In the post-hardcore scene, there are monumental breakthrough albums that have been revered and almost deified. They deserve their own little Indie-Grammy. Worth mentioning are Sunny Day Real Estate's Diary, Fugazi's Repeater +3 songs, Glassjaw's Worship and Tribute, and Rites of Spring's self-titled (Maybe that one counts as hardcore, but Guy Picciotto is my hero, so I'll put him on my list if I want to).
Now for an insight that's totally off-topic: Being the second man on the moon can never top being the first, even if you say something more inspirational than "one small step for mankind, one giant leap for me," or something like that (whatever).
War All The Time accomplished new things for Thursday as well as the post-hardcore scene (some say Thursday is hardcore, but... no). The band's career can be compared to space exploration: Waiting was the launch, Collapse was the first man on the moon, and War was the second. But unlike most follow-ups to acclaimed successes, War contributed much more; it was a breakthrough in its own way. Think of it as if the second man on the moon planted the first plant on the moon.
Sorry that these analogies are crap.
The best way to describe this album is in comparison to Full Collapse. For the most part, the songs felt more developed overall. A lot of notable layering work. The lyrics are much more incorporated with politics, ethics, and emotions. Geoff's construed word-working gives the impression of heavy intellectual thinking and pondering, while heeding to personal emotions. Thrice does something similar. Most fans have said that the lyrics on this album are stronger than in Full Collapse.
The singing on this album has a different texture than Full Collapse. Geoff's voice is less... prickly, I guess (which rhymes with his last name, wow). His singing is very volatile and his scream is still very throaty, not forced like Dustin Kensrue's or Daryl Palumbo's. At times he yelps, kind of like Davey Havok does, except it sounds pretty close to a raspy scream. Wow, I love scream-singers. The second vocalist that you hear often on Full Collapse doesn't really show up on War, though.
Melody-wise, the album takes a while to grow on you. But when you get there, it's good. Every song seems to carry its own memorial motif. A lot of Thursday fans preferred Full Collapse's musical aspects to War's. I think they're both great. It's all up to taste.
Needless to say, I would recommend this album to Thursday's existing fans. Overall, there's hardly any style change, which is good if you like Thursday. I would also recommend this to fans of Taking Back Sunday, Thrice, AFI, Yellowcard, and the Used. If you enjoy Linkin Park and are sick of that depressed MTV sound, save your soul and buy Thursday's War All The Time.
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C.L. '03 |
