4/3 De Trio

French band 4/3 DE TRIO are a multi-instrumentalists foursome from Grenoble whose music could be described as a blend of Änglagård and "Red"-era King Crimson. They mix acoustic and electric passages with a touch of metal, alternately singing in French and English, with vocals slightly reminiscent of Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam). Three years after releasing a first album, they decided to disband even though they had gathered enough material for a second.

Soon after the split, however, their drummer was killed in a car accident and the others decided to regroup and finish the album in his memory (using some of his taped drum and bass parts).

Their first CD, "Faiblesse", is a two-edged sword: it is mostly made up of brilliant prog pieces reminiscent of King Crimson and Anglagard, with tinges of blues a la Atomic Rooster, Ten Years After and Deep Purple. The only sour note is their poor attempt at heavy metal: it is not very inspired, to say the least, and will likely make Dream Theater fans cringe. Apart from this, the music of "Faiblesse" is a fine blend of well-executed hard-edged prog with interesting atmospheres, good instrumental outbursts, abundant time signatures and intelligent socio-political lyrics. The mostly instrumental "Ersatz", their second release, is much more symphonic in comparison and a definite improvement. Its 70's prog style features richly complex compositions that transport the listener through a colourful landscape of great keyboards punctuated by dark, CRIMSONesque atmospheres.

If you like French band Noir Desir or can appreciate RIO with a touch of metal, then you'll enjoy the music of 4/3 DE TRIO. To a certain extent, fans of KING CRIMSON and Anglagard will also find something to sink their teeth into.
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