The Three in One is the first release from Lonesome_Blue since their 2022 full length, Second to None. Not only does the EP maintain their ‘counting’ releases (their debut being titled First Utterance), but it also reflects the band’s current line-up. Moving from a four-piece to a three-piece act as guitarist Narumi left in 2023. Despite that loss, The Three in One continues to showcase all of the best facets of Lonesome_Blue, in their ability to blur the lines between metal, rock, and pop in fun and infectious ways.
Opening up with “Queenism,” the band’s more metallic fury shines bright. Hard-hitting and driving tempo riffing leads the way, augmented by playful melodies and some excellent drumming by Mizuki (also a member of East of Eden). Nomura Maiko’s vocal range still hits that empowered yet graceful feeling to it, bringing the chorus a bit of extra flair. “Live it Up” then switches more into upbeat rock territory, full of melodic riffs and plenty of attitude, both in the instrumentation and Maiko’s vocals. The chorus really cranks up the energy and does it’s best to just embed itself in your brain in the most sing-a-long friendly way. “Touch Me Not” then continues the trend of shifting gears, incorporating a more pop-friendly tone to the song as well as slowing down the tempo a bit, while “Go Nuts” does a similar pop-friendly direction but aims for a more punk-ish energy to it, not to mention unleashing a fiery solo later on to give the energy an upswing. It’s one of the most immediately hooky songs on the EP, and was wisely chosen as a single due to it’s very playful vibes and memorable instrumentation.
“Final Calling” moves back further into the rock category, but utilizes some slower tempos to really bring out the melodies. Maiko provides some of her strongest work in this track in the chorus, delivering an effective emotive mix that avoids moving into more standard ballad fare. Much like the beginning of the disc, we return to more metallic and shredding power to bring the EP to an explosive yet melodic finale. Currently, it’s the pick of the EP with it’s more soaring and almost power metal meets pop vibes. The urgent riffing clashes nicely with the super melodic and anthemic chorus that is bound to stick in your head for a while after listening. Then there’s the shreddy solo that feels like the icing on the cake.
While Lonesome_Blue may be down a member, their metallic amalgamation of influences still flies just as high as ever. The Three in One has a lot of appeal for those who want a bit of everything in their music. The pure power metal shred, rebellious rock attitude, and jpop catchiness are all at hand here, and the way they blur together into Lonesome_Blue is their greatest asset. Hopefully this is a (re)start of good things to come for the group.