There was a telling moment on {$Thrice}'s 2005 B-sides and rarities set, {^If We Could Only See Us Now}. The quartet's live, acoustic performance of {&"Artist in the Ambulance"} was notable for how much it suggested {$the Cure} when unplugged. But there were also those kids in the background, solemnly singing along with vocalist {$Dustin Kensrue}. These are the adoring submissives, the fans who filled {$Thrice}-related message boards with dramatic tributes and pledges of allegiance in the run-up to {^Vheissu}'s October release. They represent the leap {$Thrice} has evidently made, to go beyond the usual {\hardcore} and {\metal} dynamics and conventional {\emo} devotion to become a guiding light. {$Thrice} fuels that devotion -- {^Vheissu}'s deluxe edition includes wordy, earnest testimonials from each bandmember on his inspirations, his songwriting, and the recording process. However, the real earnestness is in {^Vheissu}'s music. Insular and meticulously layered, it switches restlessly between gauzy piano figures and righteous, full-bore {\post-hardcore}, often suggesting a more thoughtful {$At the Drive-In}. {&"Like Moths to Flame,"} {&"Image of the Invisible,"} and {&"For Miles"} do this effectively, and the atmospheric stretches of {&"Stand and Feel Your Worth"} opt for the cool, liquid tones of a Rhodes. But {$Kensrue} inevitably screams again, and when he does he'll usually say something unfortunate like "Awed by grace I fall on my face." Like {$Incubus} on {^Crow Left of the Murder} or the extremes of {$ATDI} spawn {$the Mars Volta}, {$Thrice}'s ambition borders on self-indulgence. In {^Vheissu}'s most opaque moments you wonder, is this for everyone, or just the converted, those kids standing next to their stereos in salute? And yet, a record with too much ambition is better than another {\emo} placeholder. And when their curiosity is aligned with more measured songwriting -- as on the breathy, dreamlike {&"Atlantic"} or surging closer {&"Red Sky"} -- {$Thrice} throw open the doors of their devoted club to let the light shine with promise. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide