Thrice - Vheissu
Released Oct. 18, 2005
on Island
With Vheissu, the members of Thrice refuse to pigeonhole themselves, constrained to the limitations and expectations of a certain sub-genre.
They may not be quite at the level of shape-shifters like Radiohead or Cave In, but Thrice is leagues ahead of most of its Warped Tour contemporaries.
The overall sound has become often atmospheric and experimental. A more melodic direction was hinted at on 2003’s The Artist in the Ambulance, but the expansive, cinematic nature of Vheissu remains unprecedented.
Moody keyboards and ambient electronics lend to a spaced-out, dramatic mood. One song builds from a haunting Japanese music-box melody. Singer-guitarist Dustin Kensrue explains the band’s intentions:
Our biggest goal was to make something different, even if we didn’t know at first exactly what that meant. We just knew we wanted it to be atmospheric and create a space you could kind of live in. Our records have been kind of flat and two dimensional in the past, so we definitely wanted to try to do something more open sounding.Rolling Stone gave Vheissu just two out of five stars, while Kerrang Magazine gave it a full five. It may be less than perfect, but it is by no means average.
Fans of breakthrough album The Illusion of Safety may be disappointed. Teppei Teranishi’s piercing guitar solos are noticeably absent. The screaming is sparse, and the tempo is often slower. But Thrice has not sold out — just progressed. Call it a reinvention.
A contest that ends in January provides fans with the tracks to lead single “Image of the Invisible” and gives them the chance to reinterpret it. The band also made the entire album available for listening on MySpace.
Thrice donates a percentage of the album’s proceeds to 826 Valencia and is currently on tour with Underoath, The Bled and Veda.