Review Summary: There's nowhere I would rather be than here.
To Be Everywhere Is to Be Nowhere is distinct for Thrice, but still distinctly Thrice. It's a rock record a la
Beggars and
Major/Minor, but it is darker and more brooding than those works and, though the band don't engage in the unexpected, really, they have delivered a record unique to their oeuvre.
To Be Everywhere... is a satisfying comeback record which nestles itself comfortably amongst the band's impressive discography.
Opener "Hurricane" toys, beginning with somber acoustic chords before unexpectedly breaking into mid-tempo distortion. Kensrue's vocals, which enter shortly after, are gruffer than ever and, indeed, better too. It's appropriate that he returns from his band's hiatus with a voice both more weathered and more gallant. The song remains mid-tempo throughout and, though it bears elements of Thrice's other releases (the end, for example, is reminiscent of 2007's "Firebreather,") the conglomeration results in a track unique in the band's canon.
Such describes the record as a whole.
To Be Everywhere... is dark, yes, but it is also celebratory. It is at once an aggregation and commemoration of Thrice's post-
Artist in the Ambulance career. "The Window" opens with a
Vheissu-esque 7/4 groove; "Black Honey," an album highlight, would have fit on
Major/Minor; closer "Salt and Shadow" is a touching, well-produced ambient number which brings to mind The Alchemy Index's
Water volume. Furthermore, I would be amiss to ignore "Death from Above," an odd-tempoed twister of a track, and "Whistleblower," the record's heaviest number, which bear traces of the band's
Air and
Fire EPs, respectively.
The production is excellent, Dustin's voice is better than ever, and the songwriting is mostly strong. I would have liked to see minute-long interlude "Seneca" developed further, and "Blood on the Sand" is too short, but minor complains aside, this is a satiating listen, and an excellent launching point for the second phase of Thrice's career. How exciting it is to be privy to experience both this and, hopefully, future releases from a band once thought extinct. To be everywhere may be to be nowhere, but there's nowhere I would rather be than here.
