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.
The Red Death
Thrice Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Weld the bolts and close the iron gate
Drink deeply the illusion of your safety
My how wishful thoughts inebriate, masquerade, and revel in your opulence
Writhe unfettered by your stabs at ignorance
Swim through hues and whispered tones of here say
Remember me? You look so surprised to see me here
With hell's black wings did I over perch these walls
For stony limits cannot hold me out
And now you all die
The lyrics to Thrice's song "The Red Death" paint a vivid picture of a situation in which an individual is attempting to escape a dark, malevolent force. The song opens with the lyrics "Entertain the hope that somehow you'll escape me," suggesting that the singer is fearful and attempting to evade their pursuer. The subsequent lines, which encourage the listener to "Weld the bolts and close the iron gate" and "Drink deeply the illusion of your safety," reinforce this sense of dread and danger.
The second verse of the song is particularly compelling, as it features a series of vivid and powerful images. The singer is described as engaging in "masquerade" and "revel[ing] in [their] opulence," suggesting a false sense of security or arrogance. The following lines, which urge the listener to "Writhe unfettered by your stabs at ignorance" and "Swim through hues and whispered tones of hearsay," paint a picture of a person who is struggling to make sense of their impending doom.
Overall, "The Red Death" is a powerful meditation on fear, death, and the human desire for escape. It is an excellent example of Thrice's ability to communicate complex emotional states through their music, and stands as one of the most powerful tracks on their album "The Alchemy Index Vols. III & IV."
Line by Line Meaning
Entertain the hope that somehow you'll escape me
You believe there is a chance that you can escape me and avoid the inevitable.
Weld the bolts and close the iron gate
You can try to protect yourself by barricading yourself in, but it won't help.
Drink deeply the illusion of your safety
You are deceiving yourself into feeling safe and secure.
My how wishful thoughts inebriate, masquerade, and revel in your opulence
Your optimistic thoughts are intoxicating, superficial, and revel in your wealth and privilege.
Writhe unfettered by your stabs at ignorance
You are in agony and struggling despite your attempts to ignore the truth.
Swim through hues and whispered tones of here say
You are surrounded by rumors and gossip that you are wading through to try to discern the truth.
A dozen strokes to run your blood cold enough to believe
It will take something shocking, like a violent death, to make you finally accept the reality of your situation.
Remember me? You look so surprised to see me here
You didn't believe that death would come for you and now you are shocked that it has.
With hell's black wings did I over perch these walls
I am a terrifying and supernatural force that has overcome all obstacles to reach you.
For stony limits cannot hold me out
Nothing can stop death from claiming you once your time has come.
And now you all die
Your time has run out and death has come for you, as it does for all of us eventually.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DUSTIN MICHAEL KENSRUE, EDWARD CARRINGTON BRECKENRIDGE, JAMES RILEY BRECKENRIDGE, TEPPEI TERANISHI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@SHIFTnopistons
My favorite Thrice track.
@robertlopez6276
Beautiful.
@DimensionLordWiggles
good god, has it been 11 years since this came out! i am getting old.
@inspector38
how does 20 years feel
@DimensionLordWiggles
Now I have a kid and living in Germany. Time flies.
@iwazhere7077
Entertain the hope that somehow you'll escape me
Weld the bolts and close the iron gate
Drink deeply the illusion of your safety
My, how wishful thoughts inebriate
Masquerade and revel in your opulence
Writhe unfettered by your stabs at ignorance
Swim through hues and whispered tones of heresy
A dozen strokes to run your blood cold enough to believe
Remember me?
You look so surprised to see me here
With hell's black wings did I o'er-perch these walls
For stony limits cannot hold me out
And now you all die
@mikalaile
This song is just perfect
@Dabomb1237
It's as if they were asked to make a song for a racing game, and they came through.
@Sterling177
"With hell's black wings did I o'er-perch these walls
For stony limits cannot hold me out"
Just realised this is inspired by Romeo:
"With love's light wings did I o'erperch these walls,
For stony limits cannot hold love out;"
@zyduck1329
Shoutout Edgar Allan Poe