Thrice - The Illusion of Safety (13 tracks) +Album Reviews

The Best of the Best

Jake Larsen | La Palma, CA United States | 10/12/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Illusion of Safety is the best album that Thrice has pumped out so far. The guitar is amazing. This CD could still be one of the top selling albums without any lyrics. You can feel the passion of the band flowing through the your speakers on every song. The difference between this album and The Artist in the Ambulance is that order in which it was written. For the Illusion of Safety, the instrumentals were written first. All of the guitar, bass, and drum parts were completed before the vocals were ever imagined. Dustin had to write each song so that it would fit-in with the instrumentals. On the Artist in the Ambulance, Dustin had written every song before any instrumentals were composed. The passion in The Illusion of Safety is mainly in the instrumentals, but that doesn't mean that the lyrics aren't heart-filled. Each song is extremely powerful and fun to listen to. If there you are looking for a CD that combines harcore, emo, punk, and a few other genres, buy this album. you won't regret it!"

Showing the kids how it's done

philster | Georgia | 03/12/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My how the music scene can change in such a short time. A year ago I was gung-ho about the whole sing/scream thing... Thursday, Boy Sets Fire, et al. Now, my appreciation for those bands has diminished by the sheer number of other groups that have worn that style out and done a mediocore job (Glasseater, anyone?). At first, I wrote Thrice off as another one of these middle-of-the-road emo/hardcore/we-want-to-appeal-to-everyone-core bands. Yet, for some reason or another, I took a chance and bought this album. Boy was I wrong. This is what the whole sing/scream thing should be about. A great thing about these guys is that their foundation is in new school punk. It's nice to hear some post-hardcore that isn't so overwrought with Quicksand and Fugazi influences. So yeah, there are some great punk tunes on here, with melodic guitar leads and pretty vocal harmonies. Then, out of nowhere, the band gets dirty on you. The drummer spazzes out, the guitarist busts out the Iron Maiden riffs (thankfully devoid of any gimmick or novelty), and those pretty vocals become manly screams. The punk/hardcore transitions are smooth, and they experiment with many song structures and moods. The variety here is quite commendable. The band mainly creates solid songs within their own consistent sound, but they still are able to reach hard and soft extremes with skill. My only complaint is that some of these songs are definitely filler. Some of the songs also are a bit too schizophrenic, leaving a perfectly good hook behind far too early on. All in all, though, this is a thought-provoking, creative, inspiring album. Well done."

Not once, not twice, but Thrice!

The Wickerman | Austin, TX | 07/28/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As a devoted fan of heavy metal and progressive rock, I've never really had any interest in anything "emo" or "indie" (in fact, I'm still not really sure what those terms mean), and because of it, I nearly missed out on this band. However, my friend Tyke Chandler laid a lot of praise on them, so I decided to give them a try. This just goes to show that it pays to keep an open mind.This album is just amazing. Thrice combines emo and punk with the 80's metal style of Iron Maiden, and the result is stunning. Dustin and Teppei are an incredible guitar duo. They will lead you through fast riffs, jaw-dropping harmonies, and Dave Murray-like solos. Even more amazing is the fact that most of these songs don't even top 3 minutes. I haven't heard an album that packed so much greatness into such short songs since Slayer's "Reign in Blood". You won't believe they did all that in just a couple of minutes. The Breckenridge brothers make an excellent rhythm section. Eddie lays down some awesome bass grooves, and Riley's drumming is just too great. Check out that constant drum roll in the first verse of "Where Idols Once Stood". Wow. That's not a double bass pedal either, he's doing it with his hands. It would take a great singer to front all this, but Dustin's vocals are more than adequate. He goes from screaming to singing softly, and does a great job with both.This album is just perfect. I recommend this album to everyone, fans of metal, prog., hardcore, emo, punk, whatever. No matter your tastes, there's a very good chance you'll like this. If you like Papa Roach (the second album moreso than the first), you'll definitely appreciate this. They're similar bands, but Thrice is far more talented. Judging by the likes of Dashboard Confessional and Saves the Day, I would say that emo rock will never be my first choice for music, but hey, one great band is certainly better than none."

Energy, intelligence, melody and passion - Thrice

KG | Cincinnati, OH United States | 08/29/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Thrice's "Illusion of Safety" is an album that defies easy classification - it is heavy but melodic, intense but thoughtful and poetic. Finding a stylistic classification is a chore as well - it boasts metallic elements, but to call them metal seems to shortchange them. Punk rock seems the next sensible classification, but to confine them amongst other pop-punk peers doesn't seem right either. They're a cut above the classical definitions of metal and punk. They're Thrice. Thrice is not a typical modern rock band. Few modern rock bands shift tempos and time signatures as ably as Thrice does, nor do most put the poetic words of E.E. Cummings to music, as they do on "A Living Dance Among Dead Minds", one of the most memorable songs on the album. "Kill Me Quickly", "See You in the Shallows", "In the Years to Come", "The Red Death", "Betrayal is a Symptom", and "To Awake and Avenge the Dead" meld varying dynamics (tempo, singing/screaming) perfectly, making some of the best energetic, intense yet melodic rock and roll one will ever hear. Other songs on the album, the tunes not highlighted above, aren't nearly as flawless and get lost in their own complexity, hence the four star rating. Sometimes the guitars are too metallic, the lyrics too far reaching, the tempo shifts and screaming overdone. The band should be commended for trying to raise the bar, even if they don't always succeed. They are talented musicians, songwriters and lyricists - but they're still growing into their gifts. Thrice's newest album, Artist in the Ambulance, finds them polishing these rough edges to exceptional results. It's easily one of the best albums of 2003. As it is, The Illusion of Safety is an entertaining, energetic album with constant shift changes, great production, and intelligent lyrics. There is not one dull moment on the album, and it's an ambitious, creative leap forward for a band that has only since improved. Thrice is worth checking out. If you need extra incentive: proceeds from the album go to help "A Place Called Home", a non-profit youth center in Los Angeles. You could a lot worse than checking out an intriguing, original rock band and helping the kids in the process."

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