Review by JD on January 19, 2009.

Hailing from the rural areas of England, Tripswitch is a Nu-Metal band that is trying to make a firm mark on the music scene both in their home country and abroad.

Filled with enthusiasm, great amounts of anger, overflowing sonic aggression and using some dance sampling to accent it all... Tripswitch really tries to make their music leap off of the disk and into our head... but it seems to just fall short. It seems like they want to play something differently than what they were recording at the time, and that brings that sense of being unorganized. It is a sense that these five guys wanted to go more... what's the word... Metal!

Reminding me musically of System Of A Down, they try to stake their claim to the Nu-Metal world to the best of their abilities. The do have what appears to be a great amount of talent, but that was why I was sort of let down by the averageness of their material. Are they following a trend or something to make money instead of following their creativity? I am not sure if they are or not, but sure seems to me like they are.

It really seems like they are searching the metal landscape for their as yet unknown little niche in the heavy jungles. Don't get me wrong though...they have promise, they have some massive potential as well.... but they need to find their own sound and heaviness, rather than sounding like so many others. I really think that they will do just that at some point... and plant the Tripswitch flag in the sand when they do.

Right now... the album "Until" is aptly named. We wait until...

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 7
Atmosphere: 5
Production: 7
Originality: 5
Overall: 6

Rating: 6 out of 10

Review by Jack on October 19, 2001.

A collaboration of the masterminds is what “Thorns” is all about. Hellhammer (from so many bands that it is ridiculous... Arcturus and Winds to name two) on drums, Satyr from Satyricon and Wongraven on vocals who also co produces the album and Aldrahn from DHG on vocals too.

Moonfog it seems have completely shifted their tempo from medieval black metal with past releases in Satyricon and Darkthrone to new technological tyrants in their roster. These futuristic black mammoths are the new Satyricon, DHG and Thorns.

Probably being one of the most eagerly awaited albums ever in the black scene, Thorns inspired bands like Immortal and Dissection to name but a few. Snorre Ruch is the figurehead of the Thorns project.

The music portrayed on “Thorns” is evil, dark and coetaneous, much like the elements that were displayed on Satyricon’s “Rebel Extravaganza”. “Thorns” for me really comes across as working class metal, like you’ve been working in a factory for 16 hours a day, so much so that I swear I hear a forklift in the track ‘Shifting Channels’... weird.

The dual voices of Satyr and Aldrahn creates some exceptional vocal patterns that inspires fear and a chilling atmosphere which sounds so... cold.

Whilst strictly being black metal, “Thorns” will appeal to those that like their music thrashy, as this really does contain some awesome thrash elements, helped by some awesome drumming by Hellhammer and also classical heavy metal. There is no symphonic black elements here. Evil, evil and more evil... ”Thorns” is a wall of black hybrid noise...

Favourite track for me is ‘Stellar Master Elite’ and if metal radio stations had like a top 40 or something this track would be in that top 5 for being so damn catchy...drums work a treat.

Bottom Line: Thorns is here to stay with “Thorns”, much like other futuristic black acts, they will set the tone for future black acts.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Jack on October 19, 2001.

A collaboration of the masterminds is what “Thorns” is all about. Hellhammer (from so many bands that it is ridiculous... Arcturus and Winds to name two) on drums, Satyr from Satyricon and Wongraven on vocals who also co produces the album and Aldrahn from DHG on vocals too.

Moonfog it seems have completely shifted their tempo from medieval black metal with past releases in Satyricon and Darkthrone to new technological tyrants in their roster. These futuristic black mammoths are the new Satyricon, DHG and Thorns.

Probably being one of the most eagerly awaited albums ever in the black scene, Thorns inspired bands like Immortal and Dissection to name but a few. Snorre Ruch is the figurehead of the Thorns project.

The music portrayed on “Thorns” is evil, dark and coetaneous, much like the elements that were displayed on Satyricon’s “Rebel Extravaganza”. “Thorns” for me really comes across as working class metal, like you’ve been working in a factory for 16 hours a day, so much so that I swear I hear a forklift in the track ‘Shifting Channels’... weird.

The dual voices of Satyr and Aldrahn creates some exceptional vocal patterns that inspires fear and a chilling atmosphere which sounds so... cold.

Whilst strictly being black metal, “Thorns” will appeal to those that like their music thrashy, as this really does contain some awesome thrash elements, helped by some awesome drumming by Hellhammer and also classical heavy metal. There is no symphonic black elements here. Evil, evil and more evil... ”Thorns” is a wall of black hybrid noise...

Favourite track for me is ‘Stellar Master Elite’ and if metal radio stations had like a top 40 or something this track would be in that top 5 for being so damn catchy...drums work a treat.

Bottom Line: Thorns is here to stay with “Thorns”, much like other futuristic black acts, they will set the tone for future black acts.

Rating: 8 out of 10