[rating=8.00]
To Be Everywhere Is To Be Nowhere isn’t another step into an unknown, instead it becomes more clear it is a more refined piece of Thrice’s discography since the days they released Alchemy Index Vol. I-IV. From then on it was indication of their future intentions – less heavy hardcore and pop tendency and more arranged alternative take with what felt less concentration on the emotional ties of their work and more so on their lyricism (one could argue for the opposite). To be fair, many have agreed Thrice had already reached the height of what they could of accomplished with the steady diet of post-hardcore when they released the seminal classic of the genre with The Artist In The Ambulance. Their ninth studio album is off the heels of a hiatus that started in 2012, where each of the members mutually decided to pursue other respective projects. It would have been easy to dismiss ‘a band with another comeback,’ but from the beginning it just isn’t that easy to do so.
To Be Everywhere Is To Be Nowhere shows that this band can still weave a powerful narrative within their music without having the rest of the album suffer. They still have strength in unadulterated powerful chord arrangements and smartly executed loud-quiet dynamic as seen with their first single “Blood On The Sand.” It packs a punch with an unrelenting Dustin Kensrue (guitars/vocals) pushing the dynamic to the precipice. It is something that we should all be accustomed to by now. Guitar work that has become something of a marvel to see over the years and with the preceding “The Window,” Thrice prove they know how to balance the weighty heart and the modest mentality. Much of this album has a political undertone in its underbelly. “Wake Up” is definitely the most direct approach the band takes on here and with its anthemic sectional drumming and push to arms advance, it indicates the band’s wary attitude on the landscape of today.
Naturally there is a segue that takes place near the end of “The Long Defeat” and the entirety of “Seneca” to show a divide of the haves and have-nots upon “Black Honey.” The lines of: you know I never get it right / I keep swinging my hands toward a swarm of bees / I don’t understand why the sting won’t leave / I do what I want, I do what I please is a testament of the what to expect on the second half of this record. Thrice move from the livid individual to the controlled sense of community for the greater good. Its duality is what makes this record float above what seems to be more of a politically charged arena of music this year. Rarely do they step out of bounds on this forceful nature but when they do as with “Whistleblower,” which you can guess what is about, the band never quite erupt into such heavy guitar crunches that warrant a disconnection from the rest of the second half introspection. Lulling the vehement message is the six-minute airy and exhausted “Salt And Shadow,” which is less about what is on the horizon and more of remembrance that blissfully disappears through piano key.
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