ONES & ZEROS - VOLUME 0

Ones & Zeros: Vol. 0 fantastically draws and builds on what Vol. 1 established while at the same time creating a unique sound of its own. The album is musically and lyrically rich, filled with catchy tunes and great playing. It's proggy, poppy, harmonic and symphonic in equal doses. The opening instrumental piece, Re1nstall 0verture, includes lots of musical nods to the previous album as well as foreshadowing themes that appear later on in Vol. 0. The highlight of the album is the epic, fourteen-minute 'Click Away!', whose lyrics are absent from the printed booklet. Cleverly enough, the band invites us to go to www.valhallabiotech.com/clickaway to read the lyrics, which is about the whole world in a fight for more followers and likes. Unlike Volume 1, there's no narrative thread that connects the songs all together. There are no Valhalla announcements, no newscasts, virtually no spoken word except for a child reciting Neitzsche quotes at the end of Perfect Babies. Musically, 3rDegree continue to refine a sound that doesn't really resemble anybody else. If comparisons were to be made, the songwriting is more reminiscent of song-based art rock, ala Supertramp, 10CC, and Queen, rather than full on progressive rock, like Dream Theater, Gentle Giant, or ELP. With five of the six members singing on the album, the vocal harmonies are fantastic, similar to The Beatles and Queen. A brilliant collection of writing, Ones & Zeros: Vol. 0 is a new pinnacle for a criminally underrated band that continues to add to their compendium of albums that make an impact on the progressive rock community. Highly recommended.