When Robert Berry released The Rules Have Changed, the debut album by his project 3.2 – a continuation of the band 3 that he had with Carl Palmer and Keith Emerson back in 1988 – it was mostly to finish the work he and Emerson had started working on in 2015 as a follow-up to the 3 record when Emerson so tragically took his own life back in 2016. If that album was supposed to be only a one-off to finalize their work together or a continuing project, no one knew – and I have a feeling not even Berry knew back then. Now, three years later, it’s clear that 3.2 will continue with at least one more album. The debut was a success so a sequel was maybe a no-brainer but it remains to be seen (heard) if Berry can maintain the high quality of that record.
Opening with the ambitious and grandiose “Top Of The World” on a slow note, it’s acoustically folky and stripped but it soon works up a groove and a tempo still with the acoustics at front. They tune changes into a more progressive vibe with a Led Zeppelin twist albeit with a smooth main-melody. There’s a heavier twist that comes in with a darker atmosphere all the while the tune is big on the keyboards. There’s a breakdown, a passage where Berry takes the song on a straight-forward, Hard Rock laden ride before it slows down into a heavy pace with a raunchy guitar solo and the song takes on a heavy and punchy rhythm, riff-happy and chunky. It’s a 9-minute epic track with appealing melodies and even hooks, making it feel shorter than it actually is. Very good.
“What Side You’re On” kicks off heavy, fat and bombastic in a huge soundscape. It’s a faster, more hard-rocking effort with a chunky and gritty guitar and edgy soloing. The groove is muscular, the beat is slamming and rough on a progressive note – and there’s a mountain of keyboards as well. Short and concise, this is the total opposite to the opener – very direct and striking. Good stuff indeed. “Black Of Night” is a rhythmic pomp-rocker, symphonic with a chunky groove and a poppy outlook. The keyboards throws an eye towards a Celtic influence and there is a progressive side to the song although the vocal-melodies are very smooth and the chorus is an AOR-laden hook-fest. This is awesome.
“Killer Of Hope” is upbeat, straight ahead and holds a groovy bass-line and some chunky, off-beat drumming. Big pompy keyboards and some staccato riffing guitars brings on the proggy moments. The slick and 80’s sounding vocal melody with an uplifting hook in the chorus brings on more AOR-moments. Good one. “Missing Piece” is a mid paced pop-rocker, laid-back in the verses but with a prog-laden groove. The chorus is bigger and upbeat with a hard look at straight ahead Melodic Rock with lots of smoothness and memorable melodies all over. Very good. Latest single “A Bond Of Union” starts out with a classical piano and continues as a slow, deep ballad, melancholic and darkening with an instant saddening touch. The melody arrangement is gorgeous and the vocal-melodies are soothing and smooth. A soft-ish yet not mawkish tune with an 80’s synth on top. Good one.
“The Devil Of Liverpool” is heavier and quite rough around the edges. The punchy rhythms throws in some tribal work, the keyboards roars and the guitars are gritty, raw and edgy – there are even traces of Metal here – but everything is done with a large sense of melody. For the sake of contrasts, a long instrumental section is added, very laid-back and atmospheric. The song ends on a Classic Rock note with a Jon Lord-like Hammond organ and song-wise, inspiration from Deep Purple – albeit with Asia-like vocal-melodies – seems to be the thing. Very good. Slow and calming the jazzy ballad “Emotional Trigger” even brings on a lounge-music vibe. The keyboard solo is both jazzy and pomp-laden. A moody piano and an upright bass does the trick and it makes me feel like I’m in a smokey club some where. It’s easy-going – and it’s damn good.
Leading single “A Fond Farewell” starts with a symphonic “Baba O’Riley” (The Who) riff and the song soon takes on an 80’s Asia touch, a bit progressive with a big AOR twist. It’s quite held-back and down-beat where keyboards and guitars co-operates smoothly and the pop-rock vibes makes for a great AOR/prog hybrid with a neat and appealing chorus on top. Very good. The album closes with “Never”, a pop-prog rocker with touches of Fusion. It’s a slow to mid-paced piece, quite punchy in the groove with some very direct and distinct vocal-melodies. A passage of Classic Rock going Jazz comes in only for it to take a heavier, almost Ayreon-like turn with a pompous and symphonic twist and a steady beat. Very dramatic and dynamic. I dig.
I dig this album and I find it just as good as its predecessor. It’s progressive and holds a great deal of time-changes, passages and nods towards musical-theatre but it never gets overworked or weird for weird’s sake. The hooks and big melodies are more prominent than than musical show-offs, the choruses are catchy and the songs are quite easy-listened without going down the road of glossiness and sugary sweetness. So the answer to if Berry has maintained the high-quality song-writing of the last album is yes!
7/10
More 3.2 reviews:
Tracklist:
1. Top Of The World
2. What Side You’re On
3. Black Of Night
4. Killer Of Hope
5. Missing Piece
6. A Bond Of Union
7. The Devil Of Liverpool
8. Emotional Trigger
9. A Fond Farewell
10. Never
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