Thursday- Full Collapse

When looking back at certain times in your life, there is usually an album or two that really defines that moment. For me, Full Collapse is one of those albums. Released through Victory Records in 2001, it came out just as the line between “hardcore punk” and “emo” was blurring. Looking at the band as they perform live, and listening to their music on a basic level, one could assume that Thursday is like any other post hardcore/emo bands that came out during that time and the years since.

What puts Thursday above other bands of their genre? Certainly not the lyrics, as they deliver the typical teenage angst that is sickeningly prevalent in so much music these days. Rather it is singer Geoff Rickly’s performance of the lyrics. He is actually a very competent singer, which is more than can be said by many other bands. Pro-Tools can make any singer sound good (Panic at the Disco anyone?), but after seeing Thursday live and hearing them on their live EP, it is evident that Rickly has a good voice for his genre.

Full Collapse features a duel-guitar attack from Tom Keeley and Steve Pedulla who also provide the back-up vocals. To be honest, most of their “vocals” is pretty much your typical “guitarist who screams”, but they do it well. The most impressive aspect of their guitar playing is during Understanding in a Car Crash, where the two guitars solo really shows off the pair’s talent.

Thursday has released three full-length albums of new material since Full Collapse. During that time, the band has not reached the heights of Full Collapse again, since it seems that on every subsequent album, the band is slowly turning into a cookie-cutter emo band. Sure there are some good songs still coming, but in terms of a pure album from beginning to end, Full Collapse is still Thursday’s best.

Grade--- B+