WAKE PIG

Three is a modern prog rock band that is hard to put your finger on. At times, they obviously fit into the crossover genre of prog, others as an alt rock group, and lately they've begun to incorporate elements of metal. While sticking out like a sore thumb in the progressive genre, Three has certainly been on a mission to make themselves known to the prog community (as well as the music scene overall). They've opened on Porcupine Tree's U.S. tours and this year headlined the Progressive Nation Tour with Dream Theater, Opeth, and Between the Buried and Me. I didn't become aware of Three until a friend highly recommended them to me. And to be honest, I'm very glad he did. They've quickly become one of my favorite bands, although granted they aren't the type of band that appeals to the average prog fan, especially since a large number of them cringe at the thought of "alternative rock". However, never fear, for Three is a group of aspiring young musicians with the talented and classically trained guitarist Joey Eppard at the helm, whose powerful voice and talent with his instrument (as very well noticed in Bramfatura, a 1:40 guitar solo where he really gets to shine) hardly goes unnoticed. This album has eleven tracks, and even though it's only one over ten, I don't really feel like taking the time to highlight every track that the album offers unless I'm 1) feeling extremely motivated or 2) I have a good reason to do so aka a 5-star album. While this is certainly an album where Three has begun to move towards a heavier element, it has yet to reach the perfection that I think is exhibited in the album that came after this one, The End Is Begun. Therefore, I can only give it 4 stars. However, I would recommend that if you are new to Three to make either this or TEIB your starting point for the band.