Very much influenced by US black metal acts such as Velvet Cacoon and Xasthur, IVV implore entrancing, treble-ridden riffage and hypnotic rhythms (with the bass-drum being high in the mix) to lull the listener into a state of contemplating trance. Although rhythmical monotony and generally that worn feeling of the music do possess their own mesmerising charm, there is still more to be achieved in the way of compositional development so as to add a further dimension to an already attention-grabbing piece of work. To the appropriately tuned ear, In Vino Veritas' _Thorns_ will indeed invoke its intended imagery of desolation and solitude, but for the rest it will ever-remain something instantly dismissible.