Thrice once again smashes into the scene with another great record.

The band members’ individual sounds blend together to create Thrice’s eighth hit album, “Major/Minor.” The band has been together for 13 years now and has become a staple in the alternative music scene. Their new album, which was released on Sept. 20, debuted at No. 18 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, selling more than 19,000 albums in its first week.

On its website, the band wrote of the pain and agony its members felt while recording this album, which comes through in each song. Brothers Riley and Eddie Breckenridge experienced the death of their father in the middle of recording the album. Dustin Kensrue, the band’s frontman, said the album is “a darker, grayer feeling than a lot of our albums,” according to the band’s website. It seems band members used music as their outlet for expressing emotions and has created an album that reaches out and touches the part in each of us that aches from the loss of loved ones.

“Yellow Belly,” the first track on the album, sets the bar for the rest of the CD. Originally named “Major/Minor”, the enraged lyrics, “Your hands were made to comfort but they only conjure fear” pierce into the heart of the song and are backed up by some of the strongest instrumental playing in the album.

The drum beat echoes through one from its opening beat as the listener is confronted by these wrathful lyrics. The guitarist kills it with a labyrinth of artful guitar playing that takes the listener on a journey through the darkest song on the album.

In the second song on the album, “Promises,” lead singer Kensrue’s sexy voice drips like honey into listeners’ ears with a beautiful serenade. Questioning the sanctity of marriage in our society, the lyrics focus on the desecration of such a sacred promise of marriage that is so easily made and lost in the mix of life. The push and pull of the instrumental along with his raspy voice put listeners into a trance. The song’s hard-hitting lyrics put the song over the edge to make it one of the strongest tracks on the album.

“Listen Through Me” is one of the better tracks. A beautiful mess of heavy drumming and alluring piano bring out a totally different side of the band for this song. Kensrue’s crooning voice once again starts off this song; his voice seems more frantic and desperate as the chorus starts begging listeners to listen through him. At first, thoughts of “What the hell is this song doing on this album?” came to mind, but it quickly became a top choice.

The opening chords of “Treading Paper” are reminiscent of a Citizen Cope sort of sound, but then burst into an inferno of guitar playing. The drawn-out chords from the guitar haunt listeners as they play almost a wind-like sound. Kensrue’s pleading voice cracks in the softest moments, leaving listeners with a hollow feeling.

The instrumentation in the album is key to the whole dark and eerie sound. Kensrue’s voice is gruff and unrefined throughout the whole album, providing listeners with what feels like a private acoustic show, where it is just his voice with barely any vocal processing. Riley Breckenridge’s drumming throughout this album consistently stands above par. as if all the anger is released through each slam of the drum is as if he is backing up each word sung with a crushing drumbeat.

 

“Major/Minor” is available for purchase on iTunes for $9.99 and Amazon for $11.05. For more information about the band,visit www.thrice.net.

Chanel Saidi can be reached at [email protected].