Thorns, the first new release from Akron, Ohio-based sludge metal bastards in over three years, and their first on CD in over seven, was also the band’s last! Preceded by their 2003 self-titled debut, a split CD with Aldebaran and a vinyl-only EP, RUE’s Thorns is comprised of twelve life-ruining anthems clocking in around an hour in duration. The album bears marks of progress for RUE, the band having spent the last four years honing their craft, cultivating influences and focusing wholly on creating their best music ever. Here they wander paths familiar to some of their more expansive influences such as Neurosis, High On Fire, Deftones and Mastodon and more, yet Thorns is fully infected by the same scathing animosity the thugs are infamous for throughout the sludge metal circuit, all the while placing an emphasis on pulverizing your existence into a gritty puddle. [Shifty]