Review Summary: Thrice sound refreshed after a long hiatus and it makes for a welcome return.
It’s a breath of fresh air to finally hear Thrice playing music again. Their evolution has been nothing short of intriguing to experience. From their post hardcore roots to the sudden increase of dreamy atmospheric leanings, the band never managed to release any bad albums. In the process, they stayed true to themselves, clearly had fun with it and weren’t afraid to take things down a notch with
Major/Minor. With their comeback album
To Be Everywhere Is To Be Nowhere, they continue down that path in favor of an even more hard rock/alternative rock driven atmosphere while remaining surprisingly consistent even nine albums later. Those beautiful atmospheric moments reminiscent of
Vheissu still remain very much intact as well. Lyrically, Dustin doesn’t exactly shine here, but his voice boasts a raspy tone that reeks of charisma. Rest assured, Thrice are back and while it they may not be better than ever, it’s still a welcome return.
The band’s approach here proves to be very nuanced and cohesive this time around. For example, songs like “The Long Defeat” and “Stay With Me” juxtapose their soaring
Vheissu esque atmospheric side and hard rock/alternative side of
Major/Minor. Little bits of
Fire and
Water are thrown into the mix as well, but the album still stands on its own with plenty of character. Coupled with Dustin’s fantastic vocals and a stellar guitar sound on “Stay With Me,” Thrice manages to bring lots of genuine emotion to the table. The same goes for “The Long Defeat” as it gingerly fades away with soothing guitar melodies. This song also gives the album’s interlude “Seneca” a significant amount of emotional weight as it expands on the last minutes of “The Long Defeat” for a short while. “Salt and Shadow” also shows off the band’s solely dreamy side, with Dustin’s falsetto and spacey instrumentation paving the way. Thrice fans are in for a treat in terms of variety here.
In terms of chemistry, the band remains as connected as ever. Everyone has a chance to be heard at the perfect volume. The bass work is solid, the drums never falter and many riffs are memorable. However, Dustin often shines a lot brighter than everyone else. Over the years his voice has developed from that standard post hardcore voice to a raspy style with plenty of grit. Throughout the album he consistently provides compelling choruses and nails every high note. The albums powerful opener “Hurricane” is evidence of this, with Dustin passionately singing “It’s gonna rain till the levee breaks.” His voice plows through the beefy guitar sound so well he makes it sound easy. He also boasts some more dynamic energy on songs like “Black Honey” and “Death From Above.”
It feels so great to be able to welcome Thrice back with open arms. Their signature brand of post hardcore sounds and dreamy atmospheric elements still impresses after all these years. We witness the band continuing down their
Major/Minor path while adding a little more heaviness to it and it's mostly for the better. With the exception of the truly subpar, simplistic and grating “Blood On The Sand,” Thrice’s comeback album sees them aging gracefully. It may not be their best outing, but it features enough spectacular hard rock esque instrumentation and engaging vocal sections to celebrate. Granted, it’s nothing too new for them, but their musicianship helps make for an exceptional experience and makes one eager to see what they have in store for the future.
