Boundary defying darkness from black metal pioneer Snorre Ruch, featuring Hellhammer, Aldrahn and Satyr. Includes two bonus tracks.
Originally formed in 1989 by mastermind Snorre Ruch, Marius Vold, & Bård Faust (EMPEROR), Norwegian band Thorns has inspired a great number of acts such as SATYRICON, MAYHEM, DISSECTION, & EMPEROR, mainly due to Snorre's highly influential style of playing & creating riffs on the early THORNS demo tapes. So impressed was Euronymous of MAYHEM, that Snorre became second guitarist in the band for a while & his riffs were used in classic MAYHEM tracks. Thorns was the band's debut (and only, thus far) full-length studio album. It was released in 2001 & is a cult slice of highly-individual Norwegian black metal, including experimental & sometimes industrial influences along with synth passages to create a chilling yet clinical slice of extremity. The album was notable for featuring Satyr of SATYRICON on vocals, a duty shared between songs with the vocal talent of Aldrahn (ex-DØDHEIMSGARD) & the recording line-up also featured Hellhammer of MAYHEM on drums. The outcome was a unique & original album which is today considered a cult classic release by critics.