Thrice

Philadelphia Weekly
June 30, 2003

Thrice
The Artist in the Ambulance
ISLAND

Thrice certainly isn't the first band to attempt to inject metal riffs into the sensibility of pop-punk chord structures, and chances are they won't be the last. Even so, as the band's third full-length release--and major-label debut--The Artist in the Ambulance stands out as a shining example of how such a formula can actually work. The album isn't perfect by any means. In fact, a cursory spin leaves you with more of a sense of inconsistency than true cohesion. But subsequent visits to the material reveal an intricate, almost mathematical approach to meshing two genres that don't easily gel. The inclusion of lyrics that occasionally toe the emo line makes this effort all the more impressive. The unbridled aggression of the disc's bookend tracks, "Cold Cash and Colder Hearts" and "Don't Tell and We Won't Ask," is smartly counterbalanced by the melodic and--gasp--heartfelt verses of "Silhouette" and "Stare at the Sun." Neatly sandwiched in the middle of the disc is the standout tune, "Paper Tigers," which effortlessly meanders from a thrashcore intro to a 30-second finale reminiscent of a strangely beautiful snippet from a lost Kubrick soundtrack. Mixing too many genres may alienate purists on all fronts, but Thrice has the ability to keep the more open-minded members of the musical intelligentsia right where they want them. (Joshua Valocchi)