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Thrice recently released their new album, Vheissu, to mixed reviews. I’ve been listening for a few days now, so I’ll give my two cents.

I was pretty into Artist in the Ambulance when it came out and having been introduced to Thrice through that album, I expected Vheissu to be more of the same. Couldn’t have been more wrong.

My initial listen was mainly focused on my expectations (a heavy and poppy mix that made Artist great) and those expectations caused me to skip songs after only a few seconds. My subsequent passes through the album made me realize that approach was wrong for this album. Loyal, old-school fans will be disappointed after the first few listens. You will not find as much heaviness, screaming, and the like in the album. You will find songs that border on “emo” and alternative rock. You’ve been warned.

However, if you do take the risk and manage to listen to the album more than say twice, you’ll find a gem of an album. Not only have Thrice progressed as song writers, singers and lyricists (they were already darn good musicians), they’ve managed to write some interesting, catchy and yes, heavy songs. If you are fans of bands like Cave-In (Jupiter/Antenna-era), Thursday, Radiohead, and even At the Drive In, you’ll definitely be interested in this record.

What you’ll find on Vheissu is a mix of post-hardcore heaviness, Radiohead-like melodies and dynamics shifts, and a unique sense of upbeat poppiness that Thrice has made a trademark of their sound. Song highlights for me include: The Earth Will Shake, For Miles, Hold Fast Hope, and Of Dust and Nations.

One of the most interesting experiences I had with this record is reading the liner notes that came with the “limited edition” version of the album. Each band member described the themes they were trying to reach with the lyrics and atmosphere of each song, as well as how they contributed to the writing process. Being able to read what they were attempting to do, then following the words and music made each song more real for me—it was definitely a unique experience.

Thrice really took a leap forward with this album and progression is one thing I like to see with the bands I follow. They risked fan alienation, selected a producer that is famous for brit-rock and electronic music, and wrote songs that broke out of the mold they created for themselves. The risk paid off in my eyes and fans (old and new) owe it to themselves to check out Vheissu. You won’t be disappointed.