Send "Thrice " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Sputnikmusic |
 Music is my obsession. If I have any free time you can bet that there's a good chance that I will either be writing it, listening to it, or searching for it. It has become the glue that, along with my friends and family, holds me together. My journey in becoming the elitist, asshole of a music snob that I am today would have never gotten off the ground if it wasn't for Thrice. When I started middle school, I, like just about every other kid out there whose brain had been morphed and over-saturated by modern rock radio, was enamored by the likes of Linkin Park, Metallica, and Blink 182, but in 2002 I was introduced to Thrice and never looked back. Thrice sparked a fire in my heart that still burns brightly to this day. Not only did The Illusion of Safety get the ball rolling on the pathway to music nerd-dom, it was the inspiring force for me to pick up a guitar, and through shared connection helped establish some of my longest running friendships. The Illusion of Safety is the perfect post-hardcore album. For proof of this just look at the thousands of bands that popped up after its release, trying in vain to capture the power and and majesty hidden within its thirty-eight minutes. The Illusion of Safety perfectly blends harsh screams and blistering guitar work with clean vocals and addicting, hook filled melodies. One only needs to listen to “Deadbolt” to understand why. Teppei Teranishi's intro riff has become the genre's defining moment, not to mention when it resurfaces in the chorus under Dustin Kensrue's soaring vocals it sounds as though all the energy in the world is focused through your speakers and into your being. But not all of The Illusion of Safety's power lies within its furious side. “So Strange I Remember You” and “See You In the Shallows” showcase a perfected version of the melodic punk of Thrice's debut, Identity Crisis, with resounding sing-a-long chants, punk beats, and fast power chords, making even the best songs from their debut sound like immature growing pains. Dustin Kensrue's lyrics on The Illusion of Safety are among his most personal. While still not as refined as what he would offer up on later releases, found within the literary references and religious allusions of his words, Kensrue's struggles with faith, dogma, and friendships are the backbone for his poetry on The Illusion of Safety. Yet instead of the global existentialism of “we” that made Vheissu so uplifting for its fans, Kensrue's struggles on Illusion are his and his alone making it a much darker place, melding perfectly with the heavier instrumentation of the album....full text |
| Blogcritics |
| Admittingly I'm not a fan of hardcore punk but this CD begs, no, demands that you like it. Very interesting guitar lines that are doubled by a very good bass player coupled with a great drum recording. I'm more a fan of the screaming vocal stylings but even during the singing parts one thing sticks out - hey, this guy can actually sing! This is a rarity among many in the genre who think a few notes pushed out amongst distortion is melodic. Yea. A very solid album. Pick it up if you're into the recent wave of, "woah, they're actually screaming? On MTV?" type bands that are popular these days. And yea, these guys are actually good, so don't confuse these guys with those bands on MTV that are really quite awful (which will wait for another review)....full text |
| Punknews |
| Its hard to describe Thrice. Metal tendencies with and emo-ish voice? Sorta. But there's much, much more. The album jumps off to an incredible start with 'Kill Me Quickly', unquestionably one of the best tracks on the album. Dustin quickly changes his vocal styling from a hardcore scream (not screamo, kids), to a melodic voice. The up tempo riffs also are broken down into a slower tempo to create an incredible mixture of emotion and fury. From there comes blazing in my favorite track of the album, 'A Subtle Dagger'. Hard metallish chords with a harsh, melodic, hardcore-screamy voice. For some reason I can't stop thinking I'm hearing a Megadeth riff. God bless Dave Mustaine. Other honorable mentions include 'See You in the Shallows', which again boasts the Thrice-tacular metal influence, but has more emotional vocals. 'Betrayal is a Symptom' is another track which shows the incredible range of this band's talent. To be honest, every track is incredible. I'm too lazy to discuss every one, so I gave you the first 4. I don't know if emotional-influenced hardcore has sounded this good since Lifetime. Thrice seems to tread the line perfectly. Where bands like Kid Dynamite and Strike Anywhere (both of whom I love) tend to dip more on the hardcore side, Thrice is right split in the middle. Kinda like Grade, except they are more metal influenced, and that, is always cool. Should you buy Thrice's "The Illusion of Safety"? Yes, why? Because I said so? Yes. Because all of your friends will think you have good taste? Yes. You don't need a reason, you punk-rocker. Get out there and rock-out....full text |
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