If you’ve read my previous post then you should know that Thrice have recently announced an Australian tour to promote the release of the final volumes in their Alchemy Index project. I therefore though it would be a good time to write up a full review of this ambitious four volume epic, which I’ll be breaking up into two parts. Without further ado here’s my coverage of Volume I (Fire) & Volume II (water).
Volume I, heralds it’s arrival with an air raid siren on the start track Firebreather. This heavy hitting song smashes all the right notes with thrashing guitar & thunderous drum work that mash together with some contrastingly soft vocals & a choral harmony near the end. This heavy, hard & intense sound sums up the overall feeling for the first volume.
This vibe is continued with The Messenger which has Dustin using his powerful vocals to blunt & direct effect. With a relatively short length this song doesn’t really introduce anything new into Thrice’s repertoire but it should appease fans as it sounds very similar to work on their earlier albums Artist In The Ambulance & to a lesser extent Vheissu.
Backdraft is given a bit more room to breath with a 4 min running time and an atmospheric start containing an acoustic guitar & a simple drum beats that work well to suck you in. This soft introduction is broken at the minute mark with some hefty riffs and a ripping chorus.
The Arsonist follows the Backdraft by ripped straight into a pounding beat and some dark lyrics ” I love this city, but I’ve set and numbered its days. I love this city, enough that I’ll set it ablaze”. Since there’s so much going on in this track it nay take a number of listens before you’ll be able to pin point all the elements that make it work. The rumbling bass work, interplaying guitars and empowered drum solo’s means you’ll really need to crank up this track to get the most from it.
Burn the Fleet is a soothing contrast to the previous Fire tracks & has a slower tempo which takes a while to wrap your head around. The crashing drums & soaring vocals perfectly complement each other and are hypnotically captivating (like an arsonist to a flame). This is the standout track on Volume I and is one of those compelling tracks that builds on you the more you listen to it.
The first volume is then concluded with the anticlimactic The Flame Deluge. The eerie distorted piano introduction is the highlight of this track & sounds like a melody from a broken music box. Unfortunately the rest of the song is ruined with undecipherable screaming vocals that crunch & grind their way through the ear like broken glass. Thankfully there’s a bit of relief with a final soothing vocal harmony fadeout.
In summary Volume I will likely please old school Thrice fans or those into metalcore music. While it would have been nice to see a bit more diversity throughout the album, songs tracks like Firebreather, The Arsonist and Burn The Fleet are strong additions to the bands already impressive back catalog.
Final Rating: 80 / 100 pennies
Volume II, begins with the appropriately titled Digital Sea. This opener contains a slow electronic back beat, dreary vocals & stripped back instrumental work which unfortunately sets the scene for the rest of the album. Maybe it’s my short attention span but this means every track seems to surge together into one coma inducing snooze fest. I’ll therefore skip the song descriptions & just give you my opinion on the album as a whole.
I was originally expecting the interpretation of water to echo the ebb & flow of an open sea and to conjuring an atmosphere of conflicting rage and calm. While Thrice have managed to nail the calming part, all of the tracks ultimately feel empty & lifeless.
This is mainly attributed to the overuse of digital effects & synthesised beats which were engineered by guitarist Teppei Teranishi (cool name). All the songs thereby sound like they’ve been manufactured by a computer rather than having the vibe of a whole band working together. This means the subdued vocals & instruments are often drowned out by digital noise thereby making making the whole album feel real laid back & mellow. Therefore if you’re in a mood to chill out or if you enjoy techno influenced harmonies then you may get more out of this album than I did.
Final Rating: 50 / 100
In conclusion while Thrice have effectively managed to capture the energy & intensity of the fire element on Volume I, they’ve unfortunately missed the mark with Volume II’s dreary techno babble bubble tracks which just sound boring.
Fortunately Thrice have greatly redeemed themselves with the final two volumes III:Air & IV: Earth which I’ll be covering in part II of my Alchemy Index writeup so stay tuned.
Great review! I’ve heard most of the Water tracks and agree it’s a bit too Radiohead-esque (after OK Computer when it turned all weird) and not typical of what the band can really achieve.
Never considered the whole calm/rage concept but that would have been fantastic (like some of the Vheissu tracks – Stand and Feel Your Worth, For Miles, Atlantic – with more anger)
Looking forward to your track by track of Air/Earth. Daedalus is almost as perfect as Brand New’s Limousine.
Thanks. You’re right about the Radiohead vibe on the water albums.
Vheissu is definitely my favorite Thrice album. A lot of the tracks contain lyrical & melodic aspects of the elements as well.
Sucks about the you missing out on the tour, but I’m sure you’ll be able to catch some great bands in Japan (Zebrahead have been over there a few times but never to Australia).