Thrice returns for his tenth album, Palms, released on Epitaph Records. The post-hardcore band, however, delivers its second album since its reformation in 2015. After the acclaimed To Be Everywhere is To Be Nowhere (2016), what is this new opus worth?
Present for two decades on the alternative rock scene, Thrice has become a reference group when it comes to combining quality of compositions, interpretation, and especially an ability to evolve and reinvent itself. Starting with more raw albums like The Illusion Of Safety (2002), the Americans have gradually incorporated various experiments: Vheissu (2005) or The Alchemy Index (four albums released between 2006 and 2008) are good examples.
Best of Thrice
If the band succeeds once again in delivering an album that does not warm up, we find what makes the recipe for their success.
Dustin Kensrue (vocals), Teppei Teranishi (guitar), Eddie Breckenridge (bass) and Riley Breckenridge (drums) have a really good chemistry between them. The playing of each musician allows the others to rise and shine: The voice of Dustin Kensrue is carried by the arrangements of guitars and synths, the bass and drums are very consistent.
Also note that the rhythmic parts of Thrice are always very interesting : there are many measures composed (which are not in 4 beats) or rhythms that we do not necessarily expect, whether they are present in the background or squarely in a chorus.
The song "The Grey" could very well have appeared on the band's first albums, thanks to the edgy side of the riffs and rhythm. The maturity of the musicians, however, does even more justice to the strength of the song. Thrice 2018 is still powerful.
My Soul is more in the spirit of Beggars (2009), a kind of melancholic ballad that does not lose intensity. A Branch In The River joins the cult post-hardcore The Artist in the Ambulance (2003). Hold Up A Light is the right continuity of the previous song: a chorus that stays in the head and a drums that hits hard.
A new phase for the group
Everything Belongs sounds new to Thrice. Even though Dustin Kensrue's voice and asymmetrical rhythm would be recognizable from miles away, the track seems to add something new to the band's aesthetic. Combining a piano ballad and synthesizer tablecloths, the title would be reminiscent of Coldplay in much more epic. Blood on Blood surprises with its debut on acoustic guitar and percussion.
Palms opens with Only Us, a track that allows Thrice to reconnect with his usual sound but add novelty, thanks to the synths/moogs of the beginning.The title itself is also an excellent introduction to the album. We find the power, the poignant voice, and the heavy riffs.
Rating: 8.5/10
Thrice is truly one of the most important bands of his style, which continues to inspire despite 20 years of career.
Palms sounds like the band we grew up with, who would eventually grow up with us. It has matured for a few years now. The evolution is gradual, without ever denying its beginnings. The voice Thrice is on is decidedly the right one. In full possession of his creativity, Thrice is once again an essential group of our generation.
