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1 Lane Hwy

    
       
       
       
     
             
Thorns Inside are a hard rock band from the USA formed in 2016. '1 Lane Hwy' is the bands debut album and was released in 2018.    
             
Featuring thirteen songs across a forty six minutes play time, American hard rockers Thorns Inside serve up a course of rock that takes in a number of genres - genres such as rock (obviously), sleaze, glam, grunge, dark and a little party rock too. Also, the vocal performance by the bands singer is very wide ranging, displaying a number of different styles, and at times sounding like there is more than one singer on the album. Both these observations do point to a little identity crisis, with so much diversity on offer, but then maybe that's the Thorns Inside game plan, to offer songs of so many different styles, to appeal to a very wide audience... But no matter what the bands intention, or your preferred genre of rock, you will find something on '1 Lane Hwy' that will hook you, nod your head, tap your feet and make you smile very wide.    
             
Opening the album is the grunge filled sleaze rocker 'Waste Away', setting a heavy rock vibe as it plods on by. The title song '1 Lane Hwy' is more up tempo and energetic, thundering along at a high pace, with a sound that resembles the early days of the legendary NWOBHM sound. Add a catchy sing a long style chorus and '1 Lane Hwy' is a head nodder of the hardest nature. Moving swiftly to another genre, 'Can't Help But Love You' slides into the AOR/melodic rock arena, all punchy and big riffing as it ambles by. Remember the late seventies (if you're old enough), and the Kiss 'Love Gun' era heavy rock sound...well, 'Live Today' does a very good impression of that sound. Bold, brash and blunt with deep throaty vocals, 'Live Today' is very Kiss like... Maintaining the heavier, darker direction the previous song took the album in, 'Fallen Apart' is slow, is heavy, and is kinda grunge too. A sound that carries on with the heavy mid tempo stomp of 'Dangerous Ground', adding throaty growling vocals to heighten the dark atmosphere.    
             
'L.D.D.' is a half minute blues/jazz instrumental, acting as an intro for the up tempo heavy hitter 'Thief Of Love'. Full of energy and bombast, 'Thief Of Love' runs very close to the party anthem style of rock. And then the album moves away from the party feel to a doom and gloom melancholy styled ballad. 'Runaway With My Heart' is slow and moody, dragging its knuckles across the ground. And then boom...the album lands in the party rock genre with the up tempo, highly energetic head nodder 'Riding High'. The effects laden instrumental 'The Day Before' bustles by in two and a half minutes, paving the way for another early eighties NWOBHM sounding gallop - 'Day Of Destruction' is heavy and moody with a throbbing rhythm. Bringing the album to a close is a second melancholy laden and moody slow and heavy stomp. 'You' is dark and heavy, almost doom style heavy. And there ends the wander through various hard rock genres, with Thorns Inside offering different styles of rock to appeal to a very wide audience.    
             
Overall, thirteen songs of varying rock styles, there is something here for every rock fan - from AOR to grunge and party to doom.    
             
             
Review by Iron Mathew Collins    
             
Reviewed for Metal Gods TV    
             
             
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