It was released on February 5, 2002 through Sub City Records, who the band had previously reissued their debut studio album Identity Crisis (2000) through.

The Illusion of Safety received generally positive reviews from music critics, some of whom praised the album's mix of styles.

Thrice released their debut studio album Identity Crisis in June 2000 through local label Greenflag Records.

[25] Athom of Sputnikmusic said it "perfectly blends harsh screams and blistering guitar work with clean vocals and addicting, hook filled melodies".

[22] In a retrospective piece for BrooklynVegan, writer Andrew Sacher said saw the band "more strongly embracing their hardcore, metalcore, and thrash influences while toning down the skate punk vibes" of Identity Crisis.

[32] "A Subtle Dagger" explores similar territory, with its guitar parts evoking Megadeth, which is followed by "See You in the Shallows", which recalled the material on Identity Crisis.

[32] "Trust" is a power ballad;[34] Dkelsen of OC Weekly said "To Awake and Avenge the Dead" showcased the band at their "most breakneck and raw", as its first two and a half minutes are an "all out assault".

[34] Following recording, the band performed on the Plea for Peace and Take Action Tour alongside Alkaline Trio, Hot Water Music, and Cave In across August and September.

[32] A portion of the proceeds from the release of the album were donated to A Place Called Home, a non-profit youth center in South Central Los Angeles.

[45] In August, the band played a one-off show, which served as a music video shoot for "Deadbolt"; it was posted online on October 3.

[48] In May 2004, A Place Called Home established the Sub City/Thrice Scholarship, offering six students the chance to take a year's worth of performance lessons and learn professional music theory.

[51] They performed it in its entirety at the 2022 Furnace Fest, and for a series of shows at the House of Blues in Anaheim, California, to celebrate the album's 20th anniversary.

[33] Pitchfork contributor Brad Haywood said despite the "stylistic gumbo", the band "deserves some props", especially as in "terms of their hardcore/metal riffing capabilities, Thrice has the skills to get the job done".

[54] Brian Greenaway of Modern Fix said the "myriad acts out there attempting to meld melodic harmonies with heavy, relentless guitars would do well to take a page out of Thrice's playbook".

[55] In a retrospective piece, Athom reiterated this, saying that "thousands of bands that popped up after its release, trying in vain to capture the power and majesty hidden within its thirty-eight minutes".

[22] The staff at Impact Press said Kensrue's singing "nicely offsets the force of the screaming, and more importantly doesn¹t sound wimpy".

[34] Sacher said that while a listener was able to point out singers Kensrue was channelling on Identity Crisis, he would "become one of the most distinct vocalists of the emo/post-hardcore boom" on The Illusion of Safety.

[59] Sacher said it "would go on to help define the early 2000s post-hardcore boom"; Jack Rogers of Rock Sound similarly called it a blueprint for the emo genre.