologist cuts into a lab frog. 3 is much more than a number in my mind. 3 is band of the highest order . . . a band that marches to their own beat, masterful at their individual instruments, creates music that is peculiar to most, and takes up residence in some deep, dark recess of their own collective mind. Avant garde is the best way to describe their sound. Heavy in progressive rock elements, but not so over the head that it wouldn’t appeal to the masses . . . and vice versa. - Pope JTE
Buy here: The End Is Begun
Buy here: The End Is Begun
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