Emotionalpunk.com
Media Review
Music Quality: 9.0
Production: 7.0
Originality: 10.0
Tracklisting
2. A Subtle Dagger
3. See You In the Shadows
4. Betrayal is a Symptom
5. Deadbolt
6. In Years to Come
7. The Red Death
8. A Living Dance Upon Dead Minds
9. Where Idols Once Stood
10. Trust
11. To Awake and Avenge the Dead
12. So Strange I Remember You
13. The Beltsville Crucible
Coming from a label I can't say I really enjoy much anymore, I was pretty skeptical about Thrice. But, I heard they were really killer, and their sound was one I might enjoy. I'm glad I checked them out; I thought Identity Crisis was pretty alright. It wasn't my favorite CD at all, though, and got pretty old. Plus, it didn't have that great of production.
I saw all the promotions for the new CD, and got rolled into the hype; 'The Illusion of Safety' is freaking awesome. I don't know how a band can blend off elements of hXc and pop-punk, but these guys do it *really well*. Better than Finch (one of their few competitors, it seems)? YES. Simply because his vocal range and is better, and the guitars do SO much more. This CD is so full of energy and elements of hardcore, but yet there are consistently awesome vocals. Sometimes, I got a little bored with the CD, but then suddenly something else got thrown in there; like a crazy death-metal lick or drop-off. And this CD is so full of overall craziness, but in a good way, that I couldn't stop listening to it. You have to be sure to listen to every track; you never can really tell when they're going to throw something new in.
I have a couple little grievances with the CD; a lot of the time it can get really hard to understand his vocals. It was the same way in Identity Crisis and is probably just the way he sings.
Still, this CD is definitely one of the best releases I've heard so far this year. The constantly killer vocals and melodies along with the hardcore-yelling blend together really well, and the band has shown what I consider to be worlds of improvement from their first release. If you even kind-of like metal and pop-punk, I think you can't help but be pleased..