Conor Fynes '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.

arcane-beautiful This album is their best, and I really disbelieve they can top this one. This album is just perfect, with each song being incredibly well written, very enjoyable and head scratchingly catchy.

This album has to be bought to be witnessed, it really is one of the most perfect albums I have ever heard.

Do I need to say more?S

1. The Word Is Born Of Flame - Amazing acoustic work with some great vocals and atomospheric build ups. 10/10

2. The End Is Begun - That main riff just sounds inhuman. Very catchy and flawless, with some interesting falsetto vocals from Joey. 10/10

3. Battle Cry - Great chorus and amazing arrangment. 10/10

4. All That Remains - Because these guys are on Metal Blade, the video for this song on You Tube is in between a war between fans of 3 and fans of the band All That Reamins. If you want a laugh, check out the purist metal fans trying to argue with prog rocker's, it's hilarious. This song is amazing, great chorus and a beautifull guitar solo. 10/10

5. My Divided Falling - Fantastic chorus and instrumental work. Quite dramatic as well. 10/10

6. Serpents In Disguise - The first song I ever heard of these guys and my favourite 3 song. Love this song to bits. 10/10

7. Been To The Future - A song where the verse beets the chorus. 9/10

8. Bleeding Me Home - Amazing chorus with some out of this world vocals. Beautiful arrangment. 10/10

9. Live Entertainment - A wee bit cheesy, but hey, it works. 9/10

10. Diamond In The Crush - One of my favourites. I love the almost vocal riffing in the chorus. 10/10

11. Shadow Play - Beautifull acosutic based song. Very serene and lovely. 10/10

12. These Iron Bones - Very rocking riff, with a killer chorus. 10/10

13. The Last Day - Their most "prog" song. Some very interesting arrangements and dramatic shifts. 10/10

CONCLUSION: One of the most perfect albums I have ever heard, and in my opinion, one of the best ever made.

arcane-beautiful Now trying to find 3 are quite a challenge, especially online, with the name of the band being a number, quite a common number if I'm not mistaken. Yes, I did search online for this album, saying that Newry is like a bottomless pit when it comes to music (only found the new Hawkwind album yesterday in my local hmv, even though the album was out a month before).

This album is very enjoyable, and the 3 sound is very strong. The material has it's ups and downs, with the odd filler song now and then, but you can expect that. This isn't their best by far, but there is still some great songs on it.

What attracted me to this band was that the lead singer (Joey Eppard, who has the exact same vocal range as me, but destroys me in timbre leauges)'s brother is Joshua Eppard, who used to play drums for Coheed & Cambria, one of my all time favourite prog bands. They do have an odd Coheed & Cambria vibe (with the slightly high vocals, but not too much), but they have this amazing sound, and with Joey Eppards incredibly unique style of guitar playing, mixing flamenco with a more fierce percussive sound (not just hitting the guitar like Thomas Lebe)

1. Alien Angel - Pretty cool start off song. Quite and cathcy and very rocking. 9/10

2. Monster - A slightly more metal direction. Pretty kick ass and a great chorus. 9/10

3. Dregs - Some out of this world guitar playing, and I love Joey's little Prince scream at the start. Best song on the album in my opinion. 10/10

4. Wake Pig - Great song with some interesting lyrics. 8/10

5. Bramfatura - This just proves Joey's playing abillity. 10/10

6. Trust - A wee bit filler to be honest. Still okay though. 7/10

7. Dogs Of War - A great mix of acoustic and rocking beats. Great song, with a cool chorus. 9/10

8. Soul To Sell - Short and sweet. 8/10

9. One Way Town - Pretty interesting song. Great chorus. 8/10

10. Queen - Very filler. Can't even remember it. 6/10

11. Circus Without Clowns - Was expecting a little more from this song, but it failed to dilliver to be honest. 7/10

12. Where's Max - Pretty kick ass bass playing. Very eccentric but very awesome. 10/10

13. Amaze Disgrace - Another classic 3 song. Some interesting vocal melodies and instrumental sections. Very cool. 10/10

CONCLUSION: Has quite a bit of filler, but you get over it, it's still pretty great.