Howl's Moving Castle (film)

Howl's Moving Castle (Japanese: ハウルの動く城, Hepburn: Hauru no Ugoku Shiro) is a 2004 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It is loosely based on the 1986 novel of the same name by British author Diana Wynne Jones. The film was produced by Toshio Suzuki, animated by Studio Ghibli and distributed by Toho. The Japanese voice cast featured Chieko Baisho and Takuya Kimura, while the English dub version starred Jean Simmons, Emily Mortimer, Lauren Bacall, Christian Bale, Josh Hutcherson and Billy Crystal. The film is set in a fictional kingdom where both magic and early twentieth-century technology are prevalent, against the backdrop of a war with another kingdom. It tells the story of Sophie, a young milliner who is turned into an elderly woman by a witch who enters her shop and curses her. She encounters a wizard named Howl and gets caught up in his resistance to fighting for the king.

Influenced by Miyazaki's opposition to the United States' invasion of Iraq in 2003, the film contains strong anti-war themes. Miyazaki stated that he "had a great deal of rage" about the Iraq war, which led him to make a film which he felt would be poorly received in the United States. It also explores the theme of old age, depicting age positively as something which grants the protagonist freedom. The film contains feminist elements as well, and carries messages about the value of compassion. In 2013, Miyazaki said Howl's Moving Castle was his favorite creation, explaining, "I wanted to convey the message that life is worth living, and I don't think that's changed." The film is significantly thematically different from the novel; while the novel focuses on challenging class and gender norms, the film focuses on love, personal loyalty and the destructive effects of war.

Howl's Moving Castle premiered at the 61st Venice International Film Festival on 5 September 2004, and was theatrically released in Japan on 20 November 2004. It went on to gross \$190 million in Japan and \$236 million worldwide, making it one of the most commercially successful Japanese films in history. The film received critical acclaim, with particular praise toward its visuals and Miyazaki's presentation of the themes. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 78th Academy Awards, but lost to Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, in 2006, and won several other awards, including four Tokyo Anime Awards and a Nebula Award for Best Script.

## Plot

Sophie, a young milliner and eldest of three sisters, encounters a wizard named Howl on her way to visit her sister Lettie. Upon returning home, she meets the Witch of the Waste, who transforms her into a 90-year-old woman. Seeking to break the curse, Sophie leaves home and sets off through the countryside. She meets a living scarecrow, whom she calls "Turnip Head". He leads her to Howl's moving castle where she enters without invitation. She subsequently meets Howl's young apprentice Markl and a fire demon named Calcifer, the source of the castle's magic and movement. Calcifer makes a deal with Sophie, agreeing to break her curse if she breaks his link with Howl. When Howl appears, Sophie announces that she has "hired herself" as a cleaning lady.

Meanwhile, Sophie's nation is caught up in a war with a neighboring kingdom, which is searching for its missing prince. The King summons Howl to fight in the war. However, Howl decides to send Sophie to the King, under the pretense of being his mother, to tell him that Howl is too much of a coward to fight. Before leaving, he gives Sophie a charmed ring that leads her to Calcifer and guarantees her safety. Sophie meets Suliman, the king's head sorceress, and also the Witch of the Waste, whom Suliman punishes by draining all of her power and reverting her to her true age, that of a harmless old woman. Suliman warns Sophie that Howl will meet the same fate if he does not fight for the king. Howl then arrives to rescue Sophie. Suliman tries to trap him by turning him into a monster, but with Sophie's help he remembers himself and just barely avoids death. The duo escapes along with the former Witch of the Waste and Suliman's dog Heen. In the meantime, soldiers from each kingdom break into the homes of both Jenkins and Pendragon (Howl's aliases in those kingdoms). However, the men only find an empty courtyard and warehouse, as the castle's magic nature allows travel between four separate residences.

Sophie learns that Howl's life is somehow bound to Calcifer's and that Howl has been transforming into a bird-like creature to interfere with both sides in the war, but each transformation makes it more difficult for him to return to human form. Howl then has the castle magically linked to Sophie's home, parking the castle itself on the town's outskirts. A few days later, the town is bombed by enemy aircraft and Suliman's henchmen attack the house and Sophie's hat shop. Howl heads out to protect the group. Sophie then moves everyone out of the house and removes Calcifer from the fireplace, which collapses the castle. The Witch of the Waste realizes that Calcifer has Howl's heart and grabs the fire demon, setting herself on fire. Sophie panics and pours water onto the Witch, which douses Calcifer. The remainder of the castle then splits in two; Sophie falls down a chasm and is separated from the group.

Following the charmed ring, Sophie wanders into a scene from the past, where she sees a young Howl catch a falling star – Calcifer – and gives him his heart. Sophie calls for them to find her in the future as she is teleported away. She returns to the present, finds Howl, and they reunite with the others. The Witch returns Howl's heart, and Sophie places it back inside Howl, reviving him and freeing Calcifer, though he decides to stay. Sophie's curse is broken, though her hair remains white. After she kisses Turnip Head on the cheek, he returns to human form revealing himself to be Justin, the missing prince from the enemy kingdom. He reveals that only his true love's kiss can break his curse. After seeing Sophie's affection lies with Howl, he promptly heads for home to cease the war, but promises he will see them again. Suliman, watching through a crystal globe, also decides to end the war. Sometime later, bombers fly under dark skies over a recovered and green countryside headed to another war, while Sophie, Howl, and the others travel in the opposite direction in a new flying castle.

## Voice cast

## Themes

### Pacifism

Howl's Moving Castle contains strong anti-war themes, influenced by Miyazaki's distaste for the 2003 Iraq War. When he received an Oscar for Spirited Away, he said that he "had a great deal of rage about [the war]. So [he] felt some hesitation about the award." Miyazaki identifies as a pacifist. On the eve of the Iraq War, Miyazaki decided to make a film that he felt would be poorly received in the United States. Despite the film's success in that country, literary scholar Dani Cavallaro stated that Miyazaki was able to "create a film which ought, in principle, to have caused a certain unease among American audiences." In the movie, Madame Suliman appears to have only sadistic motivations for creating conflict, and despite being omniscient, is unable to recognize the idiocy of the war until the very end of the story. This reflects Miyazaki's desire to show real-world conflicts as also being somewhat arbitrary and fueled by the desires of capricious people. Cavallaro stated that the depiction of the war carried "an unmistakable bitter taste." She also writes that the military presence and warfare was highlighted in the film.

The universe of Howl's Moving Castle is depicted as not having clear-cut villains and heroes; instead, the characters are complex, and even those that are initially portrayed in a negative light, such as Howl, are shown as capable of change. Matt Kimmich has stated, however, that the simplistic message of the film is that "war is bad." A scene where Sophie is standing in a beautiful field of flowers is interrupted by a war machine, "a finger accusing empire as the destroyer of peace." This portrayal is in strong contrast to other Miyazaki films like Princess Mononoke, which criticizes military conflict in a more nuanced manner. Andrew Osmond stated that "Howl's pure-hearted anti-war stance is presented as nihilism with no alternative as he fights forces from each side and becomes the worst terror of all," in the form of the monstrous bird. By transforming into the bird, Howl risks losing his own humanity; Calcifer comments at one point that he will soon not be able to return to human form. In contrast, Ashitaka in Princess Mononoke fights the demonic sickness with which he is afflicted, and tries to negotiate a peace between the two sides. Osmond states that both films also point out the limits of masculinity, as exemplified by Howl and Ashitaka.

### Flight and critique of modernity

Like several other Miyazaki films, Howl's Moving Castle reflects the director's love of flying. Aircraft of inventive design appear in the film, and Howl frequently transforms into a bird. Miyazaki examines flight as a theme most directly in the later film The Wind Rises. Miyazaki stated that he was attracted to military aircraft as a child, but that he grew to detest them because of the destructive purpose for which they are created. Thus Howl's Moving Castle contains images both of aircraft shown as harmless and beautiful, and large military craft depicted as ugly and destructive. Cavallaro writes that Miyazaki wants to "portray flight as an object of admiration and awe," but that he is not "[blind] to its abuse by unscrupulous strategists and rulers."

The nuanced view of flight is part of Miyazaki's broader critique of modern society and technology. Margaret Talbot writes that in person, Miyazaki exhibits "a profound dissatisfaction with modern life," particularly with the effects of technology and a disconnection from nature. Many of his films depict technological hubris as among the roots of evil. The battleships which are seen moving over the landscape are depicted as "gleaming with modernity and parading righteousness," but are then shown to be highly destructive. In contrast, the semi-organic castle demonstrates "Miyazaki’s Taoist presentation of industrialism needing to be aligned with nature" according to Carl and Garrath Wilson. Anthony Lioi writes that Miyazaki often depicts beautiful scenes in contrast to those containing symbols of modernity, such as the scene where Sophie's reverie is interrupted by a war machine. This contrast is part of an ecological criticism of modernity, but Miyazaki also offers an alternative, in the form of beautiful natural scenery.

### Old age and compassion

Miyazaki stated that an attractive aspect of the story of Howl's Moving Castle was the relatively positive light it shed on growing old. When Sophie becomes old as a result of the witch's spell, she also feels more able to speak her mind. According to Miyazaki, old women are only infrequently allowed to dominate the screen as in Howl's Moving Castle, which made it a risky concept. Elizabeth Parsons stated that the film disrupts the stereotype of "aged unattractiveness," when the artificially aged Sophie manages to rescue two attractive men (who come to love her) and to unintentionally end the war in her country. Sophie's actions are those usually associated with grandmothers, such as being kind and nurturing to those around her, and engaging in housework; however, these actions are depicted as being powerful and heroic. Sophie is one of several strong female protagonists in Miyazaki's films. According to Parsons, this gives the film a feminist aspect as well. Additionally, even though Sophie manages to make her presence in the castle legitimate by claiming to be a cleaning lady, the film goes on to show that the housework is equitably distributed, strengthening its feminist aspect.

In 2013, Miyazaki stated that Howl's Moving Castle was his favorite creation, and explained his choice by saying "I wanted to convey the message that life is worth living, and I don't think that's changed." In the film, Sophie is shown to overcome extreme challenges by learning to put the well-being of those she cares about above her own self-interest, a quality which Miyazaki refers to as devotion. Several of the protagonists in Miyazaki's films, such as Ashitaka and San in Princess Mononoke and Sheeta and Pazu in Castle in the Sky learn to survive by learning the same lesson. Cavallaro states that Miyazaki spreads this moral through the entire film, to convey human beings' ability to be compassionate, such as when the scarecrow holds an umbrella over Sophie's head when it rains. Over the course of the film, Howl, its most vain and selfish character, also learns to put others before himself. When Madame Suliman returns the Witch of the Waste to her true form as a decrepit old woman, Sophie takes her in and cares for her, despite the witch being responsible for Sophie's curse, thus strongly demonstrating the idea of compassion. The witch then nearly destroys Howl through her selfish behavior, but also helps save the castle at the end. Parsons writes that "In Miyazaki's balancing act, old women can be powerful and weak, positive and negative, nurturing and selfish, maligned and loved; in short, they can not be simply categorized or stereotyped, and they can not be dismissed as fantasy malefactors embodied by evil witches." They are also given a lot of space in the film as active characters, something not commonly found in western movies.

## Production

In September 2001, Studio Ghibli announced the production of two films. The first would become The Cat Returns and the second was an adaptation of Diana Wynne Jones' novel, Howl's Moving Castle. Toshio Suzuki, who produced Howl's Moving Castle, stated that Miyazaki was inspired to make the film when he read Jones' novel, and was struck by the image of a castle moving around the countryside. The novel does not explain how the castle moved, and Miyazaki was interested in figuring out how the castle might move, which led to the image of a castle on chicken legs. The complex moving castle changes and rearranges itself several times throughout the movie in response to the various situations. The basic structure of the castle consists of more than 80 elements including turrets, a wagging tongue, cogwheels, and chicken legs, that were rendered as digital objects.

Mamoru Hosoda of Toei Animation was originally selected to direct the film, but quit the project after Studio Ghibli's executives rejected many of his concept ideas. The film was shelved until Miyazaki took over. The project resumed production in February 2003. It was scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2004, and released in the summer of that year.

Miyazaki went to Colmar and Riquewihr in Alsace, France, to study the architecture and the surroundings for the setting of the film. Additional inspiration came from the concepts of futuristic technology in Albert Robida's work. Commentators have stated that Miyazaki's imagery was influenced by his fondness for the "illusion art" of 19th-century Europe. Suzuki stated that unlike many Western films, in which the imagery went "from the general [to] the specific," Miyazaki employed a uniquely Japanese approach, frequently beginning with a very specific image and moving from there. However, Howl's Moving Castle, and Miyazaki films in general, have a focus on realistic imagery in a way that other anime films do not.

The film was produced digitally, but the original backgrounds were drawn by hand and painted prior to being digitized, and the characters were also drawn by hand prior to scanning them into the computer. The 1400 storyboard cuts for the film were completed on 16 January 2004. On 25 June the in-between animation was completed and checking was completed on 26 June. Studio Ghibli used digital technology to run many copies of the still portions of a scene, a process which avoids inconsistencies between various still frames, but can create an impression of artificiality. Therefore, the studio chose to manually retouch the digitally altered images, recreating the "feel" of a hand-drawn image.

Like with the other Studio Ghibli movies, the film was co-produced with other companies, which were Tokuma Shoten, the Nippon Television Network, Dentsu, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Mitsubishi and Toho.

## Comparisons between film and novel

The film has several differences from the novel, partly due to the different requirements of the two media. Diana Wynne Jones' novel has a very large cast of characters, and several plot threads that were too complex to be transferred into the film. As a result, characters such as Sophie's second sister Martha are left out, as is the plot thread involving Markl (who is called Michael in the novel, and depicted as an adolescent, rather than as a young boy) courting her. Jones discussed the film with Studio Ghibli representatives, but did not have any input or involvement in the production of the film. Miyazaki traveled to England in the summer of 2004 to give Jones a private viewing of the finished film. She has been quoted as saying "It's fantastic. No, I have no input—I write books, not films. Yes, it will be different from the book—in fact it's likely to be very different, but that's as it should be. It will still be a fantastic film."

The novel depicts Howl's castle as a tall, dark and sinister wizard's tower, very different from the complex image in the film. The film's castle may be seen as a parody of the machines seen in the movie, driven both by steam-engines and by magic. In the film, it is a "rotund collage of chimneys, roofs, steam pipes, and other odd appendages, borne along on mechanized bird legs" that is similar to Baba Yaga's hut in the popular fairy tale. It is vaguely organic, and almost depicted as a life-form. Similarly, Calcifer is a demonic figure in the book, as compared to the "endearing" persona and image that he has in the film. Both film and novel try to render fantastic elements as mundane and ordinary things. Although they are set in a fantasy universe, the characters are often shown performing routine tasks, like cooking breakfast or washing up, in contrast to the heroic actions typical of a fantasy universe. In the novel, Jones disrupts the fantasy-world setting by including scenes in which the characters travel to the real-world Wales. The movie, however, avoids this digression, and maintains a constant setting.

Miyazaki's biggest addition to the plot of the book was the use of the war as a large part of the plot. In the book, the war is only tangentially referred to; the king orders Howl to find the king's missing brother Justin, because Justin's military skills are needed for a forthcoming war. Howl's frequent disappearances are because of his womanizing habits, which makes Sophie see him as a superficial and cowardly person. In the film, however, Howl disappears in order to transform into a giant bird and disrupt the battle plans of both armies.

The roles of several characters also differ between novel and film due to this plot change. The Witch of the Waste is the chief antagonist of the book, whereas in the film she is reduced by Madame Suliman's magic to an ultimately harmless old woman who evokes sympathy in the audience and in Sophie. In contrast, the film conflates the novel's two characters of Mrs. Penstemmon and the wizard Suliman into Madame Suliman. Although Suliman comes closest to being a traditional villain in the film, she is shown as having ambiguous motivations, and reviewers have stated that the real villain is war itself. Howl loses the "rakish" womanizing aspect that was a significant part of his character in the novel. In contrast, Sophie becomes a more conventional figure in the film; she is less grumpy and outspoken, and demonstrates her love for Howl earlier and more explicitly. The storyline in the novel of Sophie being a powerful sorceress in her own right is muted in the film, although she is still shown to have control over her curse.

The thematic focus of the story also differs between the novel and the film. Reviewer Antonia Levi wrote that the experience of watching the film was similar to reading high quality fan fiction; although the characters and the setting were the same, the story was different. Although in both cases the story begins with Sophie being a prisoner of her circumstances and of social norms, the challenges she faces are slightly different. Levi said that "Jones uses Sophie, Howl, and Calcifer in a fairytale format to tell a story about challenging class and gender expectations, Miyazaki uses the same characters to tell a story about personal loyalty, love, and war."

## Music

The score was composed and conducted by Joe Hisaishi, and performed by the New Japan Philharmonic. The soundtrack CD was first released on 19 November 2004 by Tokuma Japan Communications. Hisaishi also composed and conducted a Howl's Moving Castle: Symphony Suite, an album published on 21 January 2004 which includes ten re-arranged pieces from the original soundtrack. He and Youmi Kimura also composed Howl's Moving Castle CD Maxi-Single, a CD single published on 27 October 2004 which includes the film's theme song, sung by Chieko Baisho (the Japanese voice actor for Sophie), its karaoke version, and a piano version of the film's main theme, "The Merry-Go-Round of Life".

## Release and reception

### Box office

The film opened at the 61st Venice Film Festival in 2004, and was released in Japan on 20 November 2004. The film grossed \$14.5 million in its first week of release in Japan alone. The film was distributed in Japan by Toho, and made \$190 million in that country. It was distributed internationally by various companies, and made approximately an additional \$45 million outside Japan, for a worldwide total of \$235 million. The film was later dubbed into English under the supervision of Pete Docter of Pixar, and released in the United States by Walt Disney Pictures on 10 June 2005. It was one of the most commercially successful Japanese films ever made. Soon after its release, it became the third most financially successful film in Japan, behind Titanic and Spirited Away.

### Home media

On home video, Howl's Moving Castle sold 2.7 million DVD units in Japan as of May 2007, and grossed over \$18 million from Blu-ray and DVD sales in the United States as of April 2022. It was released in the United States on DVD on 7 March 2006 and on Blu-ray by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on 21 May 2013. GKIDS re-released the film on Blu-ray and DVD on 17 October 2017.

In the United Kingdom, the film's Studio Ghibli anniversary release was 2015's eighth best-selling foreign language film on home video, and fifth best-selling Japanese film (below four other Studio Ghibli anime films). It was later 2018's fourth best-selling foreign language film in the UK (below the Japanese films My Neighbor Totoro, Your Name and Blade of the Immortal).

### Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports an 87% approval rating based on 182 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Exquisitely illustrated by master animator Miyazaki, Howl's Moving Castle will delight children with its fantastical story and touch the hearts and minds of older viewers as well." The film also holds an 82/100 average on Metacritic, based on 40 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".

USA Today critic Claudia Puig gave the film a positive review, praising it for its ability to blend "a childlike sense of wonder with sophisticated emotions and motives". Helen McCarthy in 500 Essential Anime Movies said that the natural world was "beautifully represented", with "some absolutely breathtaking mountains and lakeside landscapes". She also praised the design of the castle and added that Miyazaki added his own themes to the film: "man's relationship to nature, the futility of war, and the joy of flight". Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal called the film "a moveable feast of delights". Richard Corliss of Time wrote, "Palaces and shimmering lakes, warplanes and fire sprites all come to life at the breath of Miyazaki's graphic genius." Writing for The Boston Globe, Ty Burr said, "At its best, 'Howl's Moving Castle' offers a rich fantasy of adolescent escape, of romance in the old and epic sense. At its worst, it's the most amazing 12-course meal you can't bring yourself to finish." A.O. Scott of The New York Times wrote, "Admirers of [Hayao Miyazaki's] work, which is wildly imaginative, emotionally intense and surpassingly gentle, will find much to appreciate in this film because it demonstrates, once again, his visual ingenuity and his sensitivity as a storyteller. For newcomers to his world, "Howl's Moving Castle" is a fitting introduction to one of modern cinema's great enchanters."

Conversely, Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film two and a half out of four stars, and called it a "disappointment" compared to Miyazaki's other recent movies. Jonathan Trout of the BBC said, "Youngsters and Miyazaki fans will coo at the world's depth and rich surreality, but opaque plotting, and a tendency to mope with Sophie whilst Howl is off affecting events let the momentum of the first act vanish into thin air." Writing for Salon, Stephanie Zacharek said, "the plot of Howl's Moving Castle meanders so listlessly that its details become less and less charming. Miyazaki's storytelling style resembles that of a breathless young tot who's fearlessly exercising his newfound powers of expression." Stephen Hunter from The Washington Post criticized the plot of the film, saying "There is no story, or rather, there's no force to the story, which meanders almost casually this way and that for no apparent reason." However, he said that the movie also empowered young women, and was "beautiful beyond telling." David Rooney, writing in Variety, stated that "the narrative motor roars ahead in the opening hour and is more erratic thereafter," and suggested that better translation would help. Literary scholar Matt Kimmich stated that the film came across as "uneasy compromise between two plots and two imaginations," referring to Jones' original story and Miyazaki's style of animation and storytelling. However, he stated that those scenes which were not dependent either on Jones' original plot or Miyazaki's added plot threads found "a visual humor that recalls the verbal wit and lightness of Jones's novel," and that the "animation manages to free itself from the demands of the two plots—and flies."

### Top ten lists

The film appeared on many critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2005.

- 2nd – Ella Taylor, LA Weekly (tie)
- 4th – Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
- 5th – Tasha Robinson, The A.V. Club
- 6th – Lawrence Toppman, The Charlotte Observer
- 6th – Jonathan Rosenbaum, The Chicago Reader (tie)
- 8th – Michael Sragow, The Baltimore Sun
- 8th – Michael Wilmington, The Chicago Tribune
- NA – Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor (listed alphabetically)

### Accolades

2004 film by Hayao Miyazaki

Films with screenplays by Hayao Miyazaki

Nebula Award for Best Script-winning works


Andagua volcanic field

The Andagua volcanic field (also known as Andahua) is a volcanic field in southern Peru which includes a number of cinder cones, lava domes and lava flows which have filled the Andagua Valley (which is also known as Valley of the Volcanoes for this reason). The volcanic field is part of a larger volcanic province that clusters around the Colca River and is mostly of Pleistocene age, although the Andagua sector also features volcanic cones with historical activity, with the last eruption about 370 years ago. Eruptions were mostly effusive, generating lava flows, cones and small eruption columns. Future eruptions are possible, and there is ongoing fumarolic activity. Volcanic activity in the field has flooded the Andahua valley with lava flows, damming local watersheds in the Laguna de Chachas, Laguna Mamacocha and Laguna Pumajallo lakes and burying the course of the Andagua River. The Andahua valley segment of the larger volcanic province was declared a geopark in 2015.

## History and name

The volcanoes were first mentioned in a 1904 report but scientific investigation began by 1960; owing to the small size of Andagua volcanoes and their remote location they have not gained as much scientific interest as the large stratovolcanoes in the region. Eruptions have been dated on the basis of radiocarbon dating, potassium-argon dating and the morphology of the resulting vents as younger structures are steeper.

The term "Andagua volcanic field" has not been used consistently and sometimes the term "Andagua Group" or variants with "Andahua" are used, even though the name of the village is Andagua; the field is also known as Andagua-Orcopampa volcanic field. The term "Valley of the Volcanoes" is a reference to the volcanoes that fill the valley floor.

## Geology and geomorphology

The Andagua volcanic field lies in southern Peru, 135 kilometres (84 mi) from the city of Arequipa and within the Arequipa Department and its provinces Castilla, Caylloma and Condesuyos. The towns of Orcopampa, Andagua/Andahua, Soporo, Chachas, Sucna and Ayo lie in its area along with mines and the Inka sites of Antaymarca, Ayo and Jello Jello; economic activity includes farming and mining as well as commerce and industrial activity.

The volcanic field consists of cinder cones, lava domes, lava flow fields, pyroclastic cones, and scoria cones. Lava flows emanated from cones, domes and fractures; some cones have been breached by lava flows. Lava flows reach lengths of 20 kilometres (12 mi) and thicknesses of 80 metres (260 ft); their surfaces are blocky and feature channels. The highest individual volcano is 400 metres (1,300 ft) high although the average height of cones is about 50–170 metres (160–560 ft) or 200–300 metres (660–980 ft) and their width is about 500–650 metres (1,640–2,130 ft); lava domes reach heights of 20–150 metres (66–492 ft). Most of the vents are concentrated in the Valley of the Volcanoes, a 60 kilometres (37 mi) long valley that descends to the Colca River, where they form clusters and alignments which have flooded the valley and tributary valleys with lava flows; most vents are situated on the valley floor while others lie on its flanks. Aside from the Andagua Valley proper, the volcanoes spread across the Apune Valley to the northwest and the Ayo Valley to the south. These are not monogenetic volcanoes as some of them show evidence of multiple eruption episodes. Colours range from grey over reddish to black, with reddish colours appearing on weathered lavas. The valley is flanked by 3,500–5,000 metres (11,500–16,400 ft) high mountains.

Among the vents are:

- West-northwest from Orcopampa lies the wide Mauras cone with a surrounding lava flow field. Farther northwest still the Jullulluyoc and Umajala lava domes and lava flows which reach the road between Orcopampa and the Poracota gold mine. All three are of Pleistocene age and the second two developed on ridges flanking the valley; Umajala bears signs of glaciation.
- In the valley of the Sora River lie a number of lava domes and three pyroclastic cones along with a lava flow field that reaches to the Andagua River. The cinder cones from north to south are Misahuana Mauras, Pabellón and Yana Mauras, while one of the lava domes is known as Jochane. An additional lava flow lies in the Pallca River valley, which joins the Sora River valley from the west, just before the entry of the Sora River valley into the Andagua Valley. These are of Pleistocene to Holocene age.
- South of Misahuanca in the Andagua valley lie six vents with a surrounding Pleistocene lava flow field; these vents are the Cerro Mauras cinder cone and two lava domes forming a northern cluster, and the cinder cone Challhue Mauras, the lava dome Tororocsa and the cinder cone Panahua aligned in west–east direction. Some of the vents predate the surrounding lava flows, while others post-date them such as Cerro Mauras which formed atop an older vent; the lava flows themselves blocked the valley and formed a large lava flow field. An additional also Pleistocene lava dome and lava flow are located farther east and fill a hanging valley.
- The Santa Rosa cinder cones and the Cerro Puca Mauras cinder cone, the largest in the Andagua volcanic field, along with a few lava domes such as Chipchane and an unnamed over 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) wide dome lie within a Pleistocene to Holocene age lava flow field that spreads northwards, westwards and southwards towards the Andagua River, covering the entire valley. Consequently, the Andagua River cut a gorge across the lava flow fields, which ends in a waterfall farther south. This part of the volcanic field produced the most volcanic activity; its vents were controlled by faults. Puca Mauras is the largest cone and features pre-Hispanic buildings.
- Around the town of Andagua and along the road to Viraco west of Andagua lies a Pleistocene lava flow field that propagates from interconnected lava domes/lava craters in the El Tambo River valley east-southeastwards towards Andagua. The largest of these lava domes lies east of Andagua, is called Cochapampa and features a lava dome nested within its crater; additionally, the cinder cones Yanamauras, Yanamauras Sur directly north of Andagua and Ticsho northwest of the town are also part of this field. The vents here are spread across the valley, are smaller and have different ages. For example, the Pra-Ticsho lava dome is 270,000 years old while Ticsho only 4,050.
- Southeast of Andagua, the valley is mainly filled by Holocene lava flows, except around Soporo and east of Chachas where there are Pleistocene lava flows; this part of the volcanic field is known as the Chilcayoc lava field. Along with these are dispersed cinder cones such as Jenchana south of Andagua, Ninamama east of Andagua, Pampalquita, Ucuja, Chico, Chilcayoc, Jechapita clockwise around Soporo and Chilcayoc Grande farther east, along with a number of lava domes such as the cluster west of Sucna. One of the domes around Soporo is heavily eroded, the cinder cones are in part breached by lava flows. Chilcayoc Grande is the most prominent cinder cone of the Andagua volcanic field.
- North of the Chachas lake lies another lava flow field, with two lava domes aligned in southwest–northeast direction and a cinder cone Cerro Ticlla; the flows reached Chachas lake. This field is of Pleistocene age and bears signs of glaciation but the Cerro Pucamauras cinder cone in its middle is younger.

Older volcanic landforms are vegetated and have developed a soil cover, and sometimes are altered by river or glacial erosion or have been converted into farmland. Overall, in outcrops the volcanic rocks of the Andagua valley reach great thickness, forming plains of lava and occasionally accumulations or fields of volcanic ash; the total volume of volcanic rocks is about 15 ± 5 cubic kilometres (3.6 ± 1.2 cu mi) and thicknesses are about 130 metres (430 ft).

The Andagua River flows through the Valley of the Volcanoes; it originates from the confluence of the Chilcaimarca and Orcopampa Rivers and receives several tributaries over its course in the valley. In the Valley of the Volcanoes, the Andagua River has cut a gorge into the lava fields and has formed waterfalls, while elsewhere it disappears under the lava flows. Lava flows have formed lakes by damming drainages, such as Laguna de Chachas, Laguna Mamacocha and Laguna Pumajallo; additionally sediments from older lakes have been found at Canco. The waters of the Andagua River disappear in lava flows over a path of over 16 kilometres (9.9 mi); the Laguna Mamacocha produces the Mamacocha River whose water ultimately originates in the Andagua River and which eventually flows into the Colca River.

### Composition

The volcanic field has erupted rocks ranging from basaltic andesite to dacite, with composition varying from one individual volcano to the other but dominantly sodic although it has also been described as potassic owing to the poassium-silica ratio. Generally, the rocks fall into the categories benmoreite, latite and mugearite with rare andesite and basalt. Phenocrysts include hornblende, olivine, plagioclase and pyroxene and less commonly alkali feldspar and biotite, and xenoliths have been reported as well. Overall, the composition of the magma is the most primitive of the magmas of southern Peru and underwent crystallization in deep magma chambers which "overflowed" in the form of an eruption once new magma entered them. In addition, the magma underwent some degree of contamination with crustal materials.

### Geologic context

Subduction off the western margin of South America probably commenced during the Paleozoic and has continued to the present day between the Nazca Plate and the South America Plate, where the former subducts at a rate of 46 millimetres per year (1.8 in/year) below the latter. It has been accompanied by orogeny and volcanic activity, with three distinct phases of folding known as the Mochica, Peruvian and Inca phases which gave rise to faults and folds. The volcanic activity manifested itself as a set of volcanic arcs, such as the Tacaza arc with mineral-bearing calderas and the presently active Central Volcanic Zone which includes the Andagua volcanic field. In turn, the Central Volcanic Zone is one of three main volcanic arcs in the Andes which are separated by gaps without volcanic activity. Small volcanoes such as these of the Andagua volcanic field are a subordinate part of the Peruvian Central Volcanic Zone; most volcanoes are large and among these is Sabancaya with historical activity, El Misti with solfataric activity, Coropuna, which is the highest volcano in Peru and features Holocene activity, Firura and Solimana north and west from Coropuna, and Mismi, Hualca Hualca, Ampato, Chachani and Pichu Pichu. Additional volcanoes of this volcanic zone occur in Bolivia and Chile.

The terrain surrounding the volcanic field features alluvium of Pleistocene to Holocene age, the volcanic Neogene/Pliocene Barroso Group and Mesozoic sediments of the Yura Group and the Socosani Formation. Faults crisscross the volcanic field, magma may have used them as ascent paths; the Valley of the Volcanoes itself is a fault-limited graben and some faults offset Quaternary deposits.

The Andagua volcanic field is sometimes considered to include a 110 by 110 kilometres (68 mi × 68 mi) area outside of the Valley of the Volcanoes, which itself features seven separate clusters of volcanoes including the Valley of the Volcanoes but also the Antapuna, Colca Valley, Huambo-Cabanaconde, Laguna Parihuana, Molloco Valley and Pampa Jaran; these clusters are separated from each other by geographic and geologic traits. Alternatively, some of these are considered to be a volcanic province of which Andagua is only one field of.

Among these are:

- The Antapuna field is located just north of the Andagua volcanic field and is centered on the heavily glacially eroded Antapuna volcano. Several lava domes and lava flows occur in this area, such as Cerro Antapuna west of Antapuna, Tanca southwest of Antapuna, Pampa Pisaca and another lava dome southeast of Antapuna and several unnamed cinder cones and lava flows northeast of Antapuna. The vents are glacially eroded and of Pleistocene age with the exception of Pumaranra northwest from Antapuna.
- The Molloco River valley features several Pleistocene to Holocene lava domes such as Uchuychaca and Cerro Coropuna (not to be confused with Coropuna, a stratovolcano), which are located around the Marhuas cinder cone. Two small lava flows lie in the Colca River valley upstream of the junction with the Molloco River.
- Several lava domes with associated lava flows are found in the Colca River valley at Chivay; they are between 400,000 and 90,000 years old but thermal springs occur there.
- South of Caylloma several volcanoes are found on an upland; they are Antaymarca, Saigua, Challpo, Andallullo, Antacollo and Sani and appear to be old given their vegetation.
- Finally, there are volcanoes associated with the Andagua volcanic field south of the Colca River. These are from west to east the Luceria field west of Gloriahuasi with the Honda and San Cristobal cinder cones, the Gloriahuasi field north of Gloriahuasi with two branches of lava flows, the Timar field northeast of Gloriahuasi with the Gloriahuasi stratovolcano - the only stratovolcano that is part of the Andagua volcanic field -, the Jaran field northwest from Lagunillas Pass which has the Marbas Grande cinder cone, the Marbas Chico cinder cones and Llajuapampa cinder cone, and finally the Uchan field south of the Lagunillas Pass with the Uchan Sur and Tururunca cinder cones, some lava domes farther south and a lava flow field that also runs south. With the exception of the Huambo volcanic field which features Holocene vents they are all of Pleistocene age.

## Climate and vegetation

Temperatures vary between parts of the volcanic field, with Ayo having a semi-warm climate with temperatures of 15–24 °C (59–75 °F) while Chachas has 1–17 °C (34–63 °F) and Orcopampa of −10–12 °C (14–54 °F). The climate in the region is dry with a wet season that lasts from November to April, although humid periods have occurred recently, including two around 600 and 1000 AD linked to El Nino phenomena. Vegetation in the volcanic field corresponds to the puna and suni vegetation types, but farmland also occurs on agricultural terraces. Plants include xerophytes as well as ichu and yareta and varies with elevation; the Laguna Mamacocha and Chachas are populated by fish and form oases.

## Eruption history

The oldest activity of the Andagua volcanic field occurred between 400,000 and 64,000 years ago and has been identified close to Chivay in the Colca Valley. Three separate generations of volcanic activity have been defined, a Pleistocene generation, a Pleistocene-Holocene generation and a Holocene generation, with about 3-4 vents forming every ten thousand years. The eruptions of the Andagua volcanic field cones have been accompanied by the emission of slow-moving lava flows and ballistic ejecta which reached less than 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) distance from the vents; estimated volcanic explosivity indexes are 0-2 and the volcanic activity has been described as Strombolian eruptions or phreatomagmatic and accompanied by small eruption columns. Hawaiian eruptions and Strombolian eruptions generated scoria cones.

Ticsho was emplaced 4,050 years ago, Mauras and Yana Mauras 2,900 years ago while the eruption of Chilcayoc Grande occurred 1451 - 1523. The youngest eruptions occurred along the Jenchana-Ninanmama fault and the most recent event was dated to 370 years ago and took place at Chilcayoc Chico. A more recent eruption was reported in 1913, but it is not clear that it actually occurred in the Andagua volcanic field. Neither historical records nor local records such as legends mention volcanic activity although pre-Inka agricultural areas were impacted by lava flows and two towns were destroyed by volcanic activity later than the Spanish conquest. Presently, hydrogen sulfide emanates from the Ninamama flow and has generated gypsum and sulfur deposits, and fumarolic activity was reported in 2003 although other sources state that no fumarolic activity occurs; future eruptions are certainly possible.

### Hazards from future eruptions

The volcanoes are regarded as "very low hazard" by the Peruvian geological agency, which As of 2022 is working to build a monitoring network for the Andagua volcanoes and has drawn up maps of potentially endangered infrastructure. Various towns with a total population of about 11,800 people are located at the feet of extinct vents, but usually at a distance from the youngest volcanoes although shifts in vent location during the course of an eruption could bring hazards to these towns. Explosive eruptions could result in fallout of lava bombs, tephra and volcanic ash, but the impact would be limited to the surroundings of the vent, probably less than 6 kilometres (3.7 mi). The volcanic field however also produced lava flows in the past, which can reach larger distances and also infrastructure such as the Mantaro-Socabaya power line and could also bury the ground for perhaps thousands of years.

## Access and national park project

A number of paths and roads pass through the volcanic field. Andagua's surroundings are considered to be a typical expression of the volcanic field and the creation of a national park covering parts of the volcanic field has been proposed. A geopark was created in 2015 and by UNESCO in 2019, some volcanoes of the Andagua volcanic field are considered to be geosites with some spots already protected in some way; the area is of value from the perspectives of both geotourism and science. A concentration of such small volcanoes such as Andagua in an easily accessible location is not common in the world. In general, aside from their role as hazards, volcanoes are important sources of tourism-based income.

Volcanic field in Peru


The Artist in the Ambulance

The Artist in the Ambulance is the third studio album by American rock band Thrice. It was released on July 22, 2003, through Island Records, becoming their first release on a major label. The band released their second studio album The Illusion of Safety in March 2002; by July of that year, they were writing material for their next album. Recording sessions were held with producer Brian McTernan at Bearsville Studios in Bearsville, New York; Salad Days Studios in Beltsville, Maryland; and Phase Studios in College Park, Maryland.

Following tours of the United States and Europe—the latter as part of the Deconstruction Tour—"All That's Left" was released as the lead single from The Artist in the Ambulance. Thrice briefly appeared on Warped Tour before the track "Under a Killing Moon" was released on a split seven-inch vinyl single with a track by Thursday. Thrice appeared at the Reading and Leeds Festivals in the United Kingdom before embarking on a European tour supporting co-headliners Rancid and Alkaline Trio. Thrice closed 2003 with another UK tour, and a US tour with Thursday and Coheed and Cambria. Thrice also toured Japan, Australia and Europe in 2004, leading into US tours; one with Poison the Well and Darkest Hour, and one supporting Dashboard Confessional on the Honda Civic Tour.

The Artist in the Ambulance received generally positive reviews from music critics, many of whom highlighted Thrice's musicianship and the quality of the songwriting. The album peaked at number 16 on the Billboard 200 chart, becoming Thrice's first entry on that chart. It topped the Top Internet Albums chart, and peaked at number 109 on the main UK Albums Chart and at number nine on the UK Rock Albums Charts. "All That's Left" appeared on three Billboard component charts; its highest peak was number 24 on the Alternative Airplay chart, on which "Stare at the Sun" reached number 39. A re-recorded version, featuring various guest vocalists, appeared in 2023.

## Background

In June 2000, Thrice released their debut album Identity Crisis through independent label Greenflag Records. Sometime afterwards, Louis Posen of Sub City Records took an interest in Thrice and re-issued the album. The band's second album, the Brian McTernan-produced The Illusion of Safety, followed in February 2002. Prior to this, Island Records' A&R member Robert Stevenson became interested in Thrice and saw them perform at Chain Reaction, a venue in California. The members of Thrice liked Stevenson's appreciation of the punk rock scene; he had grown up listening to New York hardcore bands and had previously signed Rival Schools. Thrice came to the attention of major labels such as Capitol, Columbia and MCA Records. Thrice toured with Anti-Flag; before or after every show on the tour, Thrice had a meeting with a representative of one of those labels. Around this time, the band was also being courted by music producer Rick Rubin.

Thrice's manager Nick Bogardus spent time at Time Bomb Recordings, which helped him make contact with Epic Records A&R member Pete Giberga. Giberga, who also enjoyed New York hardcore, said while Epic had no interest in signing Thrice, he advised Bogardus and the band which A&R people were worth talking to. In June 2002, Thrice signed to Island Records and formally announced the signing the following month. Their recording contract was for up to three albums; vocalist and guitarist Dustin Kensrue said they "felt it was the right move" for the band and would allow them to "make better music and be on the road more". Bassist Eddie Breckenridge said the label had bought the rights for the band's next album from Sub City. The same month, Thrice spent time at home writing material for their next album. The band then performed on the main stage at Warped Tour before playing club shows in October and November 2002.

## Recording

Thrice were adamant about working with McTernan again, whom they had enjoyed working with on The Illusion of Safety. The Artist in the Ambulance marked the first time McTernan worked on a major label release, which Eddie Breckenridge said made it "really stressful" for him. Drummer Riley Breckenridge said the band did not have much time to write new material after The Illusion of Safety because they were constantly on tour. They were under pressure to write new songs, having only brief ideas by this point, and were given two months to write material for their upcoming major-label debut. McTernan visited the band at lock-outs in southern California for pre-production work on material. Thrice wanted to expand their musical palette but were unable to experiment due to the rushed nature of the process, since they were on tour constantly and did not have enough time to write. For two weeks, drums were recorded at Bearsville Studios in Bearsville, New York, with engineer Michael Barbiero and Pro Tools operator Matt Squire; Bill Synan assisted the pair.

Thrice then went to Salad Days Studios in Beltsville, Maryland, for six weeks across March and April 2003 to record the rest of the instruments. Breckenridge felt they were not prepared upon entering the studio, saying that he would often be writing his bass parts as he was recording them, which increased the pressure for McTernan. Kensrue had a few disagreements over lyrics with McTernan, who felt "really maxed out" while in the studio because he wrote most of them there. Having no time to rest, whenever Kensrue came up with a lyric, McTernan "would know that it wasn't the best I could do, and he would tell me". Guitarist Teppei Teranishi said they used to "just throw songs together", but for this album they spent more time on arranging the songs. Thrice struggled to record guitars for "Under a Killing Moon" because of problems with tuning, resulting in them re-recording the guitars.

According to McTernan, Thrice added a megaphone to the second verse of "All That's Left" "literally 10 minutes before we had to fed-ex the song to be mixed". The strings on "Cold Cash and Colder Hearts" and "The Melting Point of Wax" were recorded at Phase Studios in College Park, Maryland. Charlie Barnett arranged and conducted the session, which involved musicians Marcio Bothello (cello), Osman Kivrak (viola), Teri Lazar (violin), Chris Shieh (violin) and Greg Watkins (double bass). Andy Wallace mixed the recordings at Soundtrack studios in New York City with assistance from Steve Sisco and Pro Tools operator Josh Wilbur. Howie Weinberg mastered the recordings at Masterdisk in New York City. The songs "Motion Isn't Meaning" and "Eclipse" were recorded during the sessions but were left off the finished album.

## Composition and lyrics

The Artist in the Ambulance has been classified as melodic hardcore, post-hardcore, and emo. It drew comparisons to the work of Blindside. Jon Wiederhorn of MTV said the album blends "thrash metal, hardcore, emo and pop punk often within a single song". Fuse called the album a "post-hardcore landmark, one that coasted into the lanes of math-metal and, yes, even pop-punk just enough to appeal to a rainbow of fans". Teranishi called The Illusion of Safety the "anti-verse-chorus-verse record"; for The Artist in the Ambulance, they "realized that if something's good, it might be worth bringing back a second time".

Breckenridge said they felt pressured by their fans to keep the same sound as their previous album, as they were worried about alienating their listeners, which stopped them from expanding their sound. He mentioned that the biggest chance they made was writing songs around vocal melodies, instead of amalgamating various guitar parts and adding vocals over the top, which allowed them to switch between the mellow and heavy sections much easier. The album's title was taken from a short story in an issue of Burn Collector by Al Burian of Milemarker; Kensrue said it "basically [asks] the question, 'Do we, as artists, have the responsibility to do something more than ... entertain?'" Riley Breckenridge said they were reading McTernan's copy of it during their spare time in the midst of The Illusion of Safety sessions.

### Tracks

The Artist in the Ambulance opens with "Cold Cash and Colder Hearts", an aggressive track that showcases Teranishi's guitarwork and Kensrue's vocals. It is the result of blending two songs together; Teranishi said the "spooky" section, which refers to the part with strings and palm-muted guitars, was initially played on a guitar that was enhanced with an auto-volume delay pedal. They switched it to a heavier version that was reminiscent of the work of Isis, before settling on the final version. McTernan sauid Barnett's string section "really took it over the top" with the instruments doubling the sound of the palm mutes. Eddie Breckenridge originally wrote the track's 5/4 section as part of an aborted 10-minute track. Thrice unsuccessfully attempted to put the section in every track before leaving it in "Cold Cash and Colder Hearts".

"Under a Killing Moon" switches between older forms of metal and hard rock. The band wanted another heavy track; Teranishi wrote the verses' guitar riff during a practice session. The song's ending guitar riff is slower in tempo because it had been played to a slow beat from Riley Breckenridge, and was later sped up and incorporated into the track. Both riffs were influenced by the sound of Killswitch Engage, to whose work Teranishi was listening on the days he wrote the parts. The lyrics initially worked well with melodic chord progressions but did not work when the band worked on the song during a practice session. Kensrue then decided to scream the words, which he felt worked better with the final song. "All That's Left" is the result of the band's desire to experiment with more-traditional song structures with The Artist in the Ambulance; its chorus section bordered on space-esque progressive rock before being reworked. Kensrue rewrote the song's lyrics around eight times and said the final version talks about the "strength we have in our youth and the things we trade for that".

"Silhouette" includes a section Kensrue wrote in 7/7 time, which Eddie Breckenridge attempted to emulate. His part was in 13/8 and had to be re-edited to keep it in time with Kensrue's part, facilitating the addition of extra notes. Its lyrics originate from the band's first tour; Kensrue sent them to his girlfriend on the back of a postcard. He wrote them on a painting he made for her, and later reworked them into "Silhouette". The bassline of "Stare at the Sun" was initially written in a mathy, chaotic metal style that Teranishi tried to merge with "The Abolition of Man" before spinning it off into a new track. The drums were originally played in 4/4 time at 5/7 intervals before being simplified to allow Kensrue to sing over them. As a result of this, the bridge section had to be scrapped and a new one written. The beginning of "Paper Tigers" came from jamming sessions that occurred between Eddie and Riley Breckenridge following practice sessions. In its original form, the song was a metal and hardcore punk track, which was then merged with another part that became its final-chorus section. Kensrue wrote the lyrics for a piano song that was later scrapped, and added them to "Paper Tigers" towards the end of recording. "Hoods on Peregrine" is a combination of a guitar riff Kensrue wrote during practice, a 1970s-like bass part from Eddie Breckenridge, and a guitar riff Kensrue wrote during one of the coldest nights he had experienced in Omaha, Nebraska. Discussing the lyrics, Kensrue said when writing The Artist in the Ambulance, the "media was out of control. Don't take anything at face value cause everyone's got an agenda."

"The Melting Point of Wax" is the first song the band wrote after the release of The Illusion of Safety; Riley Breckenridge wrote the chorus section using an acoustic guitar. He did not like the way the track sounded with added distortion and felt Barnett's strings helped fill it out in places where he though "there were voices missing". The song went through 12 variations, which included verses in 5/4 time, before the band settled on the final version. According to Kensrue, the song is a response to people "bitching at us for decisions" they made the previous year. It is a re-telling of the Icarus mythology, which was one of his favorite myths. Kensrue said the band glorified Icarus' flight, which contrasted the "traditional interpretations [that] include shunning vanity, respecting elders, playing it safe, etc." "Blood Clots and Black Holes" is an amalgamation of riffs from Teranishi and Breckenridge, and is the second song written following The Illusion of Safety. The album's title track "The Artist in the Ambulance" was influenced by Burn Collector, which Kensrue would read while at a Starbucks coffee house. He said he discussed comparing "The Artist" and "The Ambulance" as concepts, and the "different roles they play and what contribution they make in life". "The Abolition of Man" is one of the heaviest tracks on The Artist in the Ambulance; it incorporated multiple time signatures and Arabian-style guitar riffs. It was named after C.S. Lewis's book of the same name and initially had the working title "Hot Water Metal" due to its anthemic first verse. Teranishi said his guitar parts were influenced by the early releases of Converge. "Don't Tell and We Don't Ask", the album's closing track, resulted from ideas scrapped from other songs on the album. The drums in the chorus were adapted from those in the intro to "Paper Tigers".

## Release

Punknews.org reported that Thrice would tour with the Used in April and May 2003. During this tour, which included a performance at Skate and Surf Fest, the band were aiming to perform new material. On April 5, 2003, The Artist in the Ambulance was announced for release in three months' time. During the next two months, the band expected to participate in the Deconstruction Tour, which visited several European countries. "Under a Killing Moon" was posted on the band's website on May 10, 2003, and the album's track listing was posted three days later. "All That's Left" was released to alternative radio on June 17 and two days later, the album's artwork was posted online.

Thrice was announced as part of on the Warped Tour line-up, which ran between June and August 2003. During one performance, Breckenridge tried removing his clothing-filled suitcase from the tour bus, which had become stuck in the cargo area. In a 2005 interview, he recalled that as soon as he freed the suitcase, "my back just went... It was like somebody stabbed me in my lower back". It exacerbated a previous injury he had sustained from skateboarding. Despite increasing pain, Breckenridge continued performing shows; he eventually stopped performing while the rest of the band continued, playing the final few Warped shows acoustically. "Under a Killing Moon" was released on a split seven-inch vinyl single with "For the Workforce, Drowning" by Thursday on July 1, 2003. A music video for "All That's Left", which was directed by the Workshop, premiered on MTV a week later.

The Artist in the Ambulance was initially planned for release on July 15, 2003, through Island Records, but was delayed until July 22 of that year. A limited edition of the album featuring special artwork, lyrics and details about each track was also released. Eddie Breckenridge explained that they took inspiration from jazz albums, which was a style that the members of the band were big fans of. Discussing the accompanying artwork, he "always want[ed] to know how bands got to a certain part, or how they exactly feel. If someone doesn't really like a song or finds something weird about a certain part of a song, it would be cool to hear why they did that". An extract from Burian's short story was included in the liner notes, alongside a link to purchase it. Five percent of the sales from the album was donated to Syrentha J. Savio Endowment, an organization that provides chemotherapy and other medication for those who cannot afford it. Thrice had previously donated money to charities while on Sub City; when they were negotiating with major labels, they made it clear they wished to continue donating money to charities. The president of Island Records had founded a charity and was supportive of the band's endeavors.

Around the time of release, the band signed autographs at in-store events. On August 21, 2003, Thrice appeared on The Late Late Show. For the rest of July 2003, Thrice were expected to perform at the Reading and Leeds Festivals in the UK before embarking on a European tour supporting Rancid and Alkaline Trio. Thrice were expected to perform on Jimmy Kimmel Live in September 2003. In October 2003, Thrice announced a UK tour, anticipating a North American tour with Thursday and Coheed and Cambria, which was planned to run into November 2003. Two weeks of this tour was headlined by the Deftones. The music video for "Stare at the Sun" was released on November 12, 2003; it was directed by Brett Simon, and depicts use of a photocopier, which Simon said "illustrate[d] a search for meaning and knowledge".

"Stare at the Sun" was released to US alternative radio on November 18, 2003. The band wanted to release "The Artist in the Ambulance" as the album's second single but Island Records wanted to release "Stare at the Sun"; the label asked program directors of radio stations for input, all of whom chose "Stare at the Sun". In December 2003, the band was announced to perform at the KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas festival. In February 2004, Thrice planned to tour Japan before embarking on an Australian tour with Alkaline Trio and Hot Water Music. Following this, Punknews.org reported that the band would tour Europe with Coheed and Cambria, and Vaux. In March and April 2004, the band planned to tour the US with Poison the Well, Darkest Hour and Moments in Grace. In May and June 2004, the band were expected to support Dashboard Confessional on the Honda Civic Tour. Thrice then appeared on Warped Tour for a third time.

## Critical reception

The Artist in the Ambulance received generally positive reviews from music critics. AllMusic reviewer Johnny Loftus complimented McTernan for "tighten[ing] the seams that hold together Thrice's patchwork print of post-hardcore bellow, emotional bluster, and unabashed metal wankery"; he called it the band's strongest work to date. Nick Madsen of IGN said the band's tendency to "lean more towards the melodic" gave them "much more focused songs". He considered The Artist in the Ambulance the "perfect evolution of Thrice's past material" because the "direction of the music and the delivery of the actual songs have improved three-fold". Sputnikmusic writer Damrod was surprised "anew by the nice basslines" as well as the use of "octaves, unvonventional [sic] patterns, [and] excellent fills". He summarised it by saying the band's "musicianship is on a high level, the instrumental use as well as the lyrics". Melodic webmaster Johan Wippsson wrote the band provided "a bunch of great songs that just smashes you in the face with power and raw energy".

Jasamine White-Gluz of Exclaim! similarly said Thrice "sounds better than ever", managing to "hang on to their signature melody-based songwriting". PopMatters contributor Christine Klunk found it to be "more than just three chords, lots of guttural screaming, and heavy-handed drumming" because it offers "12 surprisingly varied tracks". Jens Brüggemann writing for laut.de stated the tempo shifts in the "individual tracks ensure liveliness" with melodies that showcase the album's complex nature. CMJ New Music Report's Amy Sciarretto wrote the band sound like a mix of Face to Face, Metallica and Thursday "somehow manag[ing] to pull the feat off—without resulting in an unlistenable mess of music". Billboard reviewer Bram Teitelman expressed a similar opinion, saying the album "at times sounds like Iron Maiden, Bad Religion and Rush jamming (which sounds a lot better on disc than it looks on paper)". Belfast Telegraph writer Neil McKay remarked that the band "ticks all the right boxes for energy and noise, [but] it's too generic to be memorable". John Wiederhorn of Blender wrote; "[s]omehow, all these stylistic variations don’t disrupt the music’s flow, which rocks as hard as it aches". Rolling Stone writer Marie Elsie St. Leger said while the rest of the band "ably create a close facsimile of existential rage", Kensrue's words, which are "sharp, sometime political ... and even allegorical", typically get "lost in the screams".

## Commercial performance and legacy

Prior to release, 100,000 copies of The Artist in the Ambulance had been shipped to stores; it sold 47,500 copies in its first week of release. By July 2006, it had sold 391,000 copies in the US. The album peaked at number 16 on the Billboard 200 chart, making it their first album to do so. It topped the Top Internet Albums chart. The album reached number nine on the UK Rock Albums Chart. "All That's Left" peaked at number 24 on Alternative Airplay, number 36 on Mainstream Rock Airplay and number 37 on Active Rock. "Stare at the Sun" peaked at number 39 on Alternative Airplay.

In a 2007 interview, Riley Breckenridge said the label pushed to make Thrice and Thursday "the next grunge [movement] or whatever we were supposed to become. It just did not work". Orange County Register ranked The Artist in the Ambulance at number five on their list of the "10 best albums of the ’00s". NME included the album on their list of the "20 Emo Albums That Have Resolutely Stood The Test Of Time". Rock Sound ranked it at number 25 on their list of "modern classics", stating that it was "their first classic, introducing themselves to the world at large with a brand of unique post-hardcore that is still to be bettered". The Color Morale covered "Stare at the Sun" for their EP Artist Inspiration Series (2017).

### 2023 re-recording

On February 1, 2023, Thrice released The Artist in the Ambulance - Revisited, a re-recording of the original tracklist, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the album and promote its anniversary tour. When discussing the recording with Spin Magazine, Kensrue said the band felt the original was "stiff" and wanted the re-recording to include the energy present in live performances. For a time, the band considered releasing a remixes album, but ultimately decided against it as they did not wish to change the music too drastically. Instead, their goal was to be "subtle" and find a middle ground between changing very little, and making it effectively unrecognisable. Kensrue said it was unlikely that the band would produce another re-recording after this, saying the material in The Artist in the Ambulance has "specific things going on with it that make sense for this project".

The album features guest vocals from Ryan Osterman of Holy Fawn, Chuck Ragan of Hot Water Music, Sam Carter of Architects, Mike Minnick of Curl Up and Die, Brian McTernan of Be Well, and Andy Hull of Manchester Orchestra.

## Track listing

All music by Thrice. Lyrics by Dustin Kensrue. All recordings produced by Brian McTernan.

### 2023 re-recording track listing

## Personnel

Credits adapted from the booklet of The Artist in the Ambulance.

Thrice

- Dustin Kensrue – vocals, rhythm guitar
- Eddie Breckenridge – bass
- Teppei Teranishi – lead guitar
- Riley Breckenridge – drums

Additional musicians

- Charlie Barnett – arranger, conductor (tracks 1 and 8)
- Marcio Bothello – cello (tracks 1 and 8)
- Osman Kivrak – viola (tracks 1 and 8)
- Teri Lazar – violin (tracks 1 and 8)
- Chris Shieh – violin (tracks 1 and 8)
- Greg Watkins – double bass (tracks 1 and 8)

Production and design

- Brian McTernan – producer, engineer
- Andy Wallace – mixing
- Michael Barbiero – drum engineer
- Matt Squire – Pro Tools
- Bill Synan – engineering assistant
- Steve Sisco – mixing assistant
- Josh Wibur – Pro Tools
- Howie Weinberg – mastering
- Cold War Kids – artwork, photography

## Charts