Thrice's Eddie Breckenridge (Bassist), Teppei Teranishi (Lead Guitarist), Dustin Kensrue (Vocalist/Guitarist), Riley Breckenridge (Drummer) Atiba Jefferson Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Print the Article Post a Comment If you happened to come of age at the turn of the century in Orange County, Calif., then you likely felt the buzz that was generating around Irvine's up-and-coming rock outfit, Thrice. The fourpiece - through their 1999 EP known as First Impressions, as well as their 2000 LP, Identity Crisis - had already developed a ravenous local following for their genre fusion of punk and metal that's most commonly regarded as post-hardcore. I witnessed this devotion firsthand at the Virgin Megastore-hosted release show for their second LP, The Illusion of Safety (2002). Seeing 500-plus teenagers and young adults sing, scream and mosh against the backdrop of an upscale outdoor shopping center in Costa Mesa, Calif. is an image that's forever seared into my brain. Related Stories News Bill Burr Defends Performing at Controversial Riyadh Comedy Festival: "They're Just Like Us" Business Why Argentinian Actress Luisana Lopilato Moved Into Producing A major label bidding war quickly erupted in order to invest in the collective future of vocalist/guitarist Dustin Kensrue, multi-instrumentalist Teppei Teranishi and the fraternal rhythm section of bassist Eddie Breckenridge and drummer Riley Breckenridge. Island Records emerged victorious, and despite being crunched for time, Thrice's 2003 major label debut, The Artist in the Ambulance, became a foundational record to the post-hardcore subgenre. After they fulfilled the touring cycle for Artist, Thrice made one of the most consequential decisions of their career. They began to veer away from the style of music that brought them to the dance, adding an experimental twist to their post-hardcore bedrock. They brought in new instruments and electronic elements to expand their sonic palette, resulting in what is now considered to be their masterwork, Vheissu (2005). However, the fan response at the time was all over the map. Some of us greeted the record with rapture, while others bemoaned that it wasn't a more direct extension of Illusion and Artist. But none of the band members ever flinched over the divide that formed over their pre- and post-Vheissu sound. "We just did what felt right to us," drummer Riley Breckenridge tells The Hollywood Reporter in support of the Oct. 3 release of their new album, Horizons/West. "It's always been about exploration and pushing ourselves and incorporating new influences, and it would just feel dishonest to abandon that true part of the band." Thrice wasn't done zagging as they soon committed themselves to their most ambitious project to date, a self-produced four-volume concept record that's musically and lyrically inspired by the four classical elements of fire, water, air and earth. Vheissu may have gotten the ball rolling, but 2007's The Alchemy Index Vols. I & II: Fire & Water and 2008's The Alchemy Index Vols. II & IV: Air & Earth fully reset the band's sound going forward. Fire offered an evolved take on their post-hardcore calling card, but Water was largely electronic, resulting in a haunting yet serene setting. Air consisted of atmospheric rock that fine tuned their ability to make powerful music without relying on distortion, and Earth was a mix of folk and Americana, something Kensrue had begun to explore via his 2007 solo record, Please Come Home. (In the full-band interview below, Kensrue addresses the possibility of doing more volumes of Alchemy.) The group also shed their prior associations in the process. That included all the vaguely reminiscent bands that were signed in their wake, as well as Island Records itself. The regime that inked them was, for the most part, long gone, and the subsequent leadership didn't know what to do with four stylistically different EPs. So they negotiated an exit that ultimately allowed the band to release their sprawling record in two parts via indie label, Vagrant Records. In response to the complexity of The Alchemy Index, Thrice followed it up with another self-produced LP, Beggars (2009), their most spartan, jam-oriented rock record. Unfortunately, it leaked online well ahead of schedule, putting a relative damper on that cycle. 2011's Major/Minor ended up being received as a grunge record, although that wasn't necessarily by design. The LP also marked a crossroads for the band as familial responsibilities, personal losses, fatigue and new opportunities prompted an indefinite hiatus after wrapping their 2012 "farewell" tour. Luckily, their inactivity lasted only two-and-a-half years as each member gained a newfound appreciation for the band during its absence. In 2016, Thrice returned with To Be Everywhere Is to Be Nowhere, featurin