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. -- www.progarchives.com Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.