Thorns
Grymyrk/Trøndertun
[Independent]
'Grymyrk' is the semi-legendary tape of this Norwegian "band" (here just Snorre Ruch on guitars and another fellow on bass) rehearsing early material. The material here dates to the late '80s but was probably recorded in about 1991.
This tape is said to have marked the creation of the chilling style of guitar playing sometimes utilized by Mayhem, Burzum, Darkthrone, Immortal, and others. It's hard for me to disagree with that. The piece called "Lovely Children" here contains the great riff that became "From the Dark Past". "Home" is a great piece, and one of the ones that most resembles a completed song, as it metamorphoses smoothly several times. It contains some of the more unsettling work here, including Thorns' signature riff, the one that would become the chorus to "Ærie Descent". There are also a couple of bits on the tape that are quite reminiscent of Burzum moments. Snorre must have realized he was on to something because this tape consists almost entirely of these sorts of jangly, discordant, bending and straining chords.
'Trøndertun' is a two-song demo from the following year. Vocals, drums, and keys have been added and the compositions have been refined to complete songs. "Ærie Descent" will be familiar to many. It's a dramatic, narrative song complete with sinister spoken word and effective organ use. Most of the chording on this song is a bit more traditional, and the structure is fairly straightforward. It's mainly a showcase for that sick chorus tune.
"Funeral Marches to the Grave" introduces some new queasy Thorns riffs. This song is somewhat wobbly sounding in its early stages. The bass provides a more traditional melodic grounding for the crazy guitar solo. Then the song reaches an utterly punishing (and somewhat familiar) bridge riff at 1:49. The chorus is similar to that of the previous song. The climaxing riff played throughout the fifth minute of the song is probably his best work ever - disorienting, hallucinatory and Satanic. More strong bass work segues to the ending, a restatement of that violent riff from before.
I'm not sure how to rate these recordings on their own; they're less a finished discography than a musical notebook. For me, 'Grymyrk' in particular can definitely conjure some wicked atmospheres but it's hard to know how much of that is due to the merits of the music and how much to my association of it with that special time and place. I can say that there is not the obvious genius of the above mentioned outfits here, but credit is definitely due Snorre for coming up with some of the fundamental tools which helped inform greater works. I'm also glad he hooked up with Mayhem for that brief gathering of rogues which when combined formed something very special.
© 2001 j.s.
This tape is said to have marked the creation of the chilling style of guitar playing sometimes utilized by Mayhem, Burzum, Darkthrone, Immortal, and others. It's hard for me to disagree with that. The piece called "Lovely Children" here contains the great riff that became "From the Dark Past". "Home" is a great piece, and one of the ones that most resembles a completed song, as it metamorphoses smoothly several times. It contains some of the more unsettling work here, including Thorns' signature riff, the one that would become the chorus to "Ærie Descent". There are also a couple of bits on the tape that are quite reminiscent of Burzum moments. Snorre must have realized he was on to something because this tape consists almost entirely of these sorts of jangly, discordant, bending and straining chords.
'Trøndertun' is a two-song demo from the following year. Vocals, drums, and keys have been added and the compositions have been refined to complete songs. "Ærie Descent" will be familiar to many. It's a dramatic, narrative song complete with sinister spoken word and effective organ use. Most of the chording on this song is a bit more traditional, and the structure is fairly straightforward. It's mainly a showcase for that sick chorus tune.
"Funeral Marches to the Grave" introduces some new queasy Thorns riffs. This song is somewhat wobbly sounding in its early stages. The bass provides a more traditional melodic grounding for the crazy guitar solo. Then the song reaches an utterly punishing (and somewhat familiar) bridge riff at 1:49. The chorus is similar to that of the previous song. The climaxing riff played throughout the fifth minute of the song is probably his best work ever - disorienting, hallucinatory and Satanic. More strong bass work segues to the ending, a restatement of that violent riff from before.
I'm not sure how to rate these recordings on their own; they're less a finished discography than a musical notebook. For me, 'Grymyrk' in particular can definitely conjure some wicked atmospheres but it's hard to know how much of that is due to the merits of the music and how much to my association of it with that special time and place. I can say that there is not the obvious genius of the above mentioned outfits here, but credit is definitely due Snorre for coming up with some of the fundamental tools which helped inform greater works. I'm also glad he hooked up with Mayhem for that brief gathering of rogues which when combined formed something very special.
© 2001 j.s.