THORN

I'm not a black metal fan generally, or its sibling subgenre death metal. The black metal label attached to a band would not be incentive enough for me to seek out their music. What makes Enslaved one of my favorite bands, along with Leprous and My Dying Bride to name two black metal-influenced bands, is how they've added other elements. They've adapted a very limited form of music into something interesting. I can't think of a better definition of "progressive." That being said, I wouldn't pick Thorn as a starting point for this band. I agree with the general consensus that The Sleeping Gods is a better release. The two songs here are a little too repetitive and ambient. Of the two, I like "Striker" more. I don't want to be unnecessarily harsh; Enslaved's music is always interesting. This is just isn't on the same level as much of their material; it doesn't exhibit the same creativity and progress as their other releases. Therefore, I'm going to give it three stars.