June 6, 2000 - Thrice and Identity Crisis

It's a double release day! On the same day as my last release a new band joins my library when Thrice released their debut album "Identity Crisis" on June 6, 2000. But who are Thrice? They are a four-piece melodic/hardcore punk band from Irvine, California consisting of frontman Dustin Kensrue (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Teppei Teranishi (lead guitar), and brothers Eddie (bass) and Riley Breckenridge (drums, percussion). Thrice are definitely a punk band, but sometimes they go the heavier/hardcore route, including some screaming vocals, but other times go for a much lighter, pop-punk sound. Let's see what Thrice is all about!

The album kicks off with it's title track "Identity Crisis" and Teranishi leads the way with a solid punk-y guitar riff and Kensrue comes in to sing a solid verse overtop in a decent, punk-y singing voice. Things move smoothly into the chorus where Kensrue yells instead of sings and I of course like the yelling more. He's still very easy to understand and I'd say he's right on the border of yelling and screaming and he sounds pretty good. This pretty much sums up this shorter song, but it was a good introduction into what Thrice are all about. Up next is "Phoenix Ignition" and Kensrue plays an acoustic guitar riff to start us off before singing the first chorus overtop. After this chorus the pace picks up as Riley starts a fast drum beat and Teranishi takes over with some nice faster electric guitar. Kensrue then yells/screams the following chorus and (unsurprisingly) I like this version way more! Things sound very punk-y indeed and this fast, hardcore main riff sounds great to me. After a couple solid rounds the pace slows down a little but Teranishi starts up a new riff with some more cool guitar and Kensrue continues to sound great yelling overtop. Maybe it's because this is the first song I ever heard off this album, but I think it's probably still my favourite! Track 3 is "In Your Hands" and it starts off very light, but they quickly snap into another fast-paced and cool punk-y main riff and Kensrue sounds decent singing overtop. This song has no yelling/screaming, making it less good (but still good for sure) for me, but there is a short little guitar solo that spices this short song up a bit. The next track is "To What End" and Teranishi and Kensrue play different guitar riffs that complement each other oddly but also nicely. Kensrue sings a nice fast-paced verse to match the mood and he sounds even better yelling the chorus. Eddie mixes in some cool bass and this one is a real headbanger that's got me moving! They don't stray far from the main drag, but I'm not complaining, cool tune for sure! Track 5 is "Ultra Blue" and there's two cool guitar riffs once again, but Teranishi's lead guitar is cool the whole way through. All these songs are around the three minute mark and this is another typical(ly good) punk-y tune with Kensrue singing for the most part, but occasionally throwing in some yelling to nice effect. This song was a little on the pop-y side, bit it was pretty catchy. Up next is "As The Ruin Falls" and this one is just over two minutes, so they dive right into a super fast riff with some solid drums by Riley and some nice fast guitar. Kensrue yells a nice verse overtop and after a minute of this there's a nice breakdown as they shift into a slower, much heavier new riff. Kensrue is screaming fully now and this minute is even better than the first one! A pretty sweet little song! There's some rain at the end of the song that takes us to track 7 "The Next Day", which is an under-a-minute interlude. Teranishi plays a decent light guitar riff overtop of the rain falling and this connects us to the next track "A Torch To End All Torches". Teranishi plays a cool fast-paced guitar riff to lead the way and Kensrue sounds solid yelling overtop. When the guitar slows down things sound pretty good, then it's back to the fast-paced and also solid main riff. After a couple rounds things quiet right down as Kensrue alone plays some acoustic guitar, then they nicely snap into a loud new riff. Kensrue sings a decent verse overtop and then the mood shifts yet again to another new riff with some more cool guitar leading the way. Kensrue yells and sings in this new riff and they nicely pieced together several different parts on this track. Track 9 is "Unquestioned Answers" and it's very punk-rock with some non-stop speedy drums by Riley and some repetitive but solid guitars leading the way. Kensrue sings for the most part but mixes in some nice yells and things sound toe-tappingly good. That pretty much sums up this one! It ends on a weird note that carries over into the beginning of "Under Par" and out of this noise emerges a solid guitar riff that the Breckenridge brothers build around nicely until we arrive at another fast-paced and cool main riff. Kensrue sounds pretty great yelling and singing loudly overtop and this is a nice upbeat one with no let-up! After a bit the pace slows down, but the guitars continue to sound great and there's lots if good stuff packed into this one! They speed up again to finish things off and this was definitely one of the better ones off the album. The album is wrapping up with "T & C" and Teranishi and Kensrue sync up for a cool harmonized guitar riff and Eddie's bass is pretty good as well as they move into the first verse with Kensrue mixing singing and yelling nicely. Teranishi delivers a lengthy guitar solo on this one and it's pretty awesome as he shreds it up! They close it out with a loud final verse and this was a pretty good way to finish things off.

That is the end of "Identity Crisis" and I thought it was a solid but not amazing debut album by Thrice. Dustin Kensrue is a good singer, a good yeller, and even a good screamer which is a great recipe and he uses them all nicely. Teppei Teranishi plays a bunch of cool guitar and Eddie and Riley Breckenridge a great punk-rock rhythm section. Nothing is absolutely blowing you away, but they are great at what they do and I look forward to seeing where Thrice will go from here!