Review Summary: Thrice finishes up their alchemical concept albums beautifully. While air has the least elemental unity, it houses several of Thrice's most impressive pieces. Earth's songs flow wonderfully and leave a lasting emotional fingerprint on the listener.
Thrice has come a long way from their first album, Identity Crisis. What was once a collection of post-hardcore rockers has turned into a cohesive, experimental, and borderline progressive force. With their latest release
The Alchemy Index, Vols. III & IV, they have allowed the cement of fame to continue settling.
Continuing the trend that started with Vheissu, Thrice has distanced themselves from stereotype and outward expression of the post-hardcore, rocker genre and continues to discover the epitome of themselves through musical expression.
Since this is a continuation of the elemental concept that started with Fire and Water, the record is divided into two parts, Air and Earth. Many speculated how the band would personify the classical element of air (accordingly the most abstract element) however the record does a damn well job at it.
Interestingly enough, the album starts out on a slow note.
Broken lungs is a steady, rhythmic ballad, but simply isn't up to par with many of the other songs on the album. The chorus has a very nice chord progression which leads into a nice rhoads/guitar duet. Probably the best part of this song is the incorporation of a heavy side, yet still retaining a remnant of air, albeit a destructive one. The next song,
The Sky Is Falling, is probably the closest Thrice will ever get to indie-dance rock (handclaps and all.) Suprisingly, they pull it off. The chorus is catchy, the bass line gets you moving, and the song keeps on flowing, It ends up becoming one of the highlights of the album.
A Song for Milly Michaelson is quite slow and repetitive with 90% of the song being taken up by the same 3 chord progressions on an acoustic guitar. Yet it's simplicity is it's forte. The droning guitar seems to fit perfectly with Dustin Kensrue's soft, almost encouraging voice.
Daedalus. Simply put, this song is powerful. It perfectly represents the emotion of a Father's love towards his son. The song is a counterpart to 2003's
The Melting Point of Wax off
The Artist in the Ambulance It's first person narrative is not drowned out by the music, but gives you the feeling of listening to a great epic told by Homer. Neither is the music downplayed, both sharpen each other. The climax of the song is when the narrator cries out to the gods, a unique perspective in music today.
As the Crow Flys is probably the only song in this first half that you would be tempted to skip over. Similar to A Song for Milly Michaelson, this song relies on the steady continuation of a simple guitar. Yet for some reason, Dustin's voice does not meld quite as well as with the other.
Silver Wings finishes up Air brilliantly. It simply sounds great. Everything about it, the soft sweet vocals, the excellent placement of key changes, and the playful synth, beckons to your ears.
Earth is stripped, brutal, and meaningful. It's much less naive and buoyant and much more emotional yielding simplistic songwriting, but deep, profound lyrics. The EP starts and transitions with the sound of boots on a wood floor, striding to the instruments. Cheesy? Yes, but melds nicely with the songs.
Moving Mountains is a song about love, taken directly from 1 Corinthians 13. Dustin clearly is influenced by Biblical passages but as in their previous albums, integrates Christian scripture artistically with the option of letting it have deeper meaning, if you so please. It's simple chord structure plucked on guitar is moving and effective. The song comes to a climax that leaves you with chills, with one of his best vocal performances yet.
Digging My Own Grave is a song about addiction, which nails the feelings of an addict perfectly; in denial through the verses, and apologetic in the chorus. The barroom piano along with an almost Hebrew sounding clarinet compliment each other very well.
The Earth Isn't Humming is an apocalyptic medley of guitar, tambourine, and banjo. It is powerful and almost overbearing, but beautiful, especially at the end. Dustin's vocal performance is simply par, however.
The Lion and the Wolf is a vocal-piano duet that eerily connotes impeding doom for the subject of the narrator. This is probably the only song done by Thrice that can come off as creepy. Although
very simple, this piece could not have been pulled off any other way.
Come All You Weary is earnestly beautiful. Another song taken straight from the New Testament, this one is much more overtly about Christianity than perhaps any other Thrice song, save
Like Moths to Flame The blues electric over strummed acoustic is stunning, and the chorus is one of the best the band has to offer. Unfortunately,
Child of Dust ends the album blandly. This is probably the one thing that all of the Alchemy Indexes have disappointed on. Thrice used to have such good conclusions to their albums, even at their low point (
The Artist in the Ambulance.) But the ballads that end each element don't quite match up.
Overall, The Alchemy Index has given us a true Philosopher's Stone in the form of music, and will make a great addition to any collection.
