Thrice
Vheissu

THE REVIEW

I got to know Thrice a couple of years ago with "The Artist In The Ambulance," a decent mix of emo and post-hardcore that at times, however, proved to be too confusing and inconclusive, and indeed, after only a few listens, I let the album slide into my personal oblivion without any effort at all.

Year of Our Lord 2005: this "Vheissu" is released; numerous positive reviews, read around the web, convince me to give it a look. The notes of "Image Of The Invisible," opener and first single, begin: a classic Thrice piece, it could easily seem like a leftover from "The Artist In The Ambulance." And already in my mind, I begin to malign, imagining I have in my hands a photocopy album of the previous one; when suddenly the notes of the second track, "Between The End And Where We Lie," start: the rhythm is slow, the atmosphere is melancholic, and I am shocked that I never realized how beautiful Dustin Kensrue's voice was. After the negligible "The Earth Will Shake," track number three, which returns to more aggressive shores, comes the moment of one of the peaks of the album, "Atlantic": the tempos slow down again, the atmosphere becomes once more rarefied, and the singing, whispered and sweet, is almost hypnotic. A jewel of great intensity. The piano that introduces track number five, "For Miles," a piece surely influenced by heavy doses of Radiohead (apart from the epic scream closure), makes me finally realize the evolution of the band, which in "Vheissu" significantly slows down the tempos and reserves much more space than before, for more mellow melodies and sounds, yet keeping them perpetually balanced with the proverbial roughness that has always characterized Thrice.

What emerges is a sound closer to alternative rock than to the mix of emo and post-hardcore of the beginnings: the guitars, previously overwhelming, are here put in the background, although the excellent work of the guitarist remains perfectly evident; odd-time signatures, as well as electronic and keyboard inserts, are present in massive doses, like never before in a Thrice album (special mention, among other things, right for the rhythm section, in huge form); the scream is reduced to the bare minimum, so as to reveal the great melodic qualities of Dustin's voice, here warmer and more alluring, rather than angry and gritty, just listen to tracks like the aforementioned "Atlantic" and "For Miles," or the fantastic "Music Box" and "Red Sky". The result of all these innovations is decidedly disorienting when compared to the band's previous discography, which has grown enormously both in terms of songwriting and lyrics.

I reach the end of the album quite amazed; I never would have expected Thrice to pull out of the hat an album of such great intensity, beautifully sung and played, that emanates dreaminess from every note. A splendid work that made me reassess a band I deemed neither signed nor praised. Undoubtedly one of the albums of 2005.

Well done, very well done Thrice.