“Beneath your blade, my pain was made for you.“
The general reception to Thornhill’s sophomore LP, Heroine, has been somewhat a mystery to me since the album dropped all the way back in 2022. While it landed at the top of our site-wide AOTY rankings (as well as my own) for that year, there seemed to be something of a disconnect between the critical response and the audience reception for the record. Be it due to at times fairly stark departure of the progressive metalcore style the band established on The Dark Pool, as well as their earlier releases, or perhaps due to the shift in lyrical content from the more outwardly emotive to the cinematic, it didn’t seem to land for a fairly significant contingent of their fans.
Personally, I thought Heroine represented something deeper, more interesting and more artistically accomplished than The Dark Pool, but I understand to some extent that the changes could’ve been hard to swallow for a portion of that record’s fans who were specifically chasing more of that. To be blunt, I’d probably recommend those people spin some older Northlane, as many of their releases from across the 2010s very much scratch the same itch, but I digress. It was undeniably polarising, with its detractors hurling vitriol to the tune of “this is the worst sophomore album of all time” on forums and social media around that time, and those on the flipside like myself oftentimes seeing more in Heroine than its predecessor.
Therein lies the question then: how do you respond to such a polarising response? The obvious answer is to simply write the music you want to write, and try not to capitulate to the demands of the metalcore crowd who, truthfully, seem to not even know what they want a lot of time. However, in the end, this is a business, and whilst I’m not certain of the commercial performance of Heroine, this response almost certainly made its way into conversations regarding what’s next for Thornhill.
That brings us to now, three years removed, and with promises of Thornhill returning somewhat to their roots, to the established mode, on the horizon. This is something of a misnomer I’d say, despite what the wider response to the singles leading up to BODIES may have you believe, as this album certainly holds more in common with Heroine than with The Dark Pool, but the execution and balance of ideas here seems to have come to a head in a way that made these aesthetics click more readily with the audience.
Excited cries of “we are so back” rushed out of myself and other such Thornhill die-hards as lead singles “nerv” and “Silver Swarm” dropped to a much warmer response than the likes of “Casanova” and “Hollywood” from the previous album cycle. Of course, I never truly thought they left, but to those who perhaps felt a tad scorned by Heroine, these certainly represented a step into a slightly more palatable direction for all parties. Make no mistake, the sublime, slick and downright sexy of Heroine is here in full force, but there seems to be something more concerted at play here; something to bridge the gap between the old and the new in a meaningful way, that equally does not sacrifice the creative sanctity of each individual half.
We’re certainly heavier than we were, at least vocally. Despite the general opinion, too, this is not to say Heroine was not a heavy record – quite the opposite. Vocally, the heaviness may have taken a slight step back, but that album had riffs, and at times instrumentally exceeded the bar of heaviness set on The Dark Pool. That said, there seems to be something more overt in the execution of the heaviness here. Perhaps it’s the willingness to push the vocals back up into that territory; to match the energy that makes it seem more that way. The energy in general does seem amped up, though, and it’s all to BODIES’ benefit – from the singles alone, it’s clear we are pushing everything harder here, and the energy is palpable across this thing from start to finish.
Even from the album’s opening moments in “DIESEL” and “Revolver” there’s a clear intention set – whilst we are certainly not wholly capitulating to the heavy or nothing crowd, we’re certainly not shunning them either. BODIES’ opening cuts establish that the cinematic and the sublime of Heroine is still present, but they’re happily re-embracing a more classic sense of heaviness. This is particularly apparent on the urgent “Revolver”, which descends into not one, but two of the most primal breakdowns this band has ever penned. This is, of course, alongside one of the band’s most planetary hooks to date, showcasing a true grasp on each corner of their styles, and seeing them converge in a way that feels not only natural, but also stronger than ever.
Aforementioned singles “nerv” and “Silver Swarm”, as well as later single “TONGUES” sit firmly in the middle amongst this album’s broader sonic palette – acting as the general archetype for what to expect from an average song on BODIES. Slick, vibe-centric, Deftones-esque progressive metalcore with bounce, and some of the most earwormy hooks you’ll hear all year. Particularly on “Silver Swarm”, which feels like the most quintessentially cinematic cut on all of BODIES, with its Y2K club aesthetic music video only furthering that notion.
All of this isn’t to say there aren’t some sharp left turns on this thing. Late album cut “Crush” may prove to be a divisive number, as it sees the band itself take a backseat for a moment to allow Jacob Charlton to beautifully croon in masterful RnB style for a few minutes. It’s a gorgeous pop cut, that somehow manages to deftly side-step feeling out of place by just how hard it continues to carry the vibe-centric nature of BODIES down to its core. As with all things on here, “Crush” is sexy, and despite its stylistically left-field nature for the broader context of BODIES, it more than justifies its own existence with some killer production and songwriting.
Further to that, another notable difference here is just how tight the production is here. Whilst those pining for a slightly more vocal-centric mix versus Heroine (which stood as one of its most abundant criticism) may end up similarly disappointed, as the band validly continue to hammer home this is a stylistic choice rather than a production blunder, there is no doubt that this contains Thornhill’s most tight and explosive mix to date, headed by Ocean Grove’s Sam Bassal. This upgrade is most noticeable through the album’s new mix of early 2024 single “Obsession”, which feels as though there’s been new life breathed into it with a truly huge revamp. Everything across this mix feels so full, from the monstrous guitars, to the air-tight drum production and gorgeous synths, BODIES’ slick aesthetic is only further legitimised and bolstered by such a fantastic mix.
With the big closer being arguably one of Thornhill’s signatures at this point, there’s certainly a level of expectation set on BODIES’ final moments, and as we reach that conclusion with “For Now”, it becomes clear that the band understands exactly how to cap off such an experience. The sombre, reflective nature typical of a Thornhill closer returns here in full force, and whilst I think it’s important to note that I don’t feel as though “For Now” quite meets or exceeds the stellar bar set by previous closers “Where We Go When We Die” and “Heroine”, it’s just as important to recognise what it does offer is an emotively climactic finish that ties things off in a quintessentially Thornhill way, with one of the album’s most outwardly gorgeous cuts. Crooning vocals over glitzy, shoegaze-inspired instrumentals soaked in ambience and verb envelop you, as to soften the end of a largely intense record and bring you back down gently from the largely intense experience of BODIES, feeling like a potent level of aftercare that Thornhill excel at.
Whilst I don’t feel as though BODIES reaches quite the same dizzying, cinematic heights as Heroine, it offers something different and equally tantalising in its place. Bridging the gap between the band’s earlier progressive metalcore tendencies with the slick, sublime and sexy aesthetics they’ve been exploring since, pushing both aspects further than they’ve been explored before, BODIES feels like a true progression of Thornhill’s formula in a way that feels both artistically intentioned and accomplished, but further serves to appease fans on both sides of the fence when it comes to Thornhill’s varied discography. With some of the band’s biggest hooks to date, alongside some killer riffs and some of the band’s heaviest moments yet, it’s almost undeniable that BODIES is some of Thornhill’s strongest work to date, and may stand as the necessary peacemaker between the two halves of the band’s fervent fanbase.
9/10
BODIES is due for release this Friday, 4th April via UNFD, and you can find pre-orders for the album here.