IIIrd Alternative

Album Review: IIIrd Alternative – IIIA

IIIrd Alternative are, considering their realm of expertise, a Danish quartet who are most probably named after the Monster Magnet track “Third Alternative”. It’s your first hint, then, that this album’s gonnna rock like a bastard. They have put together an instrumental album that draws on the dense neck-jarring grooves of Russian Circles and one that drops off to envelop you like so many other purveyors of dark, progressive and thickly ambient music.

Standouts are the constantly stick-shifting “Dark Rift” and the driving force and sweeping layers of “Umbra”. Both these sound like they come from somewhere deep within the bowels of the Earth; rising up like musical magma to burst and pop on the surface in impressive explosions, before the molten liquid rock slides away to progressively ooze its way across the landscape, cooling the pace as it journeys.

Released back in January, it’s almost inconceivable how such a work of art as this could go relatively unnoticed for so long. It’s a real word-of-mouth album this so check it out and share the wealth. You’ll find a full stream of the album, with an option to purchase the download, at: http://iiirdalternative.bandcamp.com/album/iiia

Track Listing: 1.Umbra 2.Eye Against Eye 3.The Great Flood 4.Dark Rift 5.Deficit 6.Æble - Johnskibeat reviews

By Jake Rivett
IIIrd Alternative’s six-track album, IIIA is full of twists and turns. The first big surprise is the progressive rock and the second, is the lack of vocals. Despite these surprises, this is a really good album!

Very rock-esq, with half the songs on the album being at least ten minutes and has a real smooth vibe to it, but when it is heavy, you know about it! The music appears pretty epic, like it is trying to tell a story, especially on the 13 minute opener, Umbra.

The production cannot be faulted, because it is flawless and the guitar tones are beautiful when they want to be, crushingly heavy when they’re not. IIIrd Alternative manages to hold interest as though it is second nature to them, with the songs ever flowing and changing to keep you interested.

The musicianship of these soundscapes has done well to absorb the listener into an almost unseen new world, and second track Eye against Eye has an epic intro before slowing things down to a creepy reflective vibe. This is modern prog at its ultimate best. Perhaps more could be done with the drumming, but when teamed with the guitars, it still keeps it interesting.

Morbid guitar tones, along with background ambience introduce The Great Flood in an, almost impressively, gloomy way, and yet we are taken to brand new heights with this 12-minute, third track where my mind was blown approximately five minutes in. With dual guitars rocking some awesome riffs and not letting up, keeping me interested with my favourite track of the album.


The band that IIIrd Alternative may be (wrongly) compared too is some of Mogwai’s soundscape stuff, and yet, I instantly feel that this is better due to the feeling of a full force punch being packed into the album. Dark Rift continues on the epic tradition and really introduces electronic sounds into things. Not exactly mixing things up too much, it is more subtle than that. Each track is kept really fresh, and each track suddenly becomes a favourite.

Deficit sounds akin to an action movies climax and invokes thoughts of war; being one of the shorter tracks, it is also consistently heavier too. AEbel comes in as it should go on but slows itself down after the one minute mark.

Overall, an incredible album that cannot be ignored. Standing out due to the impressive production and sheer epic scale of the songs, it deserves full attention from the listener and makes no bones in grabbing you from the start. From start to finish, the listener is taken upon a journey that will have them recommending this to their friends. - culturebomb.net

This first offering from Danish instrumental outfit, IIIrd Alternative, is a confident, thoughtful and powerful masterpiece. I was really blown away by the well crafted tunes, it’s a an absolute shining example of a “musical-journey” album – you pop the earphones on and for 55 minutes you experience a riff-rollercoaster that you don’t want to ever end. IIIA explore all those elements you would expect from prog/metal/rock – powerful riffage, thumping drums, odd-time signatures and euphoric soundscapes. I’ve been attached by the hip to these 7 songs for over 3 weeks now and realised there are no guitar solos, which I find very impressive. With clever use of a baritone guitar as the fifth instrument, they make up for the absence of solos using multi-layered guitar medleys which also act as guide points in the songs where those of you listening who are not used to instrumental bands would expect vocals to “fill the void”.

An amazing debut from truly promising band.

9/10
Andrew Spence - TotalRock.com

I have to thank Xander from The Launch Pad for contacting me about these guys as I would never would of found them. So Thanks dude.

IIIrd Alternative play a great blend of Progressive Post-Rock and Post Metal Music.

They have just released their superb debut album IIIA on Bandcamp pay anything you want type deal.

It’s 6 songs on for nearly an hour or so. What you get is brilliant instrumental progressive post-rock/post-metal greatness. 3 of the songs are on for 13 mins or so.

So if your into PELICAN, RUSSIAN CIRCLES and MOGWAI or any other band of that ilk. Now its time to add these guys to the same league. As this album is purely a masterclass in Post-Rock/Post-Metal music.

It simply is a brilliant album to listen to. Full of heavy progressive riffs from the word go. Along with some beautiful quiet ambient Post-Rock passages as well.

All the band members deserve credit for their work on this as I can’t fault it one bit.

Production is immense. Everything is loud and clear. So if your into the above bands and want something to chill out to with a more progressive edge and feel to it. Then there is no alternative. Download this amazing album now. You wont regret it. Highly Recommended. - Slugdelord

Instrumental music always has the capacity to inspire images and thoughts in the listener, the best examples guiding those thoughts to certain places and events in the mind. Some like Danish progressive post-rock band IIIrd Alternative take it further with artistry and skill, their music creating soundscapes and worlds in which the listener is immersed to freely find their own visions and emotions within the immense sounds created, each with their own distinct and unique feeling and image.

Audiences across Denmark have been steadily swept away by the Aarhus quintet and their imaginative and creative sounds since 2003. Now with their debut released on their own label, Gehör earlier this year, IIIrd Alternative should see Europe being the next to submit to their musical enticement. The album consists of six tracks that span across almost an hour of musical imaginativeness that inspires and nurtures personal narratives in the listener. The band recently commented on instrumentalism with “Music for us is the most direct form of creative expression of moods with feelings and sensations for both artist and listener. IIIrd Alternative is exploring the possibilities that instrumental music offers in terms of not dictating or predefining the perception of the moods and feelings the listener should sense or feel.” They went on to say “As we do not imply in words or pictures the thoughts and mood to the listener, we have the potential to create an atmosphere where an audience can have totally different experiences from the same source of communication.”

That potential is realised with IIIA as a package and in the individual songs, opening track ‘Umbra’ the first proof and realisation of their comment and aim. The track is a big worldly experience, an emotive musical landscape that wraps itself around the sounds recipient. The guitars of Lars Evers, Rasmus Frisenvang, and Daniel Malling Zederkoff produce an expanse of generous and engaging sounds invoking senses to bring an inner reality to the song.

Across the six musical pieces IIIrd Alternative bring strong variety and variation so each song has its own distinct character and story to inspire. ‘Eye Against Eye’ has a darker more intense tone, the driven riffs and grinding sound almost a foreboding for the following epic sense of ‘The Great Flood’. The song is dramatic and haunting bringing a cataclysmic feel tinged with hope. The sense of chaos and tension consumes at times but is then tempered by calmer and mellow trust fuelled elements. In every track there is a dark and light feel and not once is either allowed full reign adding to the deep feelings felt when listening, each track an emotional journey whatever its length.

The mysterious and menacing ‘Dark Rift’ is a tension breeding slice of sound and the strongest on the release. The deep growling bass of Hamed Golchin matched by the firmly directing drums of Simon Meiner bring an air of possible violence and whatever the trio of guitars bring on top that air of foreboding is inescapable.

‘Deficit’ and ‘Æble’ complete the release and just as ably instil the same reactions in the listener as previous tracks just with their own diverse imagery to encourage but never to direct.

IIIA is a creative and powerful delight and a wonderful showing that music does not need words, imagery or hand guiding for the listener to create a tapestry to feed the imagination.

IIIA is available as a name your price download at http://iiirdalternative.bandcamp.com - Ringmaster Reviews