Reissues of the second and third albums from Arch Enemy guitarist Chris Amott’s "other" band. Previously, both had been solely available as Japanese imports, but this domestic package includes bonus demo tracks and a pair of cover tunes. Actually, the early disc features a pair of instrumental rehearsals of tracks appearing elsewhere on the album (‘Worlds Apart’ and ‘The Broken Spell’, as well as gravel-throated rendition of Maiden’s ‘Die With Your Boots On’).

Mercyful Fate’s ‘Desecration Of Souls’ concludes disc #2, or in this case "Three". The major difference between the two (apart from swapping bassists) is Amott’s attempt at vocals on "Three", whereas the predecessor features singer Rickard Bengtsson. Despite the moniker, many of Amott’s friends (and Enemies) will probably be disappointed by the style.

Apart from the Malmsteen inspired 80s solos, the music is basically 70s hard rock, punctuated by the odd blistering solo (Oddly enough, listen to this and the latest Alkatrazz live disc on successive days). Certainly not the over-the-top ballistic delivery of his day job, but isn’t that the purpose of solo outings? The instrumental ‘Moongate Climber’ owes much to progressive/jazz, while ‘Grain Of Sand’ is a virtually a cappella ballad, backed by a lone acoustic guitar.

On "Embrace The Mystery", the concluding bonus cuts (devoid of lyrics) are the most sonically adventurous/intense and as such, benefit from the "silent treatment" (more than a ballad would). After a short instrumental intro, "Three" kicks off with ‘Burn The Sun’, a song about life in a band. Amott’s voice is smooth and this disc, a more metalized style, provides more opportunities for guitar noodling: witness ‘Stranglehold’ (not the Ted Nugent classic). The acoustic begun ‘Well Of Sadness’ is more closely aligned with the earlier album’s hard rock. Speaking of acoustics, the 2:17 instrumental ‘Spirit Kiss’ is just Amott unplugged. ‘Winter Skies’ opens with a heretofore unheard high pitched wail, which only returns for a sustained closing note. Moments of “Three” recall mid-paced Van Halen.