Band:	Third Ion
Album:	13/8 Bit
Style:	Progressive metal
Release date:	May 2015

01. 13/8 Bit
02. Capitol Spill
03. Zero Mass
04. Collapse
05. Particle Displacement Mechanism
06. The Kineticist
07. Time Lapse Beta
    1 - Father Time Machine
    2 - Nihilum
    3 - Chronos Of Aether
08. Van Halien

In case you've been living under a rock, supergroups are all the rage now, and they are popping up quicker than you can count them. Third Ion may not be as "super" in terms of fame, but this collaborative effort is still very much on my radar because members of Into Eternity and The Devin Townsend Project are on board.

There are usually three outcomes with such musical mashups. They could sound amazing and live up to the hype. On the other hand, it could end up like an effort by the musicians just to get some quick money using their fame. The third case is more curious, because while the music doesn't quite meet expectations based on the musicians' past careers, it's because they have created something that's completely different. Third Ion's 13/8 Bit definitely falls into the final category for me, which is why I initially did not like the album that much. Let's be honest, how can one's opinion on a piece of music not be influenced by the musicians' previous works which you're already familiar with? However, once I have gotten over that 13/8 Bit isn't quite what I had imagined, the positives have started the shine through, to the point where I look forward to the album being played again as my playlist goes through the cycle of other releases.

Fans of Spastic Ink, Blotted Science or maybe even Animals As Leaders should feel right at home here as the technical aspect evokes similar feelings within me along with the spacey/science theme, albeit with a more laid back attitude. 8 bit video-game sections are scattered here and there to set the band apart from the aforementioned acts, and while not exactly jaw-dropping, it does complement the music rather well since it becomes less noticeable the more I spin the record, but always pretty cool when I do hear them. The show-stopper though, is the fantastic vocals done by Tyler Gilbert. It might be an acquired taste for some, but the laid-back attitude mentioned earlier is mainly achieved via Tyler's soothing and soaring vocal delivery. In fact, it's hardly the most dynamic performance, but with all the technical instrumentation that's not always harmonised and even sounding disjointed at times, the almost monotonic and relaxed interpretation ties everything up neatly, becoming a potent juxtaposition that draws the listener back in.

13/8 Bit may be a challenging listen as it leans towards the more technical side of progressive metal rather than relying on memorable melodic hooks such as Arena and Threshold. It has, nonetheless avoided the common pitfalls of becoming a useless dry sounding show-off exercise, and instead have already created the band's own niche.