Band:	3x0
Album:	Silver
Style:	Progressive rock, Psychedelic rock
Release date:	March 04, 2009
A review by:	Bas

01. Tourist Of Empty Space
02. Esotica
03. Radar
04. Simbiosi
05. Sirens
06. Amplicubed
07. Parsifal
08. Blessed
09. Su
10. The 2nd Of Two Possibilities

I'm on a train. My journey still takes a while and I can't wait to arrive, yet something is holding me back. Perhaps I'm nervous, or maybe worried? The train compartment is empty except for me and I am looking out the window. Grey clouds are hanging low and the raindrops are spattering on the glass before slowly sliding out of sight. How will the weather be when I arrive? Will it still be raining or will it be over? I am alone with my thoughts and I'm listening to music; 3x0 - Silver.

A perfect soundtrack to thoughtful solitude? That's probably the best possible way to describe this CD. 3x0 mix a generous dose of psychedelic rock with oldschool progressive rock, alternative rock and electronic samples, the whole cocktail having a big wink at Pink Floyd floating overhead. Full of emotions and harmony, the compositions are filled to the top with small musical details. The driving force behind the songs seems to be Mauro Aimettis fretless bass, accompanied by both spacey electric guitar lines and mellow acoustic guitar parts. On top of that, vocalist John Snell does a great job pouring as many emotions as possible into the songs. Another good thing is that they try not to make them too long, the longest clocking in at a mere 4:33.

Unfortunately Silver also has a some downsides though. The general quality of the music is extremely inconsistent for starters. While the opening track 'Tourist Of Empty Space' is pretty awesome, the electro-infused and boring 'Parsifal' doesn't even come close to it. The transitions between the usual slow-paced moods and the "wilder" outbursts don't always work so well either. Further the album is a pretty hard pill to swallow by itself and unless you can fully immerse yourself in the music, it can get boring pretty fast.

Last but not least there's something I wanted to say about the second track 'Esotica' ever since I first heard it. This song - with a very artsy black & white picture of a female hip in the booklet, the female wearing a good-looking piece of lingerie - has a refrain that goes like this: 'And in silence I'm bound at your feet, as you bite hard on my senses'. In combination with parts of the lyrics about 'swallowing my bones', 'charges of chemistry' and 'sensual rites'; "biting hard on my senses" sounds like something that really fucking hurts.