The press release that came with this album "double dared" me to describe the sound of 3's first release, Wake Pig. Well, I double dare Metal Blade to convince me this isn't standard nü metal meets indie rock. It's not really that hard to figure out from the atypical bass patterns, break beat drums, and slow verses. 3 do some things that the normal nü metal band wouldn't think of – mainly trying to be overly noise-based, with the keyboardist doing "strange effects" (I'm not making the term up: it says “strange effects” on the bio) – but beyond that, 3 aren't really all that creative. Song structure is just like any other pop/rock band on the market. If you want the formula, listen to Nine Inch Nails or something similar.

The ideas are in place, and the formula seems like a good one, but the pieces of the puzzle just don't equal the theoretical results. The vocals take away from decent musical parts and are probably the weakest of the various elements on the album. As a band on Metal Blade, the match seems awkward. But as Roadrunner has their Nickelback, I guess Metal Blade has some room for expansion. Not that I'm comparing 3 to Nickelback in terms of sound, just that this is about as different from the label's roots as Nickelback is for Roadrunner. The list of bands they've toured with, ranging from my personal least favorite Vendetta Red to my least disliked Underoath, is clear that this isn't very metal, so the pairing doesn't seem to fit much.

Musically, Wake Pig has its moments. The opening of the album is an interesting blend of melody and creepy underflows. The logo, the number-with-roots (or something of that nature) growing in the background is fitting for the music. There're a lot of layers to the music, something which bodes well for the band and separates them from their peers, but musically I'm just never quite sold. There's no song that grabs me and says "this is a band worth listening to." Rather than focusing on a specific effort, the five-piece spread their abilities across the board and leave songs that often feel unfinished and definitely unpolished. The acoustic guitar instrumental "Bramfatura" is musically interesting and a good interlude between parts of the album, but the bookend songs don't really do much to hold the interlude up. The next song, "Trust," is kind of a boring indie rocker with some distorted guitars over drums and those nagging vocals I complained about earlier. And from then on, the second half of the album is overtly indie rock, something I am certainly not a fan of in the slightest. It's easy to pinpoint the influences and the structure in every song.

Beyond the first song "Alien Angel," there's nothing I like much on Wake Pig. It seems that, rather than making good music, 3 are more interested in being weird and "different." But even in that endeavor they don't succeed. While there are songs with the "strange effects," most of the tracks are stuff you'd find anywhere else, just creepier sounding. In the end, 3 are nothing new, nothing extraordinary, and nothing I'd tell people to watch for in the future. Basically a re-release of an album they had on their previous label, Metal Blade should've focused on allowing 3 to find themselves as they settle into the label. The only real beacon of hope on the album is the final two part semi-epic, "Amaze Disgrace," which has many hints of what they're capable of. Hopefully their future work with Metal Blade will usher in a more focused and established band, but right now this album just doesn't do anything for me. File it under "F" for "forgettable."
www.theband3.com
www.metalblade.com

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Taylor Green

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 Past Constructive Criticism

Matt posted the following Constructive Criticism: Yeah, I guess you're right... amazing classical guitar is something you can find "anywhere else". And I guess all nu metal bands use acoustic guitars so heavily, and I can see how great vocals would bother you after listening to Fear Factory and Slayer.

Josh Graham posted the following Constructive Criticism: Ok...you guys are extremely biased..like you only like one genre and bash others