Secret Chiefs 3 (also known as SC3) is the brain-child of guitarist/composer Trey Spruance, formerly known as member of Mr. Bungle and later he joined Faith No More for their 1995 “King for a Day… Fool for a Lifetime” replacing breathy long-time guitarist Jim Martin. He’s also contributed to bands and artists such as: Faxed Head (as “Neck Head”), Noddingturd Fan (also NT Fan), Weird Little Boy (a one-off studio project), Jonh Zorn, Korn, Everlast, The Cucko For Cacca, Lick it Up, The Bon Larvis Band, ASVA, Scourge, The Three Doctors Band, Plainfield and Mark Shafeild.
Secret Chiefs 3’s studio recordings and tours have featured different line-ups, as the group perform and blend a wide variety of musical styles including traditional Jewish, Persian, Arab and Indian music; electronic music, jazz, rock and extreme metal.
So, if you’re a Mr. Bungle consumer, you will definitively devour “Book Of Souls Folio A”.
Secret Chiefs 3 might be considered a generic name for seven different bands, each representing a different aspect of Spruance’s musical and philosophical interests. The seven bands are The Electromagnetic Azoth, UR, Ishraqiyun, Traditionalists, Holy Vehm, FORMS, and NT Fan. The Electromagnetic Azoth specialize in electroacoustic music. UR combines surf rock with Persian, Arabic and Indian musical elements. Ishraqiyun music has been described as an “acultural, neo-Pythagorean enterprise into heavy electro-folk” borrowing heavily from Turkish and Central Asian music. Traditionalists deliver mainly cinematic, film music sometimes directly inspired by the work of several Italian film composers. Holy Vehm is considered an “ultra-death metal grind band”. FORMS has been labeled as a band playing funeral marches and ballads. All that might be pretty odd or at least unconventional, but exactly this “out of the box” type of melange of genres and styles makes exciting and special the music of Secret Chiefs 3.
Bringing together a large amount of different musical styles and approaches, surprisingly Secret Chiefs 3 do not sound chaotic or eclectic, but looking forward and exciting throughout. You never know what will hit you in the very next moment and this keep you connected, always alert. I really enjoy it, love this type of journeys and explorations.
This is the second part of the “Book of Truth” trilogy and several tracks are credited to the satellite bands. “La Chanson de Jacky” was originally composed by Jacques Brel in 1965 and, in this version by Traditionalists, features vocals by the almighty Mike Patton.
Tracklist:
01 – Ishraqiyun – Balance Of The 19
02 – Nova IHVH
03 – The Electromagnetic Azoth – Potestas Clavium
04 – Post-Identity Hour (AMS World Newscorp)
05 – UR Personae Halloween
06 – Utopian Weekly Update (HVHI Public Access)
07 – FORMS – Scorched Earth Saturnalia
08 – Full Spectrum Anamnesis
09 – UR – Drive
10 – Barzakh IK Markers (AIO Radio Narcissus)
11 – Traditionalists – La Chanson De Jacky
12 – Toy Soldier’s Frontline Report (Faust Journal, DodecSMA Corp)
13 – Ishraqiyun – Tistrya
Secret Chiefs 3 – Official Site
Secret Chiefs 3 – Official Facebook
