The Boys from Irvine

A group that is impossible to say enough about. Everything from their musicianship, to their charity work, is amazing. Thrice, started in '98 by Dustin Kensrue and Teppei Teranishi, is one of my favourites of all time. Teppei brought a friend, Eddie Breckenridge, to play bass, who in turn brought his brother Riley in to play drums. With this they recorded and released their first attempt, only producing 1,000 copies of 'First Impressions' they sold it out of their cars. With interest growing, they released 'Identity Crisis' and were already starting their philanthropic ways with proceeds from their first album release going to charity. Soon they re-entered the studio and recorded 'The Illusion of Safety' in 2002. Again, proceeds from album sales would be going to charity, only this time, the label matched whatever Thrice donated. After making the same deal with Island, they released 'The Artist in the Ambulance' and they blew expectations out of the water. This album gave a huge dose of musicianship, mixed socially concious lyrics that didn't come off as preachy. These guys seemed to have found their niche, which gave no hint of what was about to come. Thrice released 'Vhiessu', an album that shows their maturity and talent. Although it still had some of the original thrice elements, it was completely new. Thrice was heading onward and upward in a completely different direction then expected. Then, the magnum opus that came way out of left field. In my opinion, quite possibly the greatest full release of all time, and definitely the top releases of both 2007 and 2008. 'The Alchemy Index.' This release puts Thrice up on the mantle of musical geniuses. Everything about this release is perfect, the four completely different sounds, the four completely different ideas, the four completely different albums. From the Vhiessu like feel of Fire, to the electronic feel of Water, to the softer, gentler Air, to the completely acoustic Earth, it is a masterpiece that just leaves you wanting more. And that's not to mention the little things which I will get more in depth about when I get to full album reviews. Trust me, there is going to be a lot of Thrice postage going on in the next little while, and their is going to be a lot of writing unlike usual. Every release they just seem to be getting better, and I honestly can't wait for what comes next.