Opeth and 3 put on a great show during a side date from the Progressive Nation Tour…

On May 29, 2008, Opeth and 3 played an off date from their current tour, the Progressive Nation Tour with Dream Theater and Between the Buried and Me, at the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach, SC. With the combined efforts of Opeth, 3, and local Myrtle Beach band Circles in Autumn, this show was an incredible way to spend a Thursday night!

The first band to play was Progressive Death metal band Circles in Autumn. Honestly, I was really impressed with their overall performance. I think they only played three or four songs because of the lengths of the songs, but their musicianship and talent were definitely up to par! Really, I think they were the perfect band to play this show because of their sound that is similar to that of Opeth. Again, overall, these guys were really good and I’d love to see them again!

The second band to play was the “band with a number for a name”, 3. Having seen these guys play not too long ago, I somewhat knew what to expect. I really couldn’t have asked for a better performance out of these guys, and I was really glad to see them perform most of their most recent album The End is Begun. On top of playing most of the material from that album, I was once again impressed by the acoustic guitar skills of guitarist and lead vocalist Joey Eppard when 3 played “Bramfatura” from their album Wake Pig. On top of Joey’s incredible skills, drummer Chris Gartmann and Joe Stote did their awesome drum battle again! Seriously, I can’t stress enough how much skill and talent is packed into those few minutes of showmanship between both Chris and Joe doing their thing, and when Joey plays “Bramfatura”. To see it live is better than any recording or even any video recording of it. It all just adds to an incredible experience that is a 3 set. Overall, I was really glad to get to see 3 play again, and they continue to impress me every time. On a bit of a more personal note, I want to thank these guys again for letting me hang with them for a while and I was really glad they recognized me from the last show. These five guys are truly talented and I can’t wait to see them again!

As if the night couldn’t get any better, Opeth finally hit the stage! Having waited for two years or so to see these guys play live, I was anticipating this very moment and I was NOT disappointed! Honestly, they sound almost exactly like they do on an album, but with an extreme amount of bass in their sound. They were absolutely amazing! Mikael Åkerfeldt’s voice live is just as awesome as on the album, and he really made the set even more enjoyable with his great sense of humor. On top of great vocals and a great sense of humor from Mikael, everyone in the band was on their game, whether it was playing the songs in their set or playing the beginning of requests taken from the crowd before stopping and taking more just to mess with the crowd. the overall set and set experience was one I won’t forget and I would definitely like to experience again.

All in all, this show was a great show with lots of talent packed into three bands and I would go see this exact line-up play again any day of the week!

3 – The End is Begun [Special Edition]
Metal Blade Records

(4.5/5)

When you look at all the bands on Metal Blade Records, 3 sticks out like a sore thumb, but their newest album The End is Begun helps prove that this band deserves to be on any label they desire to be on! The End is Begun can be looked at as a collaboration of all of 3′s older material to create a unique, Progressive Rock sound involving acoustic guitar, electric guitar, heavy bass, and not just drums from a set but also other percussion. Honestly, this album is one of the most unique albums I have ever heard and I really enjoy listening to it! The guitar work from lead guitarist Joey Eppard and rhythm guitarist Billy Riker is absolutely amazing! Really, I like Joey playing acoustic guitar more than his electric guitar work, but either way, he is an amazing guitarist! As mentioned before, not only are there drums being played on a drum set by Chris Gartmann, there is also extra percussion added by percussionist/keyboardist Joe Stote who also adds in the extra keyboard and sample parts. Putting the finishing touch to this great music is bassist Daniel Grimsland. With his awesome bass parts put together with the rest of the music and Joey’s great falsetto range, 3 has put out a great 13-track album. On the special edition, there is a 14th track that is their cover of Pink Floyd’s “See Emily Play”. Out of all the tracks, about half of them are “favorites” of mine including “The World is Born of Flame” combined with “The End is Begun” (title track), “All That Remains”, and “These Iron Bones”. “The World is Born of Flame” is the first track on the album and really rises up as a great track that gives an effect of “zooming in on the band” instead of hitting you full force with everybody. The second track is the title track “The End is Begun”. This track almost “rings” off the first track continuing with the acoustic work of Joey with an almost marching beat to it. These two tracks really provide a great beginning to what is, overall, a truly remarkable album!

3 supports Chevelle for the first time during sold out show!

On March 10, 2008, Metal Blade Records band 3 played at Jester’s Pub in Fayetteville, NC for the first time during their first show supporting Chevelle on their current tour. 3′s efforts were joined by another New York Rock band, God or Julie, making for a great “change of pace” show experience for me!

Before telling about the show itself, I would like to personally (once again) thank the guys from 3 for being so cool and letting me hang out with them after there were some guest list issues with the venue. This was the first time I’ve ever had the opportunity to be around a band for the entire show and experience what crew members do for a band. Thanks again guys! I had a blast and I want to thank Joey for doing the interview with me!

Continuing on to the show, the first band to play was God or Julie from Brooklyn, New York. In my opinion, this band was a great choice for an opening act on this tour because of their sound! I heard a mix of styles from both Chevelle and 3 in this band as well as a bit of an original sound giving them a great Progressive sort of Rock feel. Although I’m not too familiar with the band, their set started out with a great cover of “No Quarter” by Led Zeppelin, giving them an edge since that is not a typical cover for bands to play. Not only is it a unique cover, but it sounded great! Overall their set was good and they got this show off to a great start.

The next band to run the stage was Progressive Rock band 3 from Woodstock, New York. Honestly, these guys sound great on album, but that doesn’t even come close to their live performance! I was really excited to finally see these five guys play live and they definitely didn’t let me down! Throughout their set, 3 played songs from both their newest album The End is Begun and the album before that one, Wake Pig. The first song performed was my overall favorite 3 song from Wake Pig, “Alien Angel”, for which they have a great music video! The set continued through six songs or so including some of my favorites from The End is Begun such as the title track “The End is Begun”, “Battle Cry”, “All That Remains” (for which there is also a music video), and “These Iron Bones”. To end the set, 3 played a couple more songs from Wake Pig including “Monster” and “Bramfatura” with “Amazed Disgrace” on the end of it. You really have to see 3 play live to understand the incredible talent that was portrayed and really brought out in the end with an amazing acoustic solo by lead singer/guitarist Joey Eppard and a drum solo/”battle” constructed of the talents of drummer Chriss Gartmann and percussionist/keyboardist Joe Stote. Throughout the entire set, these guys were supported by and supported the talents of rhythm guitarist Billy Riker and bassist Daniel Grimsland. Overall, the set was amazing and I definitely can’t wait to see these guys again!

At last, Chevelle came on to fulfill their position as headlining band. Since I have not kept to current with their material, I wasn’t quite as into their set, but it was a good one! They did play two songs from each album including “The Red” and “Send the Pain Below” from Wonder What’s Next, so I enjoyed those since I knew them. Other than that, Chevelle played for a good hour or so showing their great stage presence and ability to keep a sold out audience entertained!

With all experiences and thoughts in mind, I had a great time at this show and I will definitely never forget what went on. This show definitely ranks with the Chimaira/All That Remains show for great Rock In Review experiences!