The Alchemy Index Vols. I & II
Encyclopedia
The Alchemy Index is Thrice
's fifth studio recording, a four-disc concept album that was split between two releases, the first in October 2007 and the second in April 2008. The band originally planned to release four discs at once, each disc with six tracks representing one of the four classical element
s: Fire
, Water
, Earth
, and Air. The album was recorded from late 2006 to early 2007, and a blog titled The Alchemy Index chronicled the album's progress for fans.
posted the following update on the band's studio journal site:
During the recording of the album, the band left Island Records
, citing a difference in vision for the band's direction. On August 9, 2007, the band announced they had signed to Vagrant Records
.
The band debuted a new track from the 'Fire' album and from the 'Earth' album during the mini-tour leading up to 2007 Bamboozle music festival
. The titles of the tracks were later revealed as "Firebreather" and "Come All You Weary" respectively.
top-selling albums.
"The Arsonist" was made available for download on March 6, 2008 as part of the Modern Metal Track Pack for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
.
Thrice
Thrice is an American rock band from Irvine, California, formed in 1998. The group was founded by guitarist/vocalist Dustin Kensrue and guitarist Teppei Teranishi while they were in high school....
's fifth studio recording, a four-disc concept album that was split between two releases, the first in October 2007 and the second in April 2008. The band originally planned to release four discs at once, each disc with six tracks representing one of the four classical element
Classical element
Many philosophies and worldviews have a set of classical elements believed to reflect the simplest essential parts and principles of which anything consists or upon which the constitution and fundamental powers of anything are based. Most frequently, classical elements refer to ancient beliefs...
s: Fire
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
, Water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
, Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
, and Air. The album was recorded from late 2006 to early 2007, and a blog titled The Alchemy Index chronicled the album's progress for fans.
Recording
Early in the development of the project, Dustin KensrueDustin Kensrue
Dustin Michael Kensrue is a vocalist, lyricist, and rhythm guitarist in the Orange County, California post-hardcore/experimental rock quartet Thrice, as well as a solo artist....
posted the following update on the band's studio journal site:
"We sat down a couple weeks ago and made a rough timeline so that we wouldn’t find ourselves putting this out next winter instead of late spring/early summer. The plan is to record at least 75% of each disc at a time, and then have time to come back and re-evaluate, start mixing, and tie up any loose ends. Right now we have done a large amount of the Air disc and have just started up on Earth, which we’ve given ourselves only to the end of next week since we want it to have a pretty stripped down vibe and we don’t want to have time to over- think it. We moved the recording gear into an empty living room with hardwood floors and are recording the whole earth disc in here which is sounding very cool."
During the recording of the album, the band left Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
, citing a difference in vision for the band's direction. On August 9, 2007, the band announced they had signed to Vagrant Records
Vagrant Records
Vagrant Records is an indie rock label based in Los Angeles, California and is home to such artists as The Hold Steady, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, Active Child, PJ Harvey, Reptar, School of Seven Bells, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Thrice, James Vincent McMorrow, Placebo, and many...
.
The band debuted a new track from the 'Fire' album and from the 'Earth' album during the mini-tour leading up to 2007 Bamboozle music festival
The Bamboozle
The Bamboozle is an annual rain-or-shine, three-day music festival held in New Jersey. Every year, new bands compete for spots during the two days. The event evolved out of the Skate and Surf Festival.- The Characters:...
. The titles of the tracks were later revealed as "Firebreather" and "Come All You Weary" respectively.
Release
The album was released in the United States on October 16, 2007, and sold 28,000 copies in its first week. It debuted at #24 on the Billboard 200 chart and #5 on the iTunesITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
top-selling albums.
"The Arsonist" was made available for download on March 6, 2008 as part of the Modern Metal Track Pack for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is a music video game, the third main installment in the Guitar Hero series, and the fourth title overall...
.
Vol I: Fire
- "Firebreather" - 4:24
- "The Messenger" - 2:09
- "Backdraft" - 4:08
- "The Arsonist" - 4:13
- "Burn the Fleet" - 3:46
- "The Flame Deluge" - 3:27
Vol II: Water
- "Digital Sea" - 3:44
- "Open Water" - 3:46
- "Lost Continent" - 4:30
- "Night Diving" - 6:02
- "The Whaler" - 4:09
- "Kings Upon the Main" - 4:56
Band members
- Dustin KensrueDustin KensrueDustin Michael Kensrue is a vocalist, lyricist, and rhythm guitarist in the Orange County, California post-hardcore/experimental rock quartet Thrice, as well as a solo artist....
- lead vocals, guitar - Teppei TeranishiTeppei TeranishiTeppei Teranishi is the lead guitarist and keyboardist of the post-hardcore band Thrice from Orange County, California. In addition to guitar and keyboard duties, he also provides backing vocals for Thrice's live performances. He favors Gibson Les Paul guitars and Fender Telecasters among others...
- guitar, keyboards, vocals - Eddie BreckenridgeEddie BreckenridgeEddie Breckenridge is the bass guitarist of the post-hardcore band, Thrice. Breckenridge joined the band having virtually no experience playing the bass . He soon convinced his brother Riley to join as the band's drummer...
- bass, vocals - Riley BreckenridgeRiley BreckenridgeJames Riley Breckenridge is the drummer for Post-hardcore band Thrice. He plays C & C Custom Drums, and uses Vic Firth drumsticks, Zildjian cymbals, Remo drumheads, with Drum Workshop hardware and pedals.-Biography:...
- drums
Recording personnel
- Produced – Thrice and Teppei Teranishi
- Engineered and Mixed - Teppei Teranishi
- Mastering – Howie Weinberg at MasterDisk