EP REVIEW: Thorns – Guiltless

From the Bay Area comes another, not quite yet, supergroup of twisted noise. Members of INTRONAUT, BATTLE OF MICE and more join forces to make the sludge-pumping doom machine GUILTLESS. With the goal of accepting what they assume to be the inevitable conclusion of this world and finding catharsis within that, they release their debut EP Thorns, packed full of nihilism and poignant moments that don’t feel all that far off from reality. 

Whilst only being a four-track EP it does sit well over a 20-minute runtime, giving you more than enough time to process what’s happening. Devour Collide is a repugnant cycle of tortuous rebirth, set amongst a harrowing backdrop of hopelessness; there’s not a drop of positivity to be found within Josh Graham’s vocals as he snarls “Embrace the ruin, devour collide / When the beasts dissolve, the meek revive”. At first the line boasts without regard for claims that it makes, arrogant, but as the pessimistic attitude of it worms its way further beneath your skin it starts to make more sense.

The quartet see the callous disregard we’ve had for the world, driving their motivations of wading heaviness throughout the EP, but it’s the most present during All We Destroy. It’s of few words, but drums that beat like a final gavel and riffs that grit teeth like working through a storm complete this image of a desolate place, a place that we’ll make. Closer In Radiant Glow commits to the end times, and braces for a reboot, amongst the same doomy and droning aesthetics roaring from their instruments. 

To recognise that the graves have already been dug for us is one thing, you don’t have to be the most perceptive to figure that out, we’ve all played a part in it. But in Thorns, GUILTLESS aren’t seeking to change what they feel is already inevitable, pessimism has turned to nihilism and it has been that way for too long now. GUILTLESS haven’t reinvented the wheel however, plenty of doom-oriented bands have sang from the same sheet for, almost, ever. In fact their Neurot Recordings label mates EX-EVERYTHING made a similar record last year, and found their way to make it more three dimensional than having the simple spirit of “Oh well, guess we’ll just die” and was sonically much more exciting. All you’ll find in Thorns is the musical equivalent of discarded takeaway food scraps, but make them apocalypse themed. 

Rating: 5/10

Thorns is out now via Neurot Recordings.

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