Having two female vocalists isn’t easy but bands like ABBA have shown what powerful vocal cords can do.Īt the halfway mark of the album, we finally let go of expectations and resign ourselves to the boredom that this experience is highlighting. By the time we reach ' Live Without You', the vocal harmonies begin to sound annoying. This is followed by ' Lies Fade Away', a song that brings memories of 90s sub-pop and early grunge as Cameron mellowly but decisively drums away. The interplay between Thayil and Dupree creates a unique sound, challenging you to abort typecasting your expectation of the album. ' Winter Solstice' is a Nordic version of Page and Plant’s solo project, sounding as unmistakable as their exotic instrumentation.
'Last Day of August' is vintage Soundgarden as tempos shift and sound as experimental as the band did back in the day. Instead, we have two vocalists who allow the instruments to shine and despite hitting the lower register convincingly, they end up sounding like backup vocalists. It makes you miss that one commanding, quivering, growling grunge voice like Chris Cornell or Kurt Cobain or even early Eddie Vedder. Deliberately staggered drumming and guitar riffs that we were expecting, this is as close to our perception of a grunge collective that we imagined 3 rd Secret to be. The next song, ' I Choose Me', is the best in the album. It forces you to listen to it without the baggage of band members and creates a calming experience like some kind of rock-n-roll spa. On its own, the song is actually quite soothing on the ears and refreshing considering the sonic grime one associates grunge with. Slow and lilting with Jennifer and Jillian’s vocals and acoustic strumming, the country folk song is replete with harmonies that sound like Enya trying to be in a rock band. Image from Instagram - doesn’t and the first song ' Rhythm of the Ride' should’ve been the writing on the wall. Except that this hypothetical self-titled album is somewhere in the realm of K-pop, only a touch darker. So, the announcement was akin to Metallica, Judas Priest and Black Sabbath members declaring that they’ve formed a new band and have an album out. Nirvana’s fame is legendary while Pearl Jam are one of the few that endure in the world of rock music even today. Nirvana, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam are the holy trinity of the mid '80s to early '90s grunge, with Soundgarden becoming the first of the lot to sign a major record deal that brought late vocalist Chris Cornell worldwide success. Without a hint, on 11 April Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil, Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic, and Soundgarden and Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron collectively announced the formation of 3rd Secret, a band that’ll also feature Bubba Dupree, guitarist for hardcore band Void, and vocalists Jennifer Johnson and Jillian Raye, who handle singing duties in Novoselic’s other band Giants in the Trees. Given that the bands in question were seminal grunge acts that contributed most significantly to the origin of the genre, the levels of enthusiasm were certainly understandable, and expectations were definitely sky-high.
When it was announced that a new band with former members of three internationally acclaimed grunge outfits was formed and there was a surprise album too, the excitement among unsuspecting fans was truly extraordinary.