Thrice's "The Illusion of Safety" turns 20

Time's moving fast, as this album still feels fresh to me. However, it turns 20 years old today! "The Illusion of Safety" was the album where THRICE really came into their own. As much as I like their debut "Identity Crisis", its successor was way more redefined and on point. "The Illusion of Safety" is one of the best and most important records of the 2000s-Post-Hardcore-Wave, that sky-rocketed many of those bands right into mainstream. 

THRICE too profited, landing a major label deal afterwards and releasing the most succesful album in their career with "The Artist in the Ambulance". "The Illusion of Safety" is the album where they struck the balance between their rough beginnings and the more polished site of their upcoming album... and I guess that's one big reason why it is still so popular within their fan base. At the time there haven't been many bands to combine Pop-Punk, Hardcore & Metal as fluent and naturally as THRICE did. What really stands out about "The Illusion of Safety" is the melodic guitar that delivers extremely catchy riffs, sometimes playful and optimistic, sometimes worshipping Heavy Metal in a cool fucking way. 

Despite their vast discography full of quality records, "The Illusion of Safety" is the record that stands out. The record that seems to loose no step over the years. The record that brings togethter many many classic tracks. The record that somehow remains timeless, despite being copied numerous times...