Thrice - ‘Palms’ It’s classic Thrice with bigger & better production

When Thrice first came onto the scene they were caught in the middle of some sort of Nu Metal/Pop Punk/Emo hellish limbo that saturated the alternative music scene at the time. You also had the aftermath of the 90’s metal scene crashing down into a stench-ridden pit of camo shorts and bearded covered dean guitars, it was a very strange time for music.

Their first album, Identity Crisis (2001) definitely had some classic emo traits about it but wasn’t anywhere near as cringy as some of the other bands around at that time. They quickly tightened up their sound with a second record the following year, ‘The Illusion Of Safety’, where we started to hear more of the classic heavy chord breakdowns that Thrice have mastered over the years.

Then came, ‘The Artist In The Ambulance’, which still conjures up goosebumps at the very thought of the title track! This was easily their best record up until they kind of disbanded in 2011. Thankfully, they released ‘Blood on the Sand’ in 2016 and officially confirmed they were alive and well, and recording. This saw a return to the classic Thrice sound that we all came to know and love from the Ambulance era, and the 2016 album ‘To Be Everywhere Is To Be Nowhere’ showcased a new sound for Thrice, a rejuvenated Thrice, the Thrice we all fell in love with.

You can’t really say that record was better than their Ambulance era because they matured their sound, which is obviously a good thing, this mature sound has followed them into their new record, Palms.

The first track we heard from the album, ‘The Grey’, combines some classic elements of Thrice with an injection of energy, they sound young again and full of passion for their music. One thing that is always present on every single Thrice record is Dustin Kensrue’s distinguished vocals, they’ve always been key to the unique Thrice sound, and they don't disappoint here.

We should all be very thankful that Dustin decided to develop his voice over the years and direct himself away from the more emo style vocal that we heard at the beginning of their career.

The band have continued to grow since their welcomed return in 2016. We really didn’t know if that was going to be a brief return to music before they disappeared again, or if they were here to stay. They did the right thing by sticking around and continuing to write together.

‘Palms’ is a return to classic Thrice with a more polished and epic approach to the production of the record. Thrice have truly carved out their unique mark in the history of post-hardcore with this record, and their overall sound in general. Older fans may think the new record is a bit too pop compared to the Ambulance era, but ‘Palms’ is a perfect example of a band coming into their own whilst still progressing in their creativity.