Review Summary: Thrice strike back with vigorous ferocity delivering their best album in a decade
Thrice have had a long and diverse history since their debut 21 years ago. With massive successes like
The Illusion of Safety,
The Artist in the Ambulance,
Vheissu, and the four
The Alchemy Index EP’s, the band stayed extraordinary consistent before their brief hiatus in 2012. Since returning in 2016, it’s been a tale of two tales. While
To Be Everywhere is To Be Nowhere was favored by many, 2018’s
Palms felt like the first big stepback for the quartet in their lauded career. Fortunately, 2021’s
Horizons / East is an outstanding return to form delivering one of the most diverse records in their discography.
Right off the bat, “The Color of the Sky” informs the listener this isn’t the same Thrice you’ve known. After their misstep in 2018, Dustin Kensrue lets us know he knew he “would find a passage through”. This album takes a more experimental approach from recent outings. With horns bleeding throughout the opener and shimmering jazz-infused guitar in standout track “Northern Lights”, Thrice is showing they’ve found themselves in their later years.
The lyrical content, while nothing extraordinary, is an overall improvement from the generic wordplay in
Palms. Even though we still get religious undertones spread throughout, it seems Kensrue has found the right mix of overt meanings and themes the listener can interpret for themselves. Musically, the band has taken a more alternative rock approach than heard in previous outings, but we still hear older Thrice bleed through in moments like the end of “Summer Set Fire to the Rain” with some aggressive vocals radiating intensity in every word.
Some songs don’t entirely land like “Still Life” and “The Dreamer”. What hurts most is having both songs back to back smack dab in the middle. The former meanders for three minutes before we get a decent guitar solo that adds some variety to a track that overstays its welcome. “The Dreamer” has an identity crisis with Kensrue’s worst vocal delivery throughout the 43 minute runtime. The verses feel uncomfortable, and the chorus is bordering on cringe. The only saving grace here is that the instrumental is quite great.
On a positive note, there are some remarkable tracks that can stand next to the best in their catalogue. “The Color of the Sky”, “Northern Lights”, “Robot Soft Exorcism”, and “Dandelion Wine” all shine in their own different ways. The raw emotion and intensity that builds in “Robot Soft Exorcism” makes it clear why the band chose it as one of the singles. With his rhythm and general vocal delivery, Kensrue manifests his inner Jeff Buckley in “Dandelion Wine”. The dreamy guitar tone only further persuades you the band at least has some admiration for Buckley, and it works effortlessly.
With
Horizons / East, Thrice makes a bold statement that they aren’t back because they never left. With a history as long as theirs, the odds of any musical group staying consistent forever are razor thin. These 10 tracks prove that the best is still ahead of them.
Horizons / East is a standout album that sees them experiment with sound like never before all while giving long-standing fans what they want from a Thrice record. Though it’s probably not the finest record in their catalogue, it’s easily one of their best.
