Straight outta Cincinnati come fast-rising thrashers Thorns with their debut UK release, the four-track ‘Ready To Strike’ EP.
Designed as a follow-up to the quartet’s recent debut UK tour (which included a slot at this year’s 2000 Trees Festival), the tracks contained here will immediately have you reaching for your leather jacket, skintight black canvas jeans, bullet belt and Hit Tec bumper boots. That’s because after just one spin of this bad boy it really does feel like 1985 all over again.
What I love most about this EP is that, unlike many modern metal bands where pushing the genre to its most extreme edges is the aim, Thorns simply plug themselves into the old skool thrash vibe of the mid-eighties, turn everything up to eleven and sound like they are having an absolute riot in the process.
Driven by the same DIY underground spirit that birthed the original first wave of thrash bands like Exodus, Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax, Thorns, in their very short time together as a band, have already recorded two full albums (which you can hear via the Bandcamp link below), however, this EP is their first release here in the UK.
‘Bad Business’ kicks things off in mighty fine style, and to my ears at least, it’s early Metallica that Thorns sound most like here, especially in the vocals of Luke Schwarz (who, just like Papa Het, also doubles on guitar). Looking at the video that accompanies this lead track, I cannot help but be stunned by how mature the band sounds given the fact that age-wise they look like they cannot be long out of high school. Kudos indeed guys, because when I was a teenager all the bands my age sounded like piss poor versions of The Alarm (who themselves were a Poundshop U2 – ha! that should get Daley spitting feathers).
Of the rest of the EP, ‘Muzzle’ and ‘Headcase’ continue with the 3-minute short sharp thrash blast formula set out by the opener, whilst EP closer ‘Sickfit’ ploughs a more pulsating mid-tempo ‘For Whom The Bells Tolls’ kind of furrow, but it’s still full of that youthful energy and enthusiasm that makes ‘Ready To Strike’ such a compelling listen.
‘Ready To Strike’ is set for release on August 26th via These Go To Eleven Records, and is custom-built to (I know I’m being cheeky here) Bang That Head That Doesn’t Bang!!!!
You can find Thorns’ back catalogue online HERE
Author: Johnny Hayward
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