Review Summary: I stare straight into the sun, I won't close my eyes, 'till I understand...
Thrice is one of the bands that I have come to love thanks to sputnik, I knew them before but didn't take the time to get into them. The first album I heard from them was their second, "The Illusion Of Safety". On first listen there were only a few standout tracks for me, "Deadbolt", "In Years To Come" and "To Awake And Avenge The Dead" in particular. As I listened to it more, I began to love the album as a whole and would find myself listening to it on repeat. I was impressed by their musicianship and the fact that they perfectly blended melody and hardcore. Since I wasn't really into metalcore at that time, it was a perfect album for me. So when they announced "The Artist In The Ambulance" I was eager to hear what they had in store for us.
The first thing I noticed about "The Artist In The Ambulance" is that it's a bit more 'hardcore' than the predecessor. This can already be heard on the first song, "Cold Cash And Colder Hearts", which starts off with Dustin screaming. That's not to say every track on the album features screaming, there are some more melodic ones that will not seem out of place on your local radio station. It's actually the melodic ones that stand out the most in my opinion. "Stare At The Sun" is one of my favorites from the album. It starts off with some guitar chords with delay effects, followed by a huge bass riff that can be heard throughout most of the song. The chorus in particular are very noteworthy, with Dustin singing:
"'Cause I am due for a miracle, I'm waiting for a sign.
I'll stare straight into the sun and I won't close my eyes,
'till I understand or go blind".
It is followed by another standout track, "Paper Tigers". This one features quite a lot of screaming and you can feel the emotion that's put into it. At about the third minute of the song there's a sort of breakdown part thrown in, followed by a calming mixture of instruments and sound effects for thirty seconds 'till the song reaches it's conclusion. The title track is another melodic song like "Stare At The Sun", it starts off with some singing over palm-muted guitar chords, followed by a REALLY catchy guitar riff that's played on the lower strings. Also noteworthy is the lyrics:
"Late night, brakes lock, hear the tires squeal.
Red light, can't stop so I spin the wheel.
My world goes black before I feel an angel lift me up.
And I open bloodshot eyes into fluorescent white.
They flip the siren, hit the lights, close the doors and I am gone"
Dustin Kensrue is a good vocalist, with that he also writes some excellent lyrics. Teppei is one of the better modern rock guitarists, he's creative and doesn't play the same kind of stuff over and over. This album is also the last one with the melodic hardcore sound to it, with the latter albums featuring a more progressive rock sound. Some fans really miss the 'old Thrice', while I just sit back and watch them evolve into really, really good musicians.
Recommended tracks:
Under a Killing Moon
All That's Left
Stare At The Sun
Paper Tigers
The Artist In The Ambulance
