"Common Existence"
Thursday is pretty much the last band standing of the post-hardcore/screamo scene - goodbye The Used, whatever happened to Glassjaw, and Finch, well reforming was always going to end badly.So after parting company with Island, a 'hiatus' that seemed to be code for disbanding, a bizarre split album with a Japanese post-hardcore band, two new record deals, and the revelation that the hiatus was just a hiatus, Thursday are finally back from the ashes, with new a 'proper' album Common Existence, three years after their last full length outing, A City by the Light Divided.Common Existence is more of the same from the New Jersey boys - frantic, intense, and not for the faint-hearted, Sunday afternoons, or 'delicate' days. But there's no denying the energy in their music, and there's no way it can't fail to get you going just a little bit. Rolls-of-thunder drumming, dizzying descending guitar riffs, menacing bass-lines, and vocals delivered like lead singer's Geoff Rickly's life depended on it.There's a chaotic sound to Thursday's music that's sort of like falling out of bed - that moment of disorientation just before you realise quite what's happening. Having six members in the band mean there's scope for all kinds of cross-rhythms, overlapping, and creating a loud, powerful sound, which they certainly do by the bucket load.Thursday are well-known for their outspoken views on American politics, and this album is no exception, with track four, 'Friends in the Armed Forces', which, although slightly clichéd in it's lyrics - "You say you're defending me?/I'm stick of tying yellow ribbons" - definitely has the sentiment in the right place, and it's good to see they they're continuing to write about what they believe in.There's the odd calm before the storm on Common Existence, but it's not what Thursday do best. 'Time's Arrow' begins as a quiet, unconvincing vocal/acoustic number, but gets miles better when the huge soundscapes kick in and the storm clouds break.This will undoubtedly not be to everyone's taste. But for those hoping for a quality example of the genre, they've got it, proving the scene isn't quite dead yet.
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