Third Day (Canada)

A decade before the Mac Powell lead Third Day began owning the Christian radio and album sales charts, there was a band from Ontario, Canada, with the same name and a distinctly different sound. Once again, the tiny, progressive Canadian label, Tunesmith, delivered the band to the States.

The band released one fantastic and completely original album in 1982, and little is known about them other than what I can read on the album sleeve and hear in the grooves. Primarily jazz-influenced, progressive rock band with a male lead vocalist and female back vocals—great guitar and synthesizer work.

Here is a band not afraid to stop singing and play their instruments, which they do pretty well. There is a nearly 7-minute instrumental on an album only containing eight songs. Outside of the one token cheesy ballad (His Yoke Is Easy), most of the album rocks pretty hard within the progressive constraints. This would be more for fans of early Genesis, with more folk and rock influences. I read a review once that described them as a "prog-folk," and the label kind of works.

In 1982 there was Resurrection Band and a few "metal" bands, but very few progressive rock bands in the vein of Third Day, and, as a result, they stood out. They also stood out initially because of the great artwork and "gatefold" LP packaging Tunesmith provided. If only the label would have spent a few more pennies on the production of many of their releases. But here, Third Day stands out again with great production."

329. Third Day - Third Day. (1-Nov-2010) Retrieved: 17-Feb-2022.From CCM's 500 Best Albums of All Time. https://ccms500bestalbums.wordpress.com/2010/11/01/329-third-day-third-day/