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.
Child Of Dust
Thrice Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Supplied you not your spirit, but your shape.
All Eden's wealth arrayed before your eyes,
I fathomed not you wanted to escape.
And though I only ever gave you love,
Like every child you've chosen to rebel.
Uprooted flowers and filled the holes with blood,
A child of dust, to mother now return,
For every seed must die before it grows.
And though above the world may toil and turn,
No prying spades will find you here below.
Now safe beneath their wisdom and their feet
Here I will teach you truly how to sleep.
The song "Child of Dust" by Thrice is a deep and thought-provoking meditation on the human condition, particularly in regard to the relationship between parent and child. The lyrics are written from the perspective of a divine father figure addressing his prodigal son. The singer laments his own failure to understand his son's desire to rebel and escape, even though he dearly loves him. He acknowledges that this is a common experience for parents, who often feel helpless and unable to prevent their children from making bad choices.
The song's title, "Child of Dust", suggests that the son is mortal and imperfect, a being made of earth who is destined to eventually return to it. The father urges his son to return to the safety and wisdom of his mother, presumably in order to learn how to "sleep" properly. This is perhaps a metaphor for death, where the cycle of life is complete and one can find peace and rest.
The overall message of the song is one of humility and acceptance. The son is urged to embrace his mortality and to seek out the wisdom of those who can teach him how to live and die well. The father acknowledges that he cannot control the choices of his child, but that he can offer love and guidance in order to help him on his journey.
Line by Line Meaning
Dear prodigal you are my son and I
I see you as my son, despite being a prodigal
Supplied you not your spirit, but your shape.
I gave you your physical form, but not your internal character
All Eden's wealth arrayed before your eyes,
I offered you everything I had, but you were not content
I fathomed not you wanted to escape.
I did not understand that you wanted to leave
And though I only ever gave you love,
Despite my efforts to love you, you still rebelled
Like every child you've chosen to rebel.
You went against me, like many other children do
Uprooted flowers and filled the holes with blood,
You caused destruction and left chaos in your wake
Ask not for whom they toll, the solemn bells.
You should not be surprised by the consequences of your actions
A child of dust, to mother now return,
You are a mortal being, return to your mother (Earth)
For every seed must die before it grows.
Change and growth requires an end to the old way of being
And though above the world may toil and turn,
Although the world is constantly changing and busy,
No prying spades will find you here below.
You cannot be found or dug up from where you currently are
Now safe beneath their wisdom and their feet
Now under the safety and guidance of a wiser authority
Here I will teach you truly how to sleep.
Here I will teach you how to find rest and peace
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DUSTIN MICHAEL KENSRUE, EDWARD CARRINGTON BRECKENRIDGE, JAMES RILEY BRECKENRIDGE, TEPPEI TERANISHI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sarmadi Safieh
Dear Prodigal, you are my son and I
Supplied you not your spirit but your shape
All Eden's wealth arrayed before your eyes
I fathomed not you wanted to escape
And though I only ever gave you love
Like every child you've chosen to rebel
Uprooted flow'rs and filled their holes with blood
Ask not for whom they toll, the solemn bells
A child of dust, to mother now return
For every seed must die before it grows
And though above the world may toil and turn
No prying spade will find you here below
Now safe beneath their wisdom and their feet
Here I will teach you truly how to sleep
72cm
For years I never noticed the last track of each element ends with the same melody.
Aaron Bowers
That was what I noticed first. Younger me loved fire/water most, but that’s changed. Amazing album
Mr_RogersTV
All but fire, yes
Knifymoloko
Novice you were. Intermediate you now are.
Venentine / ヴェネンティン
They're also all sonnets, and the last two lines of each form yet another sonnet
Hank Hill
Bought this album around 12 years ago and was heading home one night listening to it, when it got to this track I literally had to pull over in some abandoned parking lot and restart it. I had the biggest lump in my throat heading back home. The lyrics are just so Damn powerful. This was the first and only song to damn near make me cry my eyes out.
Jay Brooks
Similar experience. The wordless put into words. Hard to talk about it.
Daniel Langenberg
Gosh....this is so beautiful. I had not listened to this song in the last couple years. Amazing!
Hank Hill
Brings a tear to my eye every time!
Sarmadi Safieh
Dear Prodigal, you are my son and I
Supplied you not your spirit but your shape
All Eden's wealth arrayed before your eyes
I fathomed not you wanted to escape
And though I only ever gave you love
Like every child you've chosen to rebel
Uprooted flow'rs and filled their holes with blood
Ask not for whom they toll, the solemn bells
A child of dust, to mother now return
For every seed must die before it grows
And though above the world may toil and turn
No prying spade will find you here below
Now safe beneath their wisdom and their feet
Here I will teach you truly how to sleep