Alright alright
2. Thrice - The Alchemy Index:
One of the many, many reasons for the massive delay in this list was simply because I don't really know what to say about this album. To put it in the simplest terms, it's fucking brilliant. But as one would expect, the simplest terms really don't do it justice. For Thrice The Alchemy Index was the turning point - they went from being a really good, even great band to being one of the best bands modern music has had to offer.
In some ways The Alchemy Index is all of Thrice's various influences distilled into their component parts. Fire hearkens to their hardcore roots, Water to their newer electronic elements, Air to the clean electric element that's been in the background, and Earth to their folk element that's well... never really been there. And that's because The Alchemy Index isn't simply them breaking down their sound - it's them advancing it as well. Even with Fire, which is perhaps most reminiscent of their past material, there's evolution to be found. The instrumentals are less hardcore punk and more epic and textural, and Dustin's vocals have matured even further from Vheissu. Meanwhile Earth reveals a more acoustic, folky side of the band that really hadn't been heard before.
But even ignoring the history and evolution of the band, The Alchemy Index proves to be an incredible musical journey. Each volume is a concise and brilliant listen on its own - taken separately, they would all find a place on this list. But together, they become something even more. While musically there's little connecting them besides the structure of their final songs, they all join and flow into each other like the styles were meant to be juxtaposed. It's beautiful, inspiring, and devastating, and one of the greatest experiences you can ever have.