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.
Identity Crisis
Thrice Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Private wars on my soul waged
Heart is scarred by dual volitions
Juxtaposed and both engaged
Kindle flame, a test of faith
Pray help me see it through
I put all my trust in you
Refine hate and love
Fall afresh on me
End this crisis of
Identity
Draw this darkness out like poison
Stab, retrieve, again decline
Help me drive the dagger deeper
Trace with me explicit line
Take this blade, a test of faith,
And strike me deep and true
I put all my trust in you
Refine hate and love
Fall afresh on me
End this crisis of
Identity
This is my voice, all shadows stayed this is my heart, upon the altar laid
Please take all else away, hear my cry, I beg, I plead, I pray
I'll walk into the flame, a calculated risk to further bless your name
So strike me deep and true, and in your strength I will live and die both unto you.
The lyrics to Thrice's song "Identity Crisis" appear to speak to a person's internal conflict between their positive and negative traits. The first verse speaks to the dichotomy between self-loathing and self-preservation, with the singer seeming to struggle with their own desire for destruction. The second verse sees them begging for help in confronting and defeating their negative tendencies, invoking religious imagery to emphasize the scope of the struggle.
The final portion of the song sees the singer turning themselves over fully to someone, asking them to help them become better. They express their willingness to risk everything to achieve this, seemingly believing that they can only find their true identity by facing their self-destruction head-on.
Overall, "Identity Crisis" seems to be a song about the struggle to both accept and conquer one's negative impulses in order to become a better person. It's a call to action to those who may be experiencing similar internal conflicts to confront their "dual volitions" and become the people they want to be.
Line by Line Meaning
Image marred by self-infliction
My way of living life has caused harm to myself.
Private wars on my soul waged
I am fighting an internal battle that is not visible to others.
Heart is scarred by dual volitions
My heart is burdened by conflicting desires or intentions.
Juxtaposed and both engaged
Both opposing desires are active within my being.
Kindle flame, a test of faith
I need to test myself and my beliefs to move forward.
Pray help me see it through
I ask for assistance to persevere and succeed.
I put all my trust in you
I feel confident in relying on you.
Refine hate and love
Please help me purify negative and positive emotions.
Fall afresh on me
Let me start again and receive a new beginning.
End this crisis of identity
Help me resolve the conflict surrounding who I am.
Draw this darkness out like poison
I need to address and rid myself of the darkness inside me.
Stab, retrieve, again decline
I keep unsuccessfully attempting to remove the negative.
Help me drive the dagger deeper
Assist me in taking further action to remove the darkness.
Trace with me explicit line
Guide me with clarity and certainty on what to do next.
Take this blade, a test of faith,
I need to take a risk and test my faith to move forward.
And strike me deep and true
I am willing to endure pain to overcome this challenge.
This is my voice, all shadows stayed this is my heart, upon the altar laid
I am revealing my true self to you without any hidden aspects.
Please take all else away, hear my cry, I beg, I plead, I pray
Remove everything else from my life and listen to my sincere request.
I'll walk into the flame, a calculated risk to further bless your name
I am willing to take a risk to honor and please you.
And in your strength I will live and die both unto you.
I want to dedicate my life and death to you by relying on your strength.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DUSTIN MICHAEL KENSRUE, EDWARD CARRINGTON BRECKENRIDGE, JAMES RILEY BRECKENRIDGE, TEPPEI TERANISHI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
.::kishi kaisei::.
Image marred by self-infliction
Private wars on my soul waged
Heart is scarred by dual volitions
Juxtaposed and both engaged
Kindle flame, a test of faith
Pray help me see it through
I put all my trust in you
Refine hate and love
Fall afresh on me
End this crisis of
Identity
Draw this darkness out like poison
Stab, retrieve, again decline
Help me drive the dagger deeper
Trace with me explicit line
Take this blade, a test of faith,
And strike me deep and true
I put all my trust in you
Refine hate and love
Fall afresh on me
End this crisis of
Identity
This is my voice, all shadows stayed this is my heart, upon the altar laid
Please take all else away, hear my cry, I beg, I plead, I pray
I'll walk into the flame, a calculated risk to further bless your name
So strike me deep and true, and in your strength I will live and die both unto you.
Luke Concienne
Image marred by self-infliction
Private wars on my soul waged
Heart is scarred by dual volitions
Juxtaposed and both engaged
Kindle flame, a test of faith
Pray help me see it through
I put all my trust in you
Refine hate and love
Fall afresh on me
End this crisis of
Identity
Draw this darkness out like poison
Stab, retrieve, again decline
Help me drive the dagger deeper
Trace with me explicit line
Take this blade, a test of faith,
And strike me deep and true
I put all my trust in you
Refine hate and love
Fall afresh on me
End this crisis of
Identity
This is my voice, all shadows stayed this is my heart, upon the altar laid
Please take all else away, hear my cry, I beg, I plead, I pray
I'll walk into the flame, a calculated risk to further bless your name
So strike me deep and true, and in your strength I will live and die both unto you.
.::kishi kaisei::.
Image marred by self-infliction
Private wars on my soul waged
Heart is scarred by dual volitions
Juxtaposed and both engaged
Kindle flame, a test of faith
Pray help me see it through
I put all my trust in you
Refine hate and love
Fall afresh on me
End this crisis of
Identity
Draw this darkness out like poison
Stab, retrieve, again decline
Help me drive the dagger deeper
Trace with me explicit line
Take this blade, a test of faith,
And strike me deep and true
I put all my trust in you
Refine hate and love
Fall afresh on me
End this crisis of
Identity
This is my voice, all shadows stayed this is my heart, upon the altar laid
Please take all else away, hear my cry, I beg, I plead, I pray
I'll walk into the flame, a calculated risk to further bless your name
So strike me deep and true, and in your strength I will live and die both unto you.
D W
No idea how this doesn't have more love... This is the song I found them on.
Brad Blechinger
Same. Love the breakdown. All of it! Legit core song
Merlin
this is my favourite Christian rock band and I hope that they can continue to make good tunes well into the future
gearwhizz
Found this song when some dude on Napster said he had looked through my share folder and thought I would enjoy his friends' band who had just recorded an album.
20 minutes to an hour later the song was downloaded and I did indeed enjoy his friends' band.
Next day it became the first CD I ordered from the US over the internet.
Adilson Armando Braga
Amo Thrice❤
Brett Clark
I really wish Thrice would go back to their roots and make another punk album. Miss old Thrice.
TheOnRise
I know we kind of skipped over live shows in 2020, but can we get a 20 year anniversary tour for this album??
sucktackular
Vagrant 25 coming up in Irvine
Simply 11B elieve Lane
Classic.....!