EMQ’s with THORN
EMQ’s with THORN
Hi everyone! Welcome to our new EMQ’s interview with Phoenix, Arizona based Ominous Death Metal project Thorn. Huge thanks to main man Brennen for taking part.
What is your name, what do you play, and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
My name is Brennen. My main instrument is guitar, and I formed Thorn as an outlet for wanting to form a death metal project. I wanted to originally start with a full line-up, but it ended up being a lot easier to go at my own pace of writing, and recording material.
How did you come up with your band name?
It’s not inspired by anything in particular. Just thought it sounded ominous and forlorn, which is what I was going for. Other band names I considered ended up just being song names.
What Country/Region are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?
Currently non-existent, due to The Black Plague 2.0, but the Arizona live-music scene is plentiful in both quantity and quality of performances.
What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)
A seven song EP, “The Encompassing Nothing”.
‘Fields of Blight’ (Lyric Video)
Who have been your greatest influences?
Cattle Decapitation for the heavy riffs. Cloudkicker for the melodic riffs.
What first got you into music?
Having ears. I’ve always liked music. There was never a defining moment or a particular catalyst.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
Michael Keene, purely to see how fast I’d get kicked out of The Faceless.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
Decibel Metal & Beer Fest. Metal? Beer? AND? It’s got everything a guy like me needs.
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
Someday I hope to be well-known and revered enough to receive strange gifts.
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
Thanks for being a fan and choosing to listen to music created by a giant dipshit like me.
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, so I can ask what his obsession with shit was all about? Look into it.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
People head banging to riffs I most likely wrote in my underwear at 1am in the morning is very rewarding for me. As for hate, I hate collaborating with most other guitarists. It’s my way or the highway, bitch.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
Average bands being successful just because they’re popular in the bar scene. Spend less time being the coolest kid in school, and more time writing riffs I haven’t heard before.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
Space Jam soundtrack is a bop.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?
Vinyl, hands down. I used to have a 500+ collection. I still collect cassettes here and there, though.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
House shows with an old band of mine. House shows will always be my favourite.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
Probably something fucking lame and boring. Music is the only thing I’m halfway decent at.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
H.P. Lovecraft, Carl Panzram, Spider-Man, Sasquatch, and my friend TJ.
What’s next for the band?
“The Encompassing Nothing” – seven song EP released on Sept 18th. After that, I’ve got about 10 songs I’m figuring out what to do with.
What Social Media/Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
www.thornx.bandcamp.com/releases
www.instagram.com/thornxaz/
The EP will also be available on all major streaming platforms.
Jaffa Cakes? Are they a cake or a biscuit?
I am too American to know what a Jaffa cake is. But the English also refer to crackers as biscuits. The meaning of the word biscuit has been bastardized by two different cultures to mean several different things, and I am not going to lock myself into an answer over a semantic question. Nice try.
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
I hope anyone who read this was at least mildly amused enough to check out the EP. If not, then maybe you should check out my grindcore project Xeno Ooze. I talk much less in that band.
Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this interview, unless you have the strict permission of said party. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
