Orange, CA- April 15, 2008- The much anticipated second installment of The Alchemy Index, Vols. III & IV: Earth & Air is available everywhere in stores NOW, via Vagrant Records.

A departure from songwriting tactics used on all prior releases, The Alchemy Index was done in the band’s own studio and engineered by guitarist Teppei Teranishi, without the assistance of an outside producer. “Although we wrote and recorded all 4 discs in the same time period, there was definitely and different approach to each one,” says singer Dustin Kensrue. Armed with completely open minds and lacking any conceptions as to what this release would bring the newest collection of songs from Thrice is a passionate and beaming follow-up to their celebrated, Fire & Water.

From the introductory notes of “Digging My Own Grave,” on the Earth disc, to the sprawling echoed chords of “Come All You Weary,” (which Thrice will be performing on Late Night with Conan O’Brien on May 5th) Thrice have ventured into and conquered a new land in paramount proportions.

“Earth was defined in the sense that we knew we wanted it very stripped down, with few electrified instruments or full drums. We recorded almost all of it in an empty wood floored room, as opposed to the studio where the rest of the record was done. It was done much quicker than the rest of the records and was very informal” says Kensrue. “We wanted it to sound like the listener is in the room with us, like you're just sitting in a room with a few guys playing music. We used exclusively acoustic instruments like acoustic piano, acoustic guitar, upright bass, banjo and wind instruments (except for "Come All You Weary") and I think that made a big difference in the vibe of the disc. It's definitely some of my favorite songs we've ever written/recorded says Teranishi.

The singer’s sophisticated song craft and soulful, soaring tenor breaks through on the powerful and touching “Broken Lungs.” The haunting choral-esque “Daedalus” and euphoric “Silver Wings” will also be featured on the Air disc. “The Air disc is almost like a conglomeration of all four EP’s. While the rest of the records are pretty intentional and focused as far as their instrumentation and dynamics, the Air disc seems to be a bit more all over the place. There's stuff on there that's super stripped down, just acoustic guitar and singing, there's a song that's fully electronic, there's more traditional rock stuff (guitar, bass, drums), and there's even some more use of horns, says Teranishi. “Finding what made something work for Air was somewhat more elusive, and that ended up being a defining factor in the final choice of songs for that record,” says Kensrue.

Kensrue took the elemental theme still further by composing an original sonnet for each EP, set to music, yet organized in the traditional English structure and rhythmic fashion. These passages (“Child of Dust” on Earth;and “Silver Wings” for Air) offer powerful sentiments that serve as thought-provoking closers for each EP’s respective journey. “Each sonnet is written from the point of view of the personified element, speaking to mankind, and lamenting our various failings,” explains Kensrue.

Thrice will be kicking off their headlining U.S. tour starting this month with good friends, Circa Survive and Pelican. Stayed tuned for updates and check out THRICE - THE ALCHEMY INDEX for all your Thrice needs.

Tour Dates:

Apr 16: San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
Apr 18: Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
Apr 19: Tempe, AZ @ Marquee
Apr 21: Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
Apr 22: Dallas, TX @ Palladium
Apr 23: Austin, TX @ Stubbs
Apr 25: Nashville, TN @ Rocketown
Apr 26: Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
Apr 27: Orlando, FL @ House of Blues
Apr 29: Ft Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution
Apr 30: St Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Landing
May 2: Charlotte, NC @ Amos Southend
May 3: Richmond, VA @ The National
May 4: East Rutherford, NJ @ The Bamboozle Festival
May 6: Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Live
May 7: Hartford, CT @ Webster Theatre
May 8: Allentown, PA @ Crocodile Rock Café
May 9: Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
May 10: Worcester, MA @ Palladium
May 12: Clifton Park, NY @ Northern Lights
May 13: Buffalo, NY @ Club Infinity
May 14: Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Zoo
May 15: Pontiac, MI @ Clutch Cargo’s
May 16: Chicago, IL @ Metro
May 17: Chicago, IL @ Metro
May 18: Milwaukee, WI @ Rave
May 20: Denver, CO @ Ogden
May 21: Salt Lake City, UT @ In The Venue
May 23: Seattle, WA @ Showbox Sodo
May 24: Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
May 25: San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
May 27: Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues
May 28: Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues
May 29: Hollywood, CA @ Avalon


For the latest news and info on Thrice go to: THRICE - THE ALCHEMY INDEX



“Vol I., Fire is all caustic blasts, with sledgehammer guitars and Dustin Kensrue’s lacerating treble roaring odes to destruction and annihilation.”– Blender Magazine