Tom [Decapolis Music Editor]; Age: 25; Top 5 bands: Beach Boys, Pedro the Lion, Alkaline Trio, Brandtson, U2. Musical preferences: I'm a sucker for pop songs with strong harmonies and catchy melodies. I also focus a good bit on lyrical content, some of my favorite albums have very strong lyrical imagery.
Thrice is a four-piece band from Irvine, California that began playing together about three-years ago. Shortly after forming they put out a self released E.P., "First Impressions," and began playing throughout Southern California. A year later, they recorded their first full-length album, which was originally released on Green Flag Records. The album, titled "Identity Crisis," was re-released in March of 2001, on Sub City Records, an offshoot of Hopeless Records. “The Illusion of Safety” is the bands second album for Sub City and was recorded by well-known producer Brian McTernan (Hot Water Music, Cave In, etc.).
I think I will leave the main review up to Gunner since he covered just about everything I was thinking about with this relaase. I really wasn’t familiar with the band Thrice, other then just hearing their name in passing. But I have to say, “The Illusion of Safety” has made me a fan. I guess their sound would best be classified as melodic-hardcore, but don’t get me wrong, there is a lot more depth to this release then your typical melodic-hardcore album. More singing, less screaming, technical guitar parts and introspective lyrics all come together to make this a solid release.
Thrice sets themselves apart from many of todays bands due to their technical song structures and lyrics that go a lot deeper then your typical “boy meets girl, girl dumps boy” topics that are pretty common in this scene. “The Illusion of Safety” will make you think. Will bring challenging thoughts to mind and will entertain you musically as well. But like I said Gunner did a great job at reviewing this album…so go read his review!
Grade: B
Gunner [Decapolis Reviews Staff]; Age: 22; Top 5 bands: NOFX, Good Riddance, Strung Out, Lagwagon, No Use For A Name. Musical preferences: Punk rock with strong vocals, catchy melodies/harmonies, and attitude.
I saw Thrice a couple of months ago at the Fireside Bowl opening up for some hardcore bands. I hadn't heard Thrice until earlier that day but the mp3 I found on their web site was good, so I went to check them out. They played a very tight and cool blend of aggressive, melodic punk and old metal with a good mix of singing and screaming. I bought their CD, “Identity Crisis” that night and although I liked it, it didn't stay in my CD player too long. I was more impressed by the intelligent and poetic lyrics, most of which were about faith and relationships with God (3/4 of this band are Christians).
Fast-forward a few months and now I have the new CD in my hands. From the minute I turned this on, I was amazed. This is easily the best album I have heard in over a year. Most notably their guitar playing and writing abilities have skyrocketed, playing intense single, double, and alternating leads all over the place, in that perfect way that drives you mad because it's so good and still doesn't get in the way of the vocal melody of the songs. Track after track, the combination of powerful screaming and melodic singing over this fantastic metal/punk hybrid, which now sounds more like newer technical metal rather than old Metallica, pounds away at your head and still leaves you singing along.
The lyrics have only gotten better as well, dealing with all the struggles of life, including faith and a lack thereof. Each song is a poem, perfectly phrased. In fact the songs are so good as works unto themselves that quoting any lines would diminish the effect of the whole piece, so you'll just have to check out this album for yourself. The production is also perfect, all instruments and vocals are clear and loud without drowning out any other part, making for a truly enjoyable listening experience. Any true music fan should be able to find much value in this, though fans of bands like Good Riddance, Rise Against, Strike Anywhere, and other such melodic hardcore bands will find it most accessible.
To sum up: buy this record, and if you don't like it I'll take your copy because mine will be worn out in no time.
Grade: A
Average Grade: A-
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