3

With its sci-fi undertones, upper-register vocals, virtuosic solos and unabashed love of '70s album rock, it seems the only thing 3 doesn't have in common with Coheed and Cambria is a gold record. (In fact, Coheed drummer Josh Eppard not only once sat in with 3; he's also the brother of 3 singer-guitarist Joey Eppard.) And given the response to 3's fourth album, Wake Pig, going gold may be a not-too-distant prospect. Like Coheed, 3 has inexplicably found its niche in the post-emo touring circuit, its sound winning over "scene" kids whose only prior use for Dream Theater (another obvious 3 inspiration) came via an ironic T-shirt. But there's something to be said for riding a genre's coattails when you don't have a perfectly tailored coat of your own. When the marketable half of the "prog-emo" trend fades away, true prog bands such as 3 may be the only ones left standing.