THE END IS BEGUN

Maybe the end of music is begun, but at least there's still some good stuff left.

Three returns with an album to be reckoned with on this outing. This Crossover band shows that, while risky, it's not impossible to make a good album with hints of pop, even within the progressive realm. The album holds a nice concept that it carries strongly throughout, and even melds some songs together making two or so shorter songs seem much longer. The music itself is solid, with tight playing and a number of notably good melodies that catch the ear of just about any listener. While it does hold a few strong parallels to a couple other recent bands, they still have a sound all their own that makes this alum quite a worthy investment.

The album starts with the semi-intro song, The World Is Born Of Flame, which starts with some nice, quick guitar before the more or less soft vocals come in and serenade the rest of the song until the almost unnoticeable hand off into the next track, The End Is Begun which is where the album starts to get heavier. It is at this point where the sound is comparable to a combination of Coheed and Cambria type vocals and music mixed with a Tool kind of sinisterness. While these similarities may seem to be too close to the other bands in some cases they still have moments of brilliance all their own with warrants quick forgiveness.

Battle Cry is where the almost pop-ishness starts to show. With a very noticeable chorus, and generally catchy verses and music this is a track that shows hard rock bordering on pop. The mix works, however, and the pop doesn't seem to get in the way at all. The same goes for other tracks such as These Iron Bones and the song that sounds like it could be strait out of a mid-90s-MTV-hit-video, Live Entertainment. Both of which are strong songs, particularly (and ironically enough) the latter. Many of the other songs have a slight pop tone, but not enough to deter the normal hard-rock goer, but it does make the music surprisingly widely accessible.

The cd also houses a couple slow moments, unfortunately, the band is better fast. Been To The Future is a nice enough song, nothing to complain about there. Shadow Play is a song that drags on for a bit too long and leans a bit too far towards AOR to feel comfortable on this album. However, because of the strengths in the other songs these two are easily forgiven.

Where the band finds it's more progressive side is (other than the concept) in the final track, The Last Day. A particularly excellent track that sums up the album nicely and does it all in about 7 or so minutes, encapsulating all the themes, and sounds as presented over the course of the album, even hardcore prog heads should find some happiness in this mini-epic.

Conclusion

In closing, this is a great hard-rock album and a good progressive album in terms of new music. Definitely recommended for fans of both Coheed and Cambria, and new music/prog in general. 3.5 stars rounded up for standing out above the rest, especially in this day and age.

The first I heard of this band was when they opened up for Porcupine Tree on their most recent tour, and I was blown away by this band. Yes, there are similarities to Coheed and Cambria, who I am also a fan of, but I think this band is overall heavier and more technical, at least on this release, which I purchased from the band after the show. The album begins with the track, The Word is Born of Flame, which starts off with acoustic guitars and vocals and builds into a heavier part which blends seamlessly into the title track, The End is Begun, which is also my favourite track from this album. This starts of with a riff played on acoustic guitars and then joined by electrics. Overall, a heavy track with some nice melodies, which sums up much of the album. Three is by no means a metal band, but they can be pretty heavy, with great guitar work, particularly by the singer, who plays a quasi flamenco acoustic style, and the lead guitarist, who plays more influenced by classic rock like Zeppelin and Rush. Also interesting is that the band has two drummers, which gives an extra power to the sound at times. While I mentioned how impressed I was with the live show, I don't think the album wholly captured the power this band had live. I'll give it four stars. Not perfect, but highly recommended for those who like bands like Coheed and Cambria and Porcupine Tree.

I heard THREE's album for the first time a few days ago, just one day before I was going to actually see them playing live in Progressive Nation 2008. When I first listened to the album, my impressions were that of a flawed masterpiece. An album that could've been a 5 but gradually lost its power until it reached mediocrity in the last tracks.

My second listen of "The End is Begun" took place while I was driving to the theater. A 50-minute drive was perfect for a 50-minute record (I tend to ignore bonus tracks). That session left a much better impression on me. I could say that the album had climbed to a 4.5 in star rating. I still felt that there were weak elements that deterred it from being a full-blown masterpiece.

My third listen of this music was drastically better. It was live, with THREE playing their instruments 10 feet away from me. Their performance finally left on me the impression of 5-stars music. From the amazing skills of the frontman/guitar player to the power and presence of the drummer, the melody of "The End is Begun" to the catchiness of "All That Remains", I was convinced. But I had to keep my head cool. After all, I didn't hear the entire album played live, only half of it.

The fourth time was just a confirmation. As with any good music, it takes more than one listen to start to really appreciate how good it is. And now I have no questions: from beginning to end, this album is a masterpiece and should've been in the list of best albums of 2007.

This is not progressive-metal, nor is it what people here describe as Crossover Prog. This music defies categorization. But if we were to pick one that would suit the band the best, from the ones we have here in ProgArchives, it would be Heavy Prog.

And that's what it really is. An album that at times borders on progressive-metal (listen at the first couple of tracks and you'll hear an evident DREAM THEATER influence), at times crosses the border and sounds like true good pop/rock, at moments it sounds modern, very contemporary, at times it seems like a thing from a decade long gone by. The music is not static, can't be easily classified, but nevertheless, it's progressive. The songs have longer and in some cases unusual structures. The playing is very virtuosic and there are even moments where the cynics may attempt throwing a showing-off accusation towards the members of THREE. The album is full of music that aspires to be more. It's not radio-ready music, for sure (maybe with the exception of a few songs), and yet it's also not music only for the intellectual who can't take simpler things. In the end, the music is very accessible but so marvelously played and arranged that it reaches a superior level.

The music is also very original. As I said before, it's difficult to categorize. I may better try to name a few influences that I can recognize. As I said, DREAM THEATER would be one. Another influence would be RUSH, a little bit of TOOL, and that for the heavier side of things. I can also hear, mostly in the vocals, strong influences from artists like NEAL MORSE, and there are quite a few times when I see vocal harmonies that remind me of the great musicians immediately. PORCUPINE TREE is another band I'm reminded off, and through it, 70's masters PINK FLOYD. ENCHANT's music comes to my mind, too, especially the vocal style of that band's singer, Ted Leonard. Finally, and the element that put me off the first time I listened to this album, as the songs go by, the record gradually takes a distinct COHEED AND CAMBRIA sound, a little too emo-ish for my tastes the first time around. But when I heard it better, it's just the logical process of the story and the music to reach such a point.

The album starts with a magnificent introduction in acoustic guitar, followed by a very prog-metal-ish riff. From that point on, expect the unexpected. The album tends to get softer after it reaches its midpoint, but the quality, the melodies and catchy choruses never cease.

The musicianship, as said, is top-notch. Trying to ignore what I saw live (because it would color my opinion too favorably for the band), I can say that Joey Eppard is an amazing guitarist and an excellent vocalist, even though his voice may not be for everybody. Gartmann is a master drummer, as Stote is a percussionist, and Riker is a very skilled guitar player that adds a lot to the music. We shouldn't left aside the great work of Grimsland in bass, who can play a lot more than simple root-note bass lines.

An excellent record that would deserve a much longer track-by-track review to make it justice. I have to give it the maximum score as I've come to realize that it's a masterpiece of modern progressive music.

I remember when I first discovered 3. They opened for Coheed and Cambria in late 2004. They really surprised me! From singer/guitarist Joey Eppard's interesting flamenco style guitar among the rock instrumentation and his insane solo piece "Bramfatura" to the additional percussionist/keyboardist, I knew this band was going to be something, eventually. They put on such a good show; I'm surprised they didn't draw much attention after the tour. Must have been that they were playing to the wrong crowd. Unfortunately, Coheed and Cambria attracts a lot of mainstream-type fans who definitely wouldn't appreciate what this band was trying to do. Fortunately, they at least attracted enough attention to get a deal with Metal Blade records. With the release of The End Is Begun, they even piqued the curiosity of Mike Portnoy, who ended up booking them on the 2008 Prog Nation tour, which would provide the band with a much more receptive audience. Having seen them again on that tour, I am again assured that this band will be one of the top names in modern prog rock.

The End Is Begun is easily the band's best output thus far. Certainly they've been alotted more time and money than before, which helps, but it's clear that they are growing musically at a rapid rate. This album is dynamic, melodic and unique. The band draws on a few other bands' sounds, most notably Coheed and Cambria (the frontman is actually the brother of Coheed's former drummer), but they never sound overtly derivative. The band plays well together, often including syncopated passages and/or contrast between heavy rock and flamenco guitar. The band is maturing and coming into their own while maintaining an appeal to both prog crowds and alternative rock/metal ones as well. You can even hear a pop sound penetrating in areas, but it's done with aplomb. Rather than being a detriment to the rest of the music as happens to often, it simply broadens the band's palette and provides us with some great hooks. The structures never get too complex, but the band also doesn't settle for the same formula each track. We have a middle ground here. It's got complexity, but it never leaves the listeners behind. The vocals are unique as well. The voice is instantly recognizable, and the vocalist tastefully uses falsetto throughout the disc along with his normal range.

Highlights here include the cool intro "The World Is Born of Flame," the exhillerating "My Divided Falling," and the closer "The Last Day." Nevertheless, each track has it's own qualities and adds to the album in some way other than length.

The one problem with this disc is the production. It's clean and polished, but it doesn't provide the band with the same power and thickness of their live sound. The bass and drums aren't as punchy and the lead/electric guitars aren't reamped or anything. They sound like they're meant to be thick, but they aren't. It sounds a bit weak in spots as a result. Take a look at the title track. That riff should be crushing, but it sounds very tame. I wonder if the band wanted it that way. I sure hope not. The songs are still enjoyable, but I know they could be more impactful with a thicker production.

Overall, a very good release, and I hope to see this band continue to grow in popularity as they grow musically. Despite the quality of this material, I know there's more potential left to unlock! Make sure you see this band live; I guarentee that you'll be impressed and maybe even come out of it with a new perspective of the band.

The End is Begun is the fifth album from american rock band Three. I don´t normally review the fifth album from a band before reviewing their previous albums but I´ve been listening to The End is Begun a lot since I discovered the band and I feel a need to review it now instead of in a couple of years when I have had the time to listen to and review their previous albums.

The music on The End is Begun is Soft hard rock/ heavy rock inspired by the likes of Rush ( from Counterparts and forth), Tiles, King´s X, a bit of Dream Theater and Enchant. The songs are generally vers/ chorus formulaic which at the beginning of the album isn´t a problem as the melody lines and the arrangements are really strong. Just listen to the acoustic rhythm guitar playing in the title track. It´s a really great feature. The first five songs are all of this high quality and number six Serpents in Disguise is pretty good too even though things do start to get a bit trivial at this point.

From number 7 until 12 the quality drops a bit too much and Three begins to play something that sounds like King´s X boring college rock sound. This is really too bad as the first part of the album plus the last song called The Last Day are soft progressive rock songs with intriguing parts and memorable melody lines. Maybe it´s just a matter of quantity over quality. Three could easily have cut away 3 or 4 of the most formulaic vers/ chorus boring college rock songs and still The End is Begun would have had a playing time that would clock in at about 40 minutes. This will affect my final rating.

The musicianship is really good. Singer and guitarist Joey Eppard has a really distinct almost languishing voice that I really enjoy. He actually has a pretty wide range and does sing pretty varied. The guitar solos are very good when they appear and one of the best things about this album is the drums playing from Chris 'Gartdrumm' Gartmann. He plays small additional things that makes his playing very good and diverse even though the large portion of songs are pretty straight rock songs.

The production is excellent. A very professional sounding production with the emphasis on the vocals.

The cover artwork is beautiful but signals a more progressive music style than what is offered on the album.

The End is Begun is unfortunately a bit of a deceiving album. I was sure I was gonna give the album 4 stars after listening to the first half of the album which is really excellent and memorable. But my overall impression after listening to the entire album many times is that it´s a good album but a bit trivial vers/ chorus for my taste. I also feel that there are too many filler songs on the album that I could have done without. Do yourself a favour and listen to the first five songs though as they are excellent. This will be a 3 star rating.

I ran into this band when they opened for Porcupine Tree. Let me tell you something about 3 (yes, their name is written as a number, not as the word like progarchives says. For the second release of this album, they changed the artwork back to the number): if their studio albums had the same energy and power as their live act did, this wouldn't be a mere four star review.

The End Is Begun is a rather unique sounding record, not something I would usually run into. The acoustic guitars blast around here and there, making your fingers ache with the knowledge that Joey Eppard is fingerpicking all that. Note, in their live shows, he has a trademark move that at the end of each concert, he strums his guitar so hard with his bare fingers that he breaks at least one string, sometimes all of them. This acoustic work is the centerpiece of the band's music, providing an exciting and funky sort of feel, without which the band would be somewhere hovering around average.

Joey's voice is the most notably weaker part when comparing this album to a live show. Not that his voice is weak on the album. But when he sings in person, he belts and wails with the best of them, while being more laid back on this CD. The other highly notable musician here is Joe Stote, who usually handles the keyboards. Once in a while, such as in the opening track here, though, he trades in his ivories for a big set of drums and adds in a wonderful tribal sound to the already talented drumming going on. The lead guitarist and the bassist are both talented as they should be, though they do not stand out so very much compared to Joey and Joe.

So it comes down to the music. The opening track gives a wonderful taste of what kind of music you can expect here. Fast but not obnoxiously so acoustic guitar lays down a rhythm, and after a while the band enters. It's a bit hard to describe, really, even though that's kind of why I'm writing a review. Either way, the power of double the drums and some neat power chords over heavy fingerpicking leads way into the second track, the title track, dropping the chorded fingerpicking for a good bit of speedy linear picking. Truth be told, the two moods seen in the first song and then the sound of the second pretty much completely sum up the album.

And that is the real problem. The songs are almost all great songs, but they are all a fair bit similar. Each track is different enough not to be redundant, but the album on the whole doesn't do a lot of progressing, really. At least, not until the last track, which is haunting and soft.

An album certainly to check out, but for me to be really excited about their next release, they'll have to change up their sound and really progress.

At the recommendation of one of my friends, I checked out this band. To my surprise, I quite liked this album. It is a more mainstream/alternative-influenced take on progressive metal, but it is not any less impressive. The acoustic work throughout this album is of particular note.

However, despite the fact that this album is enjoyable, it deserves this rating perfectly: Good, but not essential. I certainly wouldn't say this album is best suited for some people out there, and there are certainly better and more aesthetically pleasing/challenging progressive metal albums as well. For what it's worth, this album is the epitome of 3 stars.

Each song is crafted pretty well, the musicians are not too shabby either, and the songs are good. None of the songs, however, scream 'masterpiece' or tread any new artistic ground in my eyes. They're all just good, well-crafted, shorter progressive metal songs. If that's what you're looking for, this is a very good album for that. I can't recommend this to everyone, however, especially those who shudder at the thought of a mainstream/alternative-influenced sound.

This band has good potential and is very good at what they do. This is easily their best album. It's a nice addition if you're wanting to hear something different yet not too challenging, but for most proggers out there, your collection would be fine without it.

'The End Is Begun' - Three (8/10)

The first time I heard about the band Three was at the ProgNation '08 tour, in which they opened for Opeth and Dream Theater. At the very beginning of the show, people were sitting down, paying half- attention to the performance and discussing amongst each other about how excited they were to see Opeth and Dream Theater after Three had played. After a few songs, it was evident that this band was something special, and it appeared as though the band had finally won over the crowd. People were cheering, and there was a great energy injected into the atmosphere. As Joey Eppard (the singer and virtuosic acoustic guitarist) went into his 'Bramfatura' jam, I was blown away, and felt that were was something really powerful and memorable at work here. By the end of Three's medley finale, the entire crowd was on their feet, and the cheering almost drowned out the instruments themselves! Even after the entire concert was over and people were clearing out of the venue, I could hear people still fawning over that fantastic performance.

With that in mind, Three truly is a fantastic discovery. They have a very good prog-rock sound, mixed with some of the best acoustic work I've ever heard. Joey Eppard's acoustic guitar work is actually the most mind-blowing part of the band's work, and that's definitely saying something. As an acoustic guitarist, he's one of the most original and innovative guitarists playing today.

While I don't think 'The End Is Begun' is the progressive masterpiece that some people make it out to be, it's an excellent work that's sure to attract more fans to this underground band.

The songs are all decent (at the very least) and the first two songs (the duology 'The Word Is Born Of Flame' and the title track 'The End Is Begun') form together to make a really fantastic opener. While I'm definitely into the sound that the band has to offer, it would have been nice to hear even more of Eppard's acoustic work.

I do love this album, and there is a great use of melody on the record. However, there just feels like there's something missing to it, and I honestly don't know what. While excellent, it's just never crossed me as being an absolute masterpiece. Three is a band with more than enough potential to write and record a masterpiece, but 'The End Is Begun' just falls short of the masterful quality. In terms of enjoyment however, it's a great album and fans of progressive rock and acoustic guitarwork should love this.

Well now, this album just completely floored me the first time I heard it. I was surprised that a band could take a sound as mainstream as alternative rock, add some elements of metal to it, and then go create one of the best albums I've ever heard. Certainly this isn't an album for all types of progressive rock fans, but if you want to introduce a non-progressive rock fan (at least someone of my age/generation) to such music, then this is a great place to start them off.

As I said, the style of music on here is mostly alternative rock with some metal influences. 3 has drawn a lot of talk for sounding like Coheed and Cambria, but I think such talk really ends with this album. They have really developed a unique sound here and is growing and developing at a really rapid pace. As others have mentioned, the most notable person in 3 is vocalist/guitarist Joey Eppard. Saying that he's a beast on the acoustic guitar might be an understatement. The guy really has serious chops, and I enjoy listening to the way he handles each song. Chris Gartmann's drumming is also fairly interesting, but it's more in the way he throws in subtle things such as an interesting fill or roll every now and then.

I know some have said that the first half is the stronger half of the album, and I agree. The first six songs are some of the most interesting and energy-filled songs in the band's discography. Although unlike many others, I don't think that energy flounders enough in the second half that it hurts the album. To be honest, the whole album isn't filled completely with nothing but prog songs, although I supposed that's why the band is in Crossover instead of, say, Heavy Prog. But The End is Begun is of such high quality that I can't find a good enough reason to not give it 5 stars. I might even go so far as to call this album perfect, but I suppose that's a matter of taste. If you're fairly open-minded and can take some alternative rock with your prog, definitely check this out.

What a spectacular album. Before going to see Dream Theater and the Progressive Nation '08 tour (with 3), I wanted to do some research on what I was going to see. This album is what I discovered first, and I loved it. The World Is Born of Flame starts the album off on a deliciously darker note, with an acoustic solo. The lyrics are good, also. It transitions beautifully into The End has Begun, by far one of my favorite songs in the entire genre. Beautifully orchestrated, masterful melodies, spectacular rhythms, and so much more. The rest of the album plays out with alternative rock influences, metal influences, progressive rock influences and more! This album is absolutely spectacular.

A friend gave me this CD and said it was prog metal. I'm not so sure about that one...but one thing I am sure of is I did not like the album at all. After another listen or two this album quickly made its way near the bottom of my collection. I recently decided to dust this album off and give it another try. It grew on me, I will admit, but it is merely an average album.

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

Without a doubt this is a very good band that the younger crowd seems to like a lot. I quite enjoyed their "Wake Pig" release so I thought I would check this one out. The songs are fairly short with 12 of the 13 tracks being around the 3 1/2 to 4 minute mark in length, while the final tune is almost 8 minutes. And this record does come off as being more in the Prog-Related style overall.This is slick and catchy folks.

"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.