Live Review: Thorns – Satans Hollow, Manchester
18th July 2026
Support: Visitor, Thorns
Words: Matthew Williams
Having watched a few Instagram clips and heard a few tracks elsewhere, I was intrigued about watching Ohio thrash upstarts Thorns, as they embarked upon their first ever UK tour. Having witnessed their undoubted heroes Metallica in Berlin and Cardiff a few weeks before, I still find the stage set up at Satan’s Hollow very strange, as there’s no front row for the band to play towards, as the crowd can meander around the stage.
It was down to Manchester’s Leader to begin proceedings to a sparse crowd. I saw them last year at Thrashchester and could have sworn they had more members, but the 3-piece consisting of two guitarists and a drummer, set about delivering their own melodic thrash metal with “Things are Going to Change”. They switch solos well and the drums get a right old battering as they rip into “The Grind” which has a tight rhythm and decent pace to the song.
The two guitarists work well, but they do lack some bass which would add a heavier edge to their overall sound especially around the crunchier “Hanging on by a Thread”. They get faster and thrashier on “Circle of Defeat” however both songs suffer from an issue with the vocals, which comes back for the finale of “Stand your Ground” which is oddly about how much they hate Liverpool. Must be a `Manchester thing` I suppose!!
Next up were four-piece Manchester metallers Visitor, looking mighty fine in their black t-shirts with a green V on them. This was the first time I’d seen them, and after the Predator intro, they plough into “Deadlock” followed by “Level The Mountains”. They have dual vocals going on, with guitarist Jim and drummer Tim interchanging, and Jonathan doing back up when required. Their mix of melodies are enjoyable, from the faster, heavier sound, to the slowed down sections, with a snappy snare sound to boot.
The next two songs, “Forsaken Soul” and State of Disarray” add further to the fierce display of speed metal and during the excellent “Infidel” Jonathan goes for a walk around the stage and stands opposite the frontman on some seats. Their sound is consistent and heavy, with some seriously heavy parts mixed in for good measure and “TR3B” has lots of deathly vocal grunts. They end with a brutal rendition of “Lie Lives On” with a deeper bass sound from Josh, as the guitarists stretch their limits one final time.
And so, to the headliners Thorns, on the final night of their “Ready to Strike” UK tour bringing their brand of Cincinnati thrash to Manchester. Now, it’s not unjust of me to say that they are heavily influenced by metal legends Metallica, as they have plenty of their riffs openly displayed in their songs, as this is what brought them to my attention in the first place.
Their intro was fun to watch, with drummer Adam setting the rhythm off before bassist Peyton joins him on stage. Next up was lead guitarist Connor who fired up a riff instantly before they were completed by vocalist/guitarist Luke and start off with “Muzzle”. They have that instant 80’s thrash sound but with a fresh edge and high energy. “We are Thorns and have come to kick your ass” shouts Luke as they play the fast and furious “Headcase”. Thankfully, there’s a few more people in the venue now, and heads are starting to bang across the venue.
With bassist Peyton adding back up vocals, they are certainly a no frills, thrashy thrills sort of band, and it’s great to see them mix up old and new metal sounds. I sense a bit of Alice in Chains inspired grunge on “Sickfit” as the deeper bass and whammy bar add further to their array of tempos. There’s a mighty thrash roar that kicks off the wonderfully titled “Prick” which alongside the catchy vocals has decent solos and well executed drums.
There’s no real change to their format, and why should they, as they deliver “Bad Business” in a simplistic and uncomplicated manner, leading into the excellent “Death by Proxy”. The vocals are clear and compliment the guitar work and as you would expect at the end of a tour, they are musically very tight as the song ends on a drum solo due to some monitor issues.
“We’ve got 1 more song motherfuckers” screams the singer and they end with the hugely enjoyable “60 Cycle Hum” which sees them huddled together around a great drum sound to bring down the curtain on the final song of their final night in the UK. I’m certain that these have a bright future ahead of them, and I look forward to seeing them again when they return to our shores.
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