Thrice
Album: The Alchemy Index - Vols. 1 & 2: Fire and Water
Release Date: October 16, 2007
Label: Vagrant Records

Thrice - The Alchemy Index - Vols. 1 & 2: Fire and Water

Track Listing
Disc One (Fire)
01. Firebreather
02. The Messenger
03. Backdraft
04. The Arsonist
05. Burn the Fleet
06. The Flame Deluge

Disc Two (Water)
01. Digital Sea
02. Open Water
03. Lost Continent
04. Night Diving
05. The Whaler
06. Kings Upon the Main

Reviewer: Eric

When a band releases a double album you usually want to give it a listen since double albums don't come out too often. But when a band is going to release two double albums in less than a year then you know this could be something special. In Thrice's case there should be an apologize because this is one of the shortest double albums I've ever heard.

I understand not every album can be eighty minutes, but when both discs equal to be forty nine minutes then somebody needs to explain why this wasn't put on one disc. It's a pain in the ass listening to this album for starters, if you want to listen to it in its entirety then you need to change the discs. I shouldn't have to change discs after twenty two minutes, that's bull shit!

Then album itself isn't bad. Thrice is set to release volume two in April of 2008. Each disc on volume one is the length of an EP, if you haven't guessed by now. The concept on each disc keeps with the name of it, plus you can tell with the song titles where each track would go if you had to do this. I really hated when I was just starting to get into one of the discs my journey with Thrice was over.

Thrice did a great job with all twelve songs, but I really wanted more. I wasn't too crazy about 2005s Vheissu and 2003s The Artist in the Ambulance got old real fast. With this album Thrice have tried a lot of different things, you can almost say this album as an experimental rock album. A majority of the tracks are great, disc two is much better if I had to pick my favorite. I really just wish Thrice gave us more on here or at least said this is a double disc EP collection.

Final Verdict
Thrice might not have pulled it off with their first part in the Alchemy Index series. Out of the twelve tracks here there are eight that stand out, disc two has the majority of great tracks. This album should not be called a double album, this so called double album doesn't even break the fifty minute mark. In whole though I like the approach Thrice went with here, this album is much better than the bands last to full length releases.

Rating
7.25 out of 10


Thrice - Image of the Invisible


#18 porno movie monday wrote:
"In Thrice's case there should be an apologize because this is one of the shortest double albums I've ever heard."

You should apologize for bad grammar, Eric. APOLOGY. there should be an APOLOGY.

what makes this album better than the last TWO full lengths? explain a little more. instrumentation? lyrics/lyrical content? composition? I was fond of The Artist and the Ambulance, so what should I expect out of this release?

#19 Amalgamut00 wrote:
I am sorry about my bad grammar Mr. Porno Movie Monday, I will look at my work again and change it. Right now I will elaborate more on the album. Hopefully this will help you and all the other fans of the web site out.

Disc One Fire
The songs in general on this disc vary from screaming to sweet. Kensrue does an excellent job here I think, Vheissu was a good album, but the songs on here are more distinguish than songs on their last album. There are repetitive parts on this album, with the riffs mainly. I don't find this to be a problem too much as I thought it was catchy. Out of the six tracks on here The Arsonist might be the best example on how both Kensrue and Teranishi have improved their playing, giving the listener something different.

Disc Two Water
Right from the start I think this disc will get more listens than the other one. Water reminds me a lot of ISIS and Radiohead minus the vocals. I read some where that Thrice did something weird while recording these six tracks to give it an under water feel. Everything on this album seems to be tuned down, there isn't a blast beats or guitar solos that you'd hear on a Slayer or Cannibal Corpse album. Instrumentally this disc is repetitive, but it fits real well with the entire feel of the album. Again I think Kensrue does a great job on this disc too.

I might have been too much of an ass when I first wrote this review up, having to switch between these two discs after twenty minutes is annoying as hell. Vheissu was a good album, as was The Artist in the Ambulance, but I think in general Thrice has improved a lot with this album. Take the new Poison the Well, those guys did a fantastic job with their latest album, in ways I almost compare Thrice and Poison the Wells new albums together. I may not be as descriptive with certain things, I haven't played any real instrument for four years now, but I try. Hopefully I answered your questions here Mr. Porno Movie Monday, if I didn't then I'll give it another shot later.