Starting with Vheissu would turn me off if I didn't already like the band. Not a good jumping off point. Beggars is better for that. But you should definitely start with Illusion or Artist. Or listen to the new one, then go back to the Illusion and go in order.
Starting with Artist sets your expectations for a sound that was abandoned within minutes of that record's release. Do we want another person pining for the days of Artist?
They change their sound with every album really, so I don't understand this. You just don't like Artist, that's fine. No need for excuses. Nothing wrong that that, Artist has an amazing sound and seeing those songs played live, I assume the majority of the crowd agrees too.
Starting with [insert any of their albums] sets your expectations for a sound that was abandoned within minutes of that record's release.
Introducing someone new to a sound that does not represent Thrice is completely misguided. Vheissu is a perfect representation of what Thrice was and what Thrice continues to be.
If you wanna know what Thrice sounds like now, listen to the new album. If you wanna get to know the entire band, listen to their discography. This isn't hard. But starting in the middle arbitrarily seems silly and the reasoning is illogical. And Mike's posts continue to make me hate this thread and like this entire band less by pure proxy, because my god.
I got introduced to them during the Artisit cycle and it’s one of my least favorite from them. But it seems to work well as an entry point.
Vheissu is what got me into the band, but I have an easier time listening to a band's new stuff and working my way back.
I like the mathy post-hardcore vibe of this first song on Artist so yeah I think I'll go with this as a starting point.
The change in sound from Artist to Vheissu is more significant than any other record-to-record change. My personal feelings about Artist (as well as the band's) have nothing to do with this. Why set expectations for a sound that Thrice abandoned as soon as Artist was released?
You’ll probably like the rest then. Cold Cash and Colder Hearts is one of the more straightforward tracks on Artist. There is some really interesting guitar work throughout the album. Edit: The rest of Artist that is
Artist is fantastic and a great starting point. And I think it's been made pretty obvious that their sound has changed album to album, so I really don't see anyone pining for the sound of the first album they heard just today. They'll be able to hear how they've grown album to album without having nostalgia glasses on as some tend to do
The majority of you first heard Thrice during Artist's cycle. Of course, you're going to favor that record as a starting point. I first heard them in '99 but you don't see me suggesting First Impressions or Identity. However, there are plenty of Artist entrants who no longer follow the band because of their change in sound. So, why risk another Artist apologist when you can kick things off with their masterpiece, Vheissu, a record that still represents who they are today?
Also I think it's a stretch to say they "Abandoned" the sound of Artist entirely considering several songs since then (Image Of The Invisible, The Messenger, Blood On The Sand, A Branch In The River) give me callback vibes from that album/sound.