Come one, come all and marvel at the one man band that is THORN. The Doom/Death urrrrm... Outfit? Individual? Supergroup?! Hailing from Phoenix Arizona has brought forward his debut release "The Encompassing Nothing".

The album artwork is very simple, appearing to depict a cavern entrance, there are no frills about it and it is easy on the eyes. Opening this release is "Chasms Of Rust" which straight away plays in to the Doom style with its heavy open chords, and overarching atmosphere that is created through the music is palpable.

"Häxan Womb" comes next. With an injection of pace and energy it becomes quite clear that Brennen is a talented musician, with some demonstrations of this skill across the tracking. The atmosphere that was created during "Chasms Of Rust" flows over into this and onwards into "Pagan's Monolith" which ebbs and flows through its different sections. Guitar breaks and a polished display on the drums were the standout elements to this song for me.

The next track to really jump out at me was the truly melancholy instrumental track "Returning To Dust". The flow of the music was heavenly, I closed my eyes and found myself transported on wave after wave of sheer musical enjoyment. In contrast, "Fields Of Blight" completely shatters the serenity created. The up tempo and aggressive riffs of the track are a complete U-turn in comparison to the peaceful, light and airy track that came prior.

The final, and titular track "The Encompassing Nothing". This final demonstration brings all of the skills and styles that have been shown in the album this far into a 3 minute long final showdown to end the album off in style.

Overall, this album was fair. It is clear that Brennen has a lot of musical knowledge and skill. However, I feel that the addition of extra band members would benefit this project with some added vision, direction and ideas that would add an extra depth and overall increase the output of THORN. But, for now, Brennen should be very proud of what he has produced.