Release Date: October 18, 2005
Reviewed by Andy Seabright
I had originally expect some kind of generic pop/punk disarray of happy-go-lucky tunes used to impress girls, in which would win them a permanent staple at Warped Tour just about every year. And yet, I was completely wrong about them. So with that in mind I present to you my thoughts on Thrice’s 2005 release ‘Vheissu’.
The album starts off like many records do, with a potent, buoyant introduction tune. This in some way reminds me of a slight influence to Fugazi. The album goes on a sensible ride of ups and downs with smooth and cheerful tunes. The song The Earth Will Shake features a moment of stillness, an almost utterly meager sound. The kind of vibe you get from those typical pretentious indie college rock bands, but then immediately jumps into a dynamic battering of guitars, drums, and gut-wrenching vocals.
Parts of ‘Vheissu’ are comfortable and soft to which many fans of Sparta, Ours, Travis, and so on would love to sink their teeth into. Then other songs on the album give you the sense of that common sound made famous by bands like Taking Back Sunday and which would get your annoying younger sister to put up posters of them all over her bedroom wall. On the other hand, ‘Like Moths to Flames’ has a droning, doom guitar feeling made recognizable by bands like Isis and Pelican, something I actually really enjoy. The album ends with the warm and vibrant song ‘Red Sky’ which again, does feel as though many albums end with a tune such as this one.
With the album style having songs that sound all over the place, it does tend to act as a double-edged sword. Although you get variety, it lacks any transition from one track to another, which can kill the mood at times. But overall the songs are well written and easy to listen to, causing ‘Vheissu’ to get consistent rotation in your CD player. I wasn’t much of a fan of Thrice in the beginning, but now I can say that I am.
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