In 2000, Thrice signed with Sub City Records and released two LP's. The first, Identity Crisis (2000), only received 1.5 stars in the AMG review and little buzz. The second, The Illusion of Safety (2002), was widely acclaimed and received attention from major record labels. Even though Thrice's music has always included metal influences, The Illusion of Safety contained a heavier metalcore sound. The album was recorded in Beltsville, Maryland and the track The Beltsville Crucible reflects this.
In 2003 Thrice signed up with Island Records and released The Artist in the Ambulance, which featured more metal oriented songs while keeping true to their hardcore influences. In 2005 a DVD outlining their entire career to date was released under the title If We Could Only See Us Now. It included a CD with live tracks from the Apple Store and various b-sides.
Thrice released their fourth full-length album, Vheissu, on October 18, 2005. The album was characterized by many critics as being experimentally different, using non-traditional Thrice elements in the process. From keyboard melodies ("For Miles") to Japanese music-box undertones ("Music Box") to chain gang chant choruses ("The Earth Will Shake"), Vheissu introduced a new sound to the band's post-hardcore roots. UK producer Steve Osborne, whose past credits include many Brit-pop hits, was sought by Thrice to gain a new perspective on the songwriting process, enabling the band to expand their musical influences and produce a different album. The album garnered widespread critical acclaim and peaked at #15 on the Billboard 200.
The band releasedRed Sky, an EP comprised of various b-sides as well as live recordings, shortly after Vheissu.
Thrice released the first and second volume of The Alchemy Index, a highly experimental project based on the four traditional elements (fire, water, earth, and air), on October 16th 2007. Over the summer Thrice parted ways with Island records and signed with Vagrant. The Alchemy Index Vols. I & II - Fire & Water was released on October 16, 2007, and sold 28,000 copies in its first week. The album consists of the first two volumes, Fire and Water, and features 12 songs, 6 on each disk. The third and fourth volumes, Air & Earth were released on April 15, 2008.
The "Fire" disc features the heavier post-hardcore sound traditional Thrice fans will quickly embrace, harking back to their pre-Vheissu albums. The "Water" disc, however, is comprised of ambient songs similar to those found in Vheissu, Thrice's previous album release. The "Air" disc brings a whole new element of electronic elements and delayed guitar riffs to Thrice's sound. In "Earth", much like Dustin Kensrue's solo album, "Please Come Home", Thrice introduces an indie-folk sound combining intricate piano and acoustic guitar.
Thrice's sixth studio album Beggars was released digitally through Vagrant Records in the UK on August 9, 2009 and in the US on August 11 with a physical release containing bonus material pencilled in for September 15. These dates deviate from the original proposed release date of October 13 because of a leak via Vagrant Records web player, which has meant the artwork for the album has also changed. The first single to be taken from the album is All the World Is Mad and was first made available through Guitar Hero: World Tour on July 23.
Dustin Kensrue has described the album as being "more visceral and more raw - both in the songwriting and in the overall sound. It moves with a different energy than any of our past records. It was born out of us playing together in a room, almost as a backlash to the giant headgame that was The Alchemy Index" and has been well received critically.
The seventh studio album Major/Minor came out on September 20, 2011 through Vagrant Records. Yellow Belly, Promises and a few other songs were made available for the listeners to stream online before the release date. The album received extremely positive reviews from many online websites. Alex Djaferis of Absolutepunk.net gave Major/Minor a rating of 95%. Tracks like Promises and Listen Through Me reflected a natural progression from the sound Thrice created in Beggars, which was widely appreciated by the early listeners.
Thrice decided to take a break from being a full time band on November 21, 2011. In late spring/early summer Thrice announced the 'Farewell' tour for the spring/summer of 2012 , which would be the bands final tour before going into an indefinite hiatus.
In early 2015 it was announced that the band intends to release new music and tour again. Announcements were done via the bands website http://www.thrice.net/ and social media outlets with an accompanying picture with "Thrice 2015" text.
Blinded
Thrice Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Never lived outside of the light
Kept a close watch on the whitewash
Disguising the dead bones inside
Disguising the dead bones inside
I was always one of the good ones
Keeping tabs on everyone else
Sure that I was one of the chosen
I was a child of Him
I was a child of Him
But you buried me in the bright light
Yeah you held my eyes to the sun
Till I could see that
I was worse
Than I ever feared I could be
But somehow I was loved
More than I ever dared to believe
Because of you
I was always one of the blameless
Or at least that's what I believed
Never thought I could've been blinded
Till I could no longer see
Till I could no longer see
But you buried me in the bright light
Yea you held my eyes to the sun
Till I could see that
I was worse
Than I ever feared I could be
But somehow I was loved
More than I ever dared to believe
Because of you
You showed me I was worse
Than I ever feared I could be
But somehow I was loved
More than I ever dared to believe
Because of you
Thrice’s song Blinded is about a man who always believed that he was a good person and had lived his life in the light of Christianity. He always kept a close watch on the whitewash, disguising the dead bones inside, referring to how people pretend to be good on the outside but they are actually dead inside. He also believed that he was one of the chosen and a child of Him, meaning that he was in the favored group of people who would go to heaven. However, he was blinded by his own self-righteousness and didn’t realize how flawed he was until someone helped him see the truth. This person held his eyes to the sun until he could see that he was actually worse than he ever thought he could be.
The song is about how people can be blinded by their own beliefs and refuse to see the flaws within themselves. It’s a message that reminds people to stay humble and to always be aware of their faults. The song also speaks of the transformative power of love and how it can change a person’s perspective and help them see the truth.
Line by Line Meaning
I was always one of the righteous
I believed I was always good and just.
Never lived outside of the light
I never strayed away from being righteous.
Kept a close watch on the whitewash
I carefully monitored things just to keep my good image intact.
Disguising the dead bones inside
I was hiding the bad parts of me that I didn't want the world to see.
I was always one of the good ones
I considered myself to be a good person.
Keeping tabs on everyone else
I watched over others to make sure they were being good as well.
Sure that I was one of the chosen
I believed I was special and chosen by God.
I was a child of Him
I saw myself as a faithful follower of God.
But you buried me in the bright light
You exposed me to the truth that I couldn't handle.
Yeah you held my eyes to the sun
You made me face the bright light of the truth.
Till I could see that
Until I was forced to accept the reality.
I was worse
I was a worse person than I ever imagined.
Than I ever feared I could be
I had never before realized the depth of my flaws.
But somehow I was loved
Despite my imperfections, I still received love.
More than I ever dared to believe
I never thought I was worthy of that kind of love.
Because of you
You were the one who opened my eyes and helped me see the truth.
I was always one of the blameless
I believed I was faultless.
Or at least that's what I believed
That's how I saw myself in my mind.
Never thought I could've been blinded
I never realized that I was blinded by my own delusions.
Till I could no longer see
Until my eyes were opened to reality.
You showed me I was worse
You helped me to see my true self.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: DUSTIN MICHAEL KENSRUE, EDWARD CARRINGTON BRECKENRIDGE, JAMES RILEY BRECKENRIDGE, TERANISHI TEPPEI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rye Bread
This song is one of many that cements them as the best band in the world to me.
Ty Price
This song resonates with me, as a recovering Christian
MrOjo77
Sounding as good as always
Christopher Freeman
This is a top 5 Thrice song for me.
Pete
That scratchy/echo riff blew some minds