{"id":40,"date":"2015-08-13T14:31:09","date_gmt":"2015-08-13T14:31:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/americanprog.com\/?p=40"},"modified":"2015-08-13T19:46:17","modified_gmt":"2015-08-13T19:46:17","slug":"3rdegree-ones-zeros-vol-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/americanprog.com\/?p=40","title":{"rendered":"3rdegree – Ones & Zeros vol.1"},"content":{"rendered":"

This review is proudly brought to you by our sponsor, Valhalla Biotech<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Valhalla Biotech and You: A Singular Relationship.<\/p>\n

\"OAZ-cover-FINAL-SQUAREsmall\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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Whilst 3rdegree may have passed under the radar for a few of you, then thankfully things started to change for them three years or so back with the release of their 4th<\/sup> album, The Long Division<\/em>. The band was formed by Robert James Pashman back in the 90s (remember them?) and they released the excellent Human Interest Story<\/em> in 1996. I had bought their 2008 album Narrow-Caster<\/em> based on a review by Ron Faulkner, who gave the album a resounding 9 out of 10, drawing parallels with the work of echolyn<\/strong> and Izz.<\/strong> Ron had this to say: \u201cTry to imagine a grown-up 10cc<\/strong>, with the pop and quirky elements dialed down a good few notches, and with a hybrid of Stevie Wonder<\/strong>, Michael Jackson<\/strong> and Roger Taylor<\/strong> (of Queen fame) on vocals, and you’re part-way to imagining the sound of this band. Sprinkle in some funk and soul, and a little late night smoky blues bar, and you’re getting even closer\u201d. New record Ones & Zeros vol.1 maintains of course that funky, bluesy vibe courtesy of the amazing George Dobbs\u2019 vocals, but adds a whole other layer of progressive rock goodness courtesy of, amongst other things, the bona-fide epics and my \u2018Track of the Year\u2019 contenders The Gravity<\/em> and the Life<\/em> suite (Life<\/em>, Life At Any Cost<\/em> and More Life<\/em>).<\/p>\n

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As far as I can tell the new album (available only digitally on the 10T site at the moment until the official release date on August 18th<\/strong>) is garnering universal praise on the interweb. And having listened to not much else for the past month or so I can see why. Much has been made of it as a \u2018concept\u2019 album but before you run off thinking of wizards and floating mountains all that means is that it is a record that demands to be played all the way through, in the order that the artists intended. None of this shuffle nonsense. I played quite a few tracks on the AmericanProg radio show over on progzilla.com and excellent as the songs are, in hindsight I feel that something was lost in terms of the flow and the overall \u2018feel\u2019 of the material. There are some superb narrative segues interspersed throughout, charting the all-encompassing and insidious reach of Valhalla Biotech<\/em><\/strong> in the dystopian, cyber-future posited by the album\u2019s overarching concept. In fact I think that this has got some of the smartest lyrics you\u2019ll ever hear but what will ensure it vies for attention come the year-end cavalcade of \u2018Album of the Year\u2019 lists is the combination with the music that ties it all together. I spoke with Pat Kliesch a while back and he gave me a little insight into the track We Regret To Inform You<\/em> \u2013 he and I both love the album Gangs<\/em> by And So I Watch You From<\/strong> Afar<\/strong> (it was he who recommended it to me in fact) and he advised that the song almost started out as an homage to their style. It subsequrently morphed, however, with lots of extra layers and spoken VO. Such is the musical petri-dish the band delves into. Now as much as I loved The Long Division – and I did after all rate it 9\/10, when I reviewed it for a website back in the day – with this album I think that 3rdegree have released a genre-defining piece of work. Up there with some of the seminal American progressive rock releases of this or any other decade. And there\u2019s a second part coming too. Which according to guitarist Pat Kliesch should be out late next year and which includes an epic 15-20 minute long piece to end the album. Starting with the production (which is full, rich and hugely rounded), the song writing, the concept, the lyrics and the playing I find this so much more fulfilling. Which is saying a lot, given how good TLD was and which has me salivating for 2016\u2019s vol.2<\/p>\n

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If the overtly political message of TLD was perhaps lost on you then the message of Ones & Zeros vol.1 will be much more accessible and I venture that you will be hard-pressed to listen to a better record all year. It is masterfully melodic, symphonic in places but angular and more urgent when it needs to be. There are no show-off solos but check out the keyboards and guitar in Circuit Court<\/em>. Musically the sound is all 3rdegree but if you held a gun to my head I\u2019d say that you can hear First-Wave of Prog things on the album that will quite easily appeal immensely if you are a fan of Rush<\/strong>, Genesis and<\/strong> King Crimson. <\/strong>Be in no doubt though that this is a 21st<\/sup> Century progressive rock album. The best bands don\u2019t sound like anyone else but respectfully pay homage here and there. So it is with 3rdegree. The standout track for me is More Life<\/em> but I prefer to think of it as Part 3 of the Life<\/em> Suite. As I\u2019ve touched on already George Dobbs\u2019 voice is wonderfully evocative but when combined with the harmonic backing vocals and string arrangements it\u2019s an incredibly cinematic piece, and a crowd-pleaser when they play it live to be sure. The opening becomes the close. The end is the beginning.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I definitely think that it is an album to be listened to on headphones. Get the highest quality download you can, or better still the CD and with the right kit you\u2019ll be amazed at the sonic quality. Whatever format you listen to it on, though, you\u2019ll be blown away. Not one filler track ensures it is one of the most \u2018complete\u2019 albums you will have in your collection. The CD package is pretty cool, too. With art by Aleksandr V. Kouznetsov. Eric did the design and layout.<\/p>\n

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Fans are going to get a chance to see them in the States and in Europe soon and I strongly urge you to try and get along to a show. I\u2019ll see you at Leicester and Summer\u2019s End. I may or may not be wearing a hat.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tour Dates:<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 12, 2015 Bestbar<\/a> New York, NY (w\/John Galgano, Yellow Box, PiXPRNC, Anton Roolaart)<\/p>\n

September 20, 2015 \u2018t Blok<\/a> Nieuwerkerk A\/D IJssel NETHERLANDS<\/p>\n

September 24, 2015 das Rind<\/a> R\u00fc<\/strong>sselsheim, GERMANY (w\/Neo Prophet)<\/p>\n

Sep 26 Le Baroc Paris FRANCE
\nSeptember 27, 2015 <\/span>The Talking Heads<\/a> Southampton, UNITED KINGDOM (w\/Credo & Introitus)<\/span><\/p>\n

September 29, 2015 The Musician<\/a> Leicester, UNITED KINGDOM (w\/Credo & Introitus)<\/p>\n

September 30, 2015 The Bedford<\/a> London, UNITED KINGDOM (w\/Credo & Introitus)<\/p>\n

October 3, 2015\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Summer\u2019s End Festival<\/a> Chepstow, Wales, UK (w\/Pallas & others)<\/p>\n

October 17, 2015\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Orion Sound Studios<\/a> Baltimore, MD<\/p>\n

October 24, 2015\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 XO Lounge<\/a> Philadelphia, PA (w\/Orpheus Nine & TBA)<\/p>\n

October 24, 2015\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Gagliarchives<\/a> NJ (live radio appearance)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tracklist:<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Hello, World! (0:15)<\/li>\n
  2. The Gravity (7:50)<\/li>\n
  3. This Is the Future (4:28)<\/li>\n
  4. Life (2:38)<\/li>\n
  5. The Best & Brightest (4:05)<\/li>\n
  6. Circuit Court (5:10)<\/li>\n
  7. Life at Any Cost (7:58)<\/li>\n
  8. What It Means to Be Human (5:30)<\/li>\n
  9. We Regret to Inform You (5:22)<\/li>\n
  10. More Life (5:33)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Personnel:<\/strong><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    George Dobbs \u2013 lead vocals, keyboards, percussion<\/p>\n

    Robert James Pashman \u2013 bass, keyboards, backing vocals<\/p>\n

    Patrick Kliesch \u2013 electric guitars, acoustic 6-string guitars, backing vocals, synth<\/p>\n

    Eric Pseja \u2013 electric guitars, 12-string acoustic guitars, backing vocals, voice of Valhalla Customer Service Agent (1, 3, 9)<\/p>\n

    Aaron Nobel \u2013 drums, percussion<\/p>\n

    Bryan Zeigler \u2013 electric guitars, backing vocals<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Record label<\/strong>: 10T – http:\/\/10trecords.com\/store\/3rdegree-ones-zeros-vol-1\/<\/a><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Website<\/strong>: http:\/\/www.3rdegreeonline.com\/3RDegree\/Home.html<\/a><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    This review is proudly brought to you by our sponsor, Valhalla Biotech. Valhalla Biotech and You: A Singular Relationship.   Whilst 3rdegree may have passed under the radar for a few of you, then thankfully things started to change for them three years or so back with the release of their 4th album, The Long … Continue reading 3rdegree – Ones & Zeros vol.1<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorised"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/americanprog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/americanprog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/americanprog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/americanprog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/americanprog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=40"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/americanprog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47,"href":"http:\/\/americanprog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40\/revisions\/47"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/americanprog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=40"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/americanprog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=40"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/americanprog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=40"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}