It’s amazing what a personnel shift can do for a stale band.

Sparta, formerly the radio-friendly half of At The Drive-In (or the yin to The Mars Volta’s yang), could never quite shake the stigma of being the hook-driven half of the highly influential Texas hardcore band. Following ATDI’s breakup, Sparta shot for the radio and released two boring and ultimately forgettable emo-pop records. The Mars Volta, well, go here for my opinion on their endeavors.

That’s where Keeley Davis comes in. The former Engine Down frontman (who was also briefly a guitarist in his sister Maura’s

Sparta:(l-r) Matt Miller, Jim Ward, Keeley Davis, Tony Hajjarband, Denali) joined Sparta just in time to begin recording their third album — aptly titled Threes.

Davis’ impact is immediate, his signature jarringly melodic guitars the driving force behind Jim Ward’s emo-driven vocals—lending an explosive, passionate energy that was virtually nonexistent on the band’s previous albums. The change is most noticeable on the album’s standout, “Crawl”. Beginning with churning, slightly dissonant guitars very much reminiscent of Engine Down, its obvious the entire band has a renewed enthusiasm. Ward’s vocals sound effortless and unrestrained, and for the first time Sparta sounds like they’ve stopped caring what other people think of their music — instead confidently focusing on themselves, and in doing so, rising above the post-ATDI label they’ve been carrying since their formation.

To be fair, it may not be entirely due to Keeley Davis that Sparta has finally found its stride, but it’s certainly a large part of it. His presence seems to be the missing piece they’ve been struggling to find. The dreamy mood and pensive vocals of “Atlas” bring Radiohead to mind, while “Erase it Again” sounds like a cross between post-punk and emo with alt-country roots. “The Most Vicious Crime” reveals the band’s increasingly post-hardcore tendencies — with its subtle atmospherics, wandering melodies and elegiac lyrics. “Unstitch Your Mouth” is a perfect example of Ward’s newly confident vocals — with subtle guitars barely escaping from beneath his self-assured poise.

Every song on this record is far more daring and audacious than anything Sparta has previously done. My complaint and subsequent hatred of this band has always been that they were too restrained and worried about writing radio hits. Justifiably so, I was both excited and nervous when I first heard Keeley Davis had joined the band. Excited because of his brilliant work with Engine Down and Denali, but nervous that I’d be immensely let down once I finally got to hear him in his new role. Thankfully, Davis succeeded my expectations. I guess good things do come in threes.