Thorn - Evergloom Review

Thorn are the solo project of grindcore band Fluids Brennen Westermeyer who does everything here from head to toe. I’d say that this sad and lonely and pathetic little planet is full of irony as Thorn are Doom-drenched Death Metal band. So, speed is something that really goes far from the band’s ideal. Maybe it was that he had in mind when making up the band in his mind. It’s worth mentioning that since its inception, Thorn have put out multiple splits, an EP, and two full-lengths.

The music my dear child of the night will find in here is ominous, dark, but to some extent, I find it very intimistic. There is a sense of nearness that comes from “Evergloom.” Hard to explain a feeling, but tracks as “Farron’s Covenant” or “Phantom Noose” gave me the feeling. But it’s with “Thanatos Basileos” the feeling gets even closer – hum, isn’t it redundant? Maybe it’s the vocals that sound to be talking ot you. Or the guitars playing as if in a rehearsal trying to find to best riff or sound. It’s not only the Doom references that tear Thorn apart from their peers, there are some ethereal effects in the music of the band that really approach it to a Prog driven band. “Sapien Death Spiral” is the track where these references appear more clearly, but they are all along the album. It’s also worth mentioning the neat production the album went through considering it’s the fruit of an one-man project where this one-man means only one really. I can’t even wonder where to begin.

As the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, there are some Grindcore features perceived here. The guitars overtones are pretty similar. They also tend to be faster than the pace of the drums. Grand finale and tittle track “Evergloom” showcases this perfectly. Considering the mastermind’s musical references the album may be a kind of a calm before the storm, or, even, the storm before the calm.

Thorn “Evergloom” will be released on September 15th via Transcending Obscurity Records.

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