Customer Reviews

End Is Begun

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
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How rare is the 'perfect album'? Rare enough that when one comes along--and I say perfect based on its own merits, not comparitively--it inspires grass-roots action, evangelizing the band and its music to anyone and everyone. 3's music is technical and sophisticated, pushing progressive rock in a strange trajectory, the short prog rock song. All songs but one on "The End Is Begun" are about 4 minutes or less, a definite departure from the genre but an indication of it's flexibility.

The vocals are crisp and distinctive, ethreal without being passive or straying into New Age melodrama and the music is tight and inventive. 3 can get intense, with some truly epic riffs and solos crammed into a song's short run time but counter-balanced with lighter bridges and choruses that are the definition of "hook", musically speaking. Eppard can alter the direction of the melody without warning, keeping the songs fresh through multiple listens and the drumming actually comes to the forefront without overwhelming the other members stellar musicianship.

On a personal note I didn't take to their previous effort "Wake Pig" as I have to "The End is Begun". "Wake" is a good album but "The End" is 3's bar and I have full confidence that they'll clear it on their next release.

I've seen them 3 (!) times on their tour with Porcupine Tree (see my review of Fear of a Blank Planet). I'd never heard of them before but not only did they pack the house I was inspired to give their albums a listen based solely on their live performance, something hasn't happened with me since I saw Tool at Lollapolloza back in the early 90's.

Check out Coheed and Cambria and Porcupine Tree if you like 3.

A lot of great bands put out some really great music this past year. However, this album by this unfortunately little-known band is one that's really stood out for me. 3, the brainchild of the multi-talented Joey Eppard, is truly an experience like no other.

A lot of people tend to compare them to their sister band, Coheed & Cambria, as their former drummer Josh Eppard is Joey's brother. However, while the comparisons aren't completely out of line, they are very different bands. 3's music tends to be much more multi-layered and experimental, while mostly eschewing the huge epic cheese prog style that Coheed does (and does well, might I add). Still, as dizzyingly complex and multi-faceted as their music is, it still manages to be fairly approachable. They occupy a sort of middle ground between the more pop-oriented prog style of Coheed and the intimidating madness of something like the Mars Volta (another frequent comparison). In short, their songwriting is simply immaculate, allowing every aspect to perfectly coexist with the rest.

I always say that I hate to single out any one musician in a given band, but Joey's talent deserves attention for sure. He's got that rare distinction of being an amazing singer, songwriter, and musician. Of course, his guitar work is incredible. Ranging from metal shredding to mad finger-tapping techniques to Michael Hedges-style slapping to flamenco, he is undoubtedly one of the most gifted and creative guitarists out there today. Better yet, his playing stands out, but doesn't completely take the focus away from the rest of the band, which in my opinion is exactly what a great guitarist should do.

As a singer, he definitely stands out as well. While I wanted to try to avoid too many Coheed comparisons, one can't help but notice he has a very similar style to that of Claudio Sanchez. However, Joey's vocals are much less "Geddy Lee-like", and utilize more range and versatility. At times, he almost reminds me of Stevie Wonder, although I'd call his style very much his own. His voice adds more of a pop element to the music, which tempers the mad complexity very nicely.

Describing the songs is nearly impossible. There's so much going on, it's difficult to put into words. Songs range from metallic ("Diamond in the Crush") to proggy ("The World Is Born of Flame"), to more catchy pop ("Bleeding Me Home"). There's also the very plaintive ballad "Shadow Play", and the hugely epic closer "The Last Day", which brings together many different shades of the band's style. At 53 minutes, the album feels like it goes by really fast. Songs are mostly concise, packing in a ton of greatness in their brevity.

As I said before, I've really just heard nothing quite like this. A lot of bands today are claiming to make progressive music, but this is one band that truly is progressive in every sense. I need every album by these guys, right now. I would advise you to do the same.

(EDIT: Just as a small addendum to this review, if you buy and enjoy this album, I also recommend going to Joey Eppard's Myspace page, and checking out the song "Dead". Unfortunately it is currently not available on any album, but it must be heard, because it's so freaking good.)

3 is the everchanging magical band from woodstock new york... i found them by mistake when they were opening for coheed and cambria ...they stole the show!!!!!...at that point and time they were promoting wake pig while they were on planet noise records who released summer camp night mare,and paint by numers..three started out as funky lil band from a famous town and have evolved into prog masters ...this is a band you need to see to belive and the last 2 wonderful years i have seen them play in their hometown after thanks giving and put on a marathon show wich blows everyone in the crowd away.. tho this is not my favorite album of theirs its still amazing and impressive.. there is no other band out there like 3 buy all their records and see them grow..i cant say enough for this band the cease to amaze me and are pioneers of whats to come

I stumbled across Joey Eppard and crew a few years ago with Wake Pig. It was so rewarding to hear something so fresh and new and different in contrast to the somewhat jaded pop that abounds in the music entertainment industry presently. I thought that album was interesting, but I will easily admit that The End Is Begun (TEIB) is even better.

This is a departure from Wake Pig in that the selections here are more accessible. By that I mean that the cuts are more pop oriented, but the magic about this album is that you wouldn't dare hear any of these songs on regular rotation on pop radio (which is great). I would still call this type of music "progressive pop metal", but who am I to pigeonhole anyone? (I would love to see these guys in a show with someone the likes of King's X.) It is true also that this album seems to be a bit darker as well. Lots of minor keys with really ruddy and abraisive textures. 3 also employs various non-western instruments and song structures, which adds a nice ominous touch to some of the songs ("All That Remains", "The End is Begun").

Joey's flamenco-style accoustic plucking abounds as on Wake Pig, and his voice is tight, light, and clean as usual, but the real standout here is Chris Gartmann's drumming. I'm really impressed with the tricky syncopations and tempo changes. It really helps to keep the music interesting. As with Wake Pig, Joey and the band decided to produce the album themselves, which turns out to be clean and crisp as well. Generally, the tunes are short and catchy, with the exception of "The Last Day" which is a bit too long with some mood music near the end. There is very little filler here, and standout tracks are "Battle Cry", "All That Remains", "Live Entertainment", "Shadow Play" (my wife's favorite), and "These Iron Bones".

The CD artwork is somewhat brooding and gothic (What's with the blue balloons? A symbol?). The booklet comes complete with lyrics.

If you're looking for something different from the mainstream but still accessible, try this out. For fans of Porcupine Tree, Fair to Midland, and Progressive Metal acts.

I saw Three open for Porcupine Tree in Houston October 2007. We didn't know there was an opener and we were bummed. Until they started to play. Sweet Haysoos Kristoes! The music was so tight and the stage presence was awesome. Over and over, we found ourselves, mouths agape, just staring at each other wide eyed... It was hard to believe that this kind of production value was coming from a stage band in a small venue like The Meridian... and from a freaking opening band! The sound is a cross between rock, Latin flamenco, Blue Man Group and etherialism. Over and over, you'd see and hear some seemingly minor detail added... just something in there for no good reason other than it made the sound better.

90% of what we heard was from this new album The End Has Begun. 10% was from Wake Pig, including the closing number Amaze Disgrace, a 17 or so minute long epic with awesome solos.

Oh yeah. Porcupine Tree played, too. Everyone sang along. Whatever. Three was by far and away the most memorable band in the Meridian that night.

I know you guys download stuff. Download Amaze Disgrace if you have to in order to hear what the sound is... but then get back to Amazon and buy this album. Support these guys. This is a small label and a hard-working, touring band. They are everything that real music and musicians are supposed to be in their purist form. This is anti-RIAA at it's best. They deserve your support.

As always, 3 deliver the goods. I never heard of them until I saw them opening for Porcupine Tree on their last tour, and they blew my mind with their explosive live show. I was pleased to find that the studio work is really quality stuff too. Wake Pig quickly became one of my fave albums. This album is definitely not as solid as wake pig (every song on wake pig except Where's Max - which isnt really a song - I can listen to over and over again), its still a fantastic effort from a band that REALLY deserves more attention than they get. Track by track:

1. The Word Is Born Of Flame - 8/10 - pretty melancholy start, reminds me in many ways of Porcupine Tree.

2. The End is Begun - 9/10 - so groovy, Joey's guitar playing really makes this one stand out.

3. Battle Cry - 9/10 - I loved this track live, pretty great on the record too.

4. All That Remains - 10/10 - The first 10 for me on this album. Excellent song.

5. My Divided Falling - 10/10 - The second 10, and one of my fave "3" songs ever. Hope they do this one on Friday at their release party show.

6. Serpents In Disguise - 9/10 - great chorus, cool lyrics. Good song.

7. Been To The Future - 8/10 - feels out of place on this album as another reviewer mentioned, but a very nice track nonetheless.

8. Bleeding Me Home - 9/10 - nice guitar work, solid vocals, great lyrics.

9. Live Entertainment - 7/10 - cool song, but probably the weakest on the album. Maybe it has to grow on me.

10. Diamond in the Crush - 9/10 - Joey's vocs are outstanding here. Some really cool guitar work as well.

11. Shadow Play - 9/10 - really relaxing song, lyrics are great.

12. These Iron Bones - 10/10 - the last 10 on this album. Killer riffage, killer chorus, killer everything.

13. The Last Day - 8/10 - I like it, but again needs time to grow on me.

So there you have it. 3 produce another great work to add into my collection. To REALLY get a feel for this band though, I would suggest you go see em live. Theyre one of the best live bands ive ever seen, and many ppl have commented that their live shows are so good that the albums just dont have that same power.

Talk about upping the ante on the progressive, moody and intense aspects of their music. This is Wake Pig, but with a much more gothic feel. The title of the album should clue you into the fact that this is going to be a darker 3 (Summercamp Nightmare wasn't really all THAT scary), but most of that darkness is carried in the lyrics. You still have harmony in the music, with some beautiful landscapes grounded in Joey's fantastic guitar playing. Billy Riker throws in some nice metal leads and added crunch, but Joey's guitar is still the center of the group, even if it isn't always in the forefront.

A great example of this is "My Divided Falling", which begins with a blues-inspired guitar intro by Joey before the full band stomps in. The song then changes tempos, oh five times or so and ends with a metal riff, some light growling and a choir of angels. For me this is probably the best representation of the latest incarnation of 3 and their unique styling . . . all less in than four minutes. Crazy, crazy song.

Some songs I wish would continue on past their three or four minute mark, like "Battle Cry", building into a crescendo to rival Amaze Disgraced, but alas nothing comes close to touching that song (hell, they put it on three albums). Regardless, there is a plethora of quality songs on here and I expect a number of them to be jammed out live, evolving over time.

Though the variety in sound isn't the same as what you would find on Paint By Number, Joey is trying some new things with his vocals (Jeremy Enigk-influence on "Bleeding Me Home" perhaps) and the band is more in tune with each other than ever before. The inclusion of "Been to the Future" (with full band) leaves me scratching my head, but it doesn't detract from the overall feel of this album. This is a great, rocking album full of dark overtones with a variety of sound and some lite experimentation. This album deserves to be listened to by any fan of good music. Too bad not many people have heard of 3. That just leaves us lucky few.

End is Begun is the best of "3"'s three discs I own mellow rock good guitar work and vocals. Interesting and a bit different the bonus track from Wake Pig is longer and far better than the original. A must for any collection.

This album from start to finish rocks and every song here has a different feel and makes the listener more in tuned to the album.Joey Eppard rocks as an acoustic guitarist and the opening track displays his excellence at the instrument.

I picked this cd up on an impulse, never heard them, the description on the case made it sound interesting....interesting hardly does it justice. Don't think, buy this disk!