"Petitioning the Empty Sky" was originally released through Ferret Music in 1996 and was also one of the earliest albums released through the newly formed label. This early version was a 7" EP featuring only the first four tracks of the eventual full-length. Later that same year the record was re-released with four new tracks added to it. Two years later, the album was reissued through Converge's new label Equal Vision Records as EVR040 on January 20, 1998. The full length reissue contained three live tracks ("For You," "Homesong," and "Antithesis") recorded during a radio broadcast, three newly recorded tracks ("Buried But Breathing," "Farewell Note to This City," and "Color Me Blood Red") and one track ("Shingles") that was recorded along with the original four tracks, but were unreleased.