Here's another holdover from 2010 that we are just getting into our hands now, and it's a damn good one. Third Eye is a Danish progressive metal band who have been in existence in one form or another since 2003, but Recipe For Disaster is their debut release. The band is comprised of Per Johansson on vocals, Thomas Kuhlmann & Michael Bodin on guitar, Martin Damgaard on drums, Andreas Schumann on bass, and Simon Krogh on keyboards.
The first thing you notice are the vocal histrionics of Johansson. This guy can flat out sing, but the interesting thing is he combines elements of Nevermore's Warrel Dane, Dream Theater's James LaBrie, Queensryche's Geoff Tate, Into Eternity/Iced Earth belter Stu Block, Pain of Salvation frontman Daniel Gildenlow, Tim 'Ripper' Owens, and even the legendary King Diamond himself, into a unique sound all his own. His powerful, theatrical, and at times over the top delivery soars above the intricate and often time crushing guitar riffage and complex rhythms from the rest of the band. More importantly, as diverse as these songs are, they are instantly memorable. From the extreme prog-metal of "Dark Angel" to the complex & avant-garde metal of "Snake in the Grass", these songs just stick in your head like glue and never let go. A tune like "The Sacred and the Profane" mixes thrash, progressive & power metal all in one cohesive fashion, and the 10+ minute epic "The Psychiatrist" provides everything prog-metal fans crave, such as blazing guitar/bass/keyboard unison passages, heavy riffs, soaring vocals, and dramatic atmosphere.
Not a bad song in the bunch, and I can easily see Third Eye getting snatched up by any of the larger metal labels in short order. This is a band to keep your eye on folks, mark my words.
Track Listing
01. Solitary Confinement
02. Recipe For Disaster
03. Dark Angel
04. Six Feet Under
05. Eye of Envy
06. Psychological Breakthrough
07. Darkness Into Dawn
08. Snake In the Grass
09. The Sacred and the Profane
10. The Psychiatrist