Thrice have
been constantly evolving and progressing ever since their debut
Identity Crisis.
Still, when the band announced their next release would be a
four-disc concept dealing with each of the four classical elements,
alarm bells were set ringing. Had the band pushed themselves too far?
Would the whole ambitious venture fall flat, and wind up looking more
than a bit silly?
Well,
upon release, The
Alchemy Index turned
out to be far less daunting than we'd expected. The band kept each
part relatively concise, the physical separation occuring because of
each release's disaparate style, rather than any space constraints.
The fact that each element has it's own distinctive style also works
to the albums fever, as the band move swiftly on to something new.
Fire is
more of what we've heard from the band previously, while Water
is
odd, electronic-influenced rock with a little hint of Radiohead
about
it. For those wondering what Air
and
Earth sound
like, fear not, as I'll be reviewing the second part of The
Alchemy Index
soon.
Despite
being the closest to classic Thrice,
Fire is
the weakest part of The
Alchemy Index.
Sure, it's loud and anthemic just like Vheissu,
but something feels a bit “off” here. The songs just
aren't as strong overall as previous works, and even though it runs
just over 20 minutes it still manages to get tiresome before the
conclusion. Only Firebreather
and
Burn The Fleet
really
endures here, with Dustin Kensrue turning in a powerful, commanding
vocal performance. These are two outstanding rock songs that have
“single material” written all over them. Those two aside,
the band make a far too polite fist of things, much Fire
not
being offensively bad, but instead being far too dry and charmless.
It certainly is telling that Thrice
decided
to experiment further afield on the rest of the album, as perhaps
their well of high-quality, melodic hard rock is running dry.
Anyways,
we move swiftly onto Water,
and
it's here that things start to pick up. Guitars are pushed to the
background in favour of electronic beats and pianos, and you know
what? It suits them. As soon as Digital
Sea kicks
in, it's clear we're in far more interesting territory, the band
doing something new, while still sounding like Thrice.
Kensrue exchanges his bark for almost a whisper, fitting for this
more low-key collection of songs. Maybe old-time fans will be
dismayed, but the dreamlike swirl of Water
is
a much needed breath of fresh air. Lost
Continent is
a particular standout, starting out with just a piano and Kensrue's
plaintive vocals before building into a post-rock worthy crescendo in
the chorus. Indeed, the whole of Water
is
just so much better than Fire
that
it almost seems unfair to put the two back to back.
It
may not please old fans, the old-sounding stuff is a little
uninspired, while the rest is far removed, but the first half of The
Alchemy Index is
still a strong release. And guess what? It gets even better on the
second half. To be continued...