Thrice - Horizons / West (October 3rd, 2025) • Page 24

Hm, is the album really that overly reformed theology flavored? I guess that is where Dustin was at when he wrote those songs, but also, most of the lyrical context to me seems within the range of most of the band’s career.

The song that feels the most driven by that is “The Great Exchange,” which is still worded poetically enough that my “fuck reformed theology” mindset can still appreciate it. And, it’s also seemingly a song that you enjoy?

 

All The World Is Mad is about Total Depravity without saying the term.

Martin Luther’s final words, “we are beggars, this is true.” Hard to view the title track without the reformed context.

Tim already pointed out The Great Exchange.

In Exile, At The Last, and Wood and Wire are full of biblical concepts/references that aren’t exclusively reformed theology.

 

Also, as a former church kid the first time I listened to Vesper Light and it got to the part where Dustin sings “and sing..” I thought he was gonna say Hallelujah lol

 

Haven’t listened to a new Thrice album in years but every other legacy band that’s returned and put out music in 2025 has dropped a banger so I gave this a shot and yeah, and another one to the list this is good

 

Went back and listened to East after all the comments in here about West carrying on and completing and blah blah blah

I don't see it. Think most of vocal decisions on that album aren't great (like most of later thrice IMO) - The Dreamer hate is well known but can't get over Northern Lights being just a Dave Matthews Band song. Terrible.

Still think West is their strongest overall output in years.

 

Northern Lights is, frankly, incredible actually

 

No idea how Dustin is doing what he is doing vocally on Vesper Light. Holy shit, I love it! This might end up being one of my favorite Thrice albums after repeated listens

 

May be a bit early but here's my Top 10 Horizon songs overall:

1. Color of The Sky
2. Distant Suns
3. Vesper Light
4. Robot Soft Exorcism
5. Northern Lights
6. The Dark Glow
7. Holding On
8. Undertow
9. Dandelion Wine
10. Scavengers

 

Careful bringing up vocal slides in here

 

Undertow in particular gives me all the confidence in the world they could revisit Vheissu, much as Riley denies it. Incredible atmosphere on that song.

 

Just don’t see the point of re-recording a perfect album that had a major label budget and doing it DIY

 

Yea, I’d be shocked if they ever gave the revisited treatment to any other album. TAITA seemed to have a couple solid reasons that don’t apply to any others. Although, I know Dustin not loving his vocals apply to all the earlier ones.

 

I don’t know if it’s just ‘cause I didn’t do a proper Thrice dive until the first half of Alchemy Index dropped (and then picked Artist as my second full album listen). But, I’ve never been as high on Vheissu as a whole as most fans of this band.

“The Earth Will Shake” is a monumental song captured perfectly as it appears on the album, using the major label resources to their fullest. And, I think “Of Dust and Nations” is also quite effective. For me, though, most of what I appreciate on Vheissu is how it led to Alchemy Index and beyond.

On this current listen to the album, I’m feeling how it’s kinda the closest to Vheissu they’ve gotten since Alchemy Index, but still maintaining that it has a confidence and looseness that I don’t feel on there. They’re leaning into the experimentation and moodiness, but they no longer have to prove they can do more than Illusion and Artist. Dustin is a stronger vocalist, and the band is more capable of just jamming out the songs (while still getting all the flourishes they want into there).

 

This is fantastic. I totally love H/E and this is a great companion album.

The drum loops and keyboard tones in Undertow also feel straight out of the Water EP/that era when Riley was releasing his instrumentals. I love that callback.

 

Yeah there’s so much of Water EP’s DNA, feels like the most out of any albums since The Alchemy Index

 

this took such a leap on my second listen (from a pretty positive initial one)

pretty much everything hits and hits hard outside of crooked shadows and the albatross chorus

gettin me emotional about their legacy on a saturday afternoon

 

The chorus of Distant Suns is haunting my head space and I LOVE it.

 

Every time I listen I cling to a new song. Today was crooked shadows. Man this album fucking rules

 

The Albatross is the only one on here that I need more time with to know if I’m gonna like it as much as I love the rest of the album.

 

To be honest I think Gnash is the weak point (which is saying something!). Feels a little too disjointed, and while the breakdown is fun, it doesn't mesh especially well with the other heavy vibes on the album. Baritone sound and deep grooves have always done more for these guys, in my mind.

 

ah great opener

 

Definitely don’t love it as much as I do the rest of the album, but I’m still trying to decide if it’s because I listened to it a few times before the album released (it sounds dumb, but that’s just the way my brain works).

 

i adore gnash lmao ive jammed that song like three or four times a day since its dropped, one of my fav thrice heavy jams

the amount of times my poor town has been subjected to be belting IM THE TEETH THAT GNAAAAAASH out of my car window at the top of my lungs lmao. wish it wasnt the lead single since its an anomaly here

 

oh undertow is so vheissu/water ep i love it