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Album Review: Thousand Frames - "Signs And Wonders"

Metalcore act Thousand Frames releases debut album "Signs And Wonders"

by The Metalverse

Updated October 03, 2024

Album Review: Thousand Frames - "Signs And Wonders"

Since their 2012 origins in Denver, Colorado, Thousand Frames has risen to be a cinematic powerhouse in the metalcore scene. Comprised of singer/songwriters Kyle Kaufman and Kelsey Marchman, Thousand Frames just released their debut album "Signs And Wonders" on September 6th.

The creation of "Signs And Wonders" started with demos in 2019 that eventually became what the album is today. With this release, Thousand Frames explores concepts of past and present relationships, existentialism, mental health, activism, and breaking cycles.

"Love's Run Out of Time" initiates the LP as sirens and dramatic news samples introduce the song before bursting into bright orchestral strings, dynamic guitar chords, and explosive drums. Powerful singing joins alongside the addition of thumping progressive bass lines to fill in a deeply complex soundscape. "Love's Run Out of Time" at first takes the form of a hard-rock ballad with infectious vocal melodies, heavy orchestral elements, and anthemic choruses. In the last minute of the song, Thousand Frames introduces the first screaming vocals of the album and slings the listener into heavier guitar tones as the band turns up the heat before finishing with a final chorus.

"Luminescent" starts with ominous strings before catapulting the listener into heavy-hitting guitar riffage that alternates with softer vocal sections. Thousand Frames utilizes contrast between harsh guitar tones and softer singing vocals to create a dynamic sense of variety. "Luminescent" showcases orchestra elements alongside distorted guitar tones to create dark and intense progressions. While primarily a ballad-like song with softer vocals, "Luminescent" still includes crushingly chunky riffs and screaming.

The 3rd track, "Best of Me" brings up the pace of the album, launching straight into aggressive guitar-chugging, as singing quickly builds energy before transitioning into a stadium-ready metalcore chorus. Unexpectedly "Best of Me" introduces a new element as featured artist SF1 busts into rap in the second verse, mixing things up and showcasing a new side of Thousand Frames music. After the second chorus, "Best of Me" goes into the heaviest breakdown of the album so far, showing off a bone-crushingly heavy sound from Thousand Frames.

"Has Somebody Heard From You?" starts with thumping dance-esque synth bass tones as multi-layered gentle singing builds into piano and controlled drum work. Taking the form of a calm rock track, Thousand Frames shows a diverse range of sound across "Signs And Wonders" so far. In an upbeat and intensely melodic chorus, "Has Somebody Heard From You" showcases a pop-influenced rock style.

"Done Blaming Myself" picks up the pace as dramatic pads are accompanied by harsh guitar before fading into atmospheric verses with emphasized singing melodies. Bouncing electronic synths and heavy progressive metal riffs, create a massive sound that exhibits Thousand Frames excellent production and mix/mastering clarity. After a final chorus, "Done Blaming Myself" moves into an instrumental breakdown bringing back the electronic elements from earlier in the song before fading out.

Introducing itself with classical orchestral strings, "Paralyzed" quickly switches things up blasting into explosive screams, booming guitar chugs, and slamming drums all while continuing the backbone of string melodies. "Paralyzed" is one of the heaviest tracks of the album while still blending melody with brutality through the use of occasional clean vocals and harmonic orchestra elements.

A cover of the Selena Gomez song "The Heart Wants What It Wants" brings back pop-vocal hooks as ambient instrumentals fill in the background and singing is heavily emphasized. Featuring Eyes Set To Kill, "The Heart Wants What It Wants" features an anthemic chorus reminds of Bring Me The Horizon's electronic-influenced vocal effects. Leaning into hard rock and addictively catchy vocal hooks, "The Hear Wants What It Wants" shines as an incredibly strong cover of a classic pop hit.

Beginning with strings, distant piano, and trap beats, "Enchanted" continues the softer, melodic-focused musical style as vocoder effects create a digitalized sound on powerful vocals. With hooks that remind of more mainstream pop music while still staying to their rock/metal roots, "Enchanted" throws listeners into the midst of a brutal breakdown to end the song. Thousand Frames displays a wide array of musical influences in their music, keeping their sound wildly interesting.

"Nothing" starts with reverbed clean guitar tones that quickly change into low-end distorted guitar chugging and bright synths before leading into a gentle building verse. Thousand Frames masterfully balances huge energy shifts between intense heavy metal sections, ambient verses, and massively dynamic choruses. An unexpected saxophone solo is followed by a ferociously heavy breakdown, showcasing another new element up Thousand Frames sleeve.

"Regret You" builds anticipation with energetic choirs, electronic beats, and melancholy singing before bursting into the song's chorus with a dramatic riser. Falling more on the hard rock side of things, "Regret You" is another example of Thousand Frames expertly crafted melodies that have mainstream appeal while still exhibiting influences from modern metal.

"Follow (Reimagined)" is an alternate version of the band's 2016 single–this time featuring only piano, strings, and vocals in a ballad-like fashion. With "Follow (Reimagined)" Thousand Frames slows things down and showcases classical inspiration while closing out the album in a gentle yet electrifying finale.

"Signs And Wonders" is an exciting debut album from Thousand Frames that displays their wide range of influences in a collection of infectious pop melodies, intense metal, and dynamic upbeat rock. Mixing metalcore with classical music, pop, jazz, rap, electronic music, and more, Thousand Frames creates an impressive showcase of what they have to offer with "Signs And Wonders". You can stream Thousand Frames debut album out on all platforms now!