Review: Thursday/Envy - Split

Label: Temporary Residence Limited

Released: November 4, 2008

Few albums start off with the level of frantic energy of Thursday's "As He Climbed the Dark Mountain." There are songs with fireworks and there are songs that are like the fireworks factory exploding and this is clearly the latter. Thursday's dense layering walks the fine line between noisy and melodic, without tempering either. On one hand it seems like one lumbering mass of guitar, yet at the same time, the music is intricate, interesting and downright riveting.

Envy makes an interesting pairing for Thursday. On one hand, their ambient textures walk the line between austere beauty and haunting fear in sharp contrast to Thursday's more heavy-handed approach. On the other, they blast out noisecore along the lines of a more musically mature Septic Death. In a sense they've taken the roads to both sides of Thursday's work, giving this split release not only intensity but depth as well.

Ratings
Satriani: 7/10
Zappa: 8/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 8/10
Overall: 8/10

If you're curious about my rating categories, read the description.