Senses Fail Pull the Thorns from Your Heart, touring replacements, side projects (2014-2016)
When was Pull the Thorns From Your Heart released?
When was Pull the Thorns From Your Heart released?
In 2014, on their tumblr blog the band announced they signed to Pure Noise Records. Senses Fail would enter the studio in November to start recording their next full-length album which was scheduled to be released in summer 2015. It was later announced that the album would be titled Pull the Thorns from Your Heart. On February 2, 2015, the band released a tease of their split EP on their Facebook. The EP was released on March 3, 2015. Pull the Thorns from Your Heart was released on June 30, 2015. The touring cycle for the record kicked off by playing the entirety of the 2015 Vans Warped Tour. The band then embarked on a winter co-headlining tour with Silverstein. On this tour, guitarist Matt Smith was absent due to the birth of his first child. Greg Styliades, who had previously toured with the band after Zack Roach returned home for the birth of his child, performed with the band on this tour. At this time, the band was classified by AbsolutePunk as screamo and "alternative". On May 17, 2016, frontman Buddy Nielsen announced that he had formed a new band called Speak The Truth... Even If Your Voice shakes. The band also includes drummer Alex Pappas and guitarists Alex "Grizz" Linares and Daniel Wonacott, all formerly of the band Finch. They released their debut, self-titled 7" on November 4, 2016 via Bad Timing Records. The release features the songs Crash My Car and Go For The Throat. Senses Fail bassist Gavin Caswell was later recruited to play bass at the outfits first ever live performance. In 2016, the band performed at the recently revived Taste of Chaos festival in San Bernardino, California. After returning as a single day festival in 2015, Taste of Chaos returned as a full United States tour in 2016, culminating in the festival date. The festival took place on July 16, and also featured performances from The Starting Line, The Get Up Kids, and Quicksand, as well as 2016 Taste of Chaos full tour acts Saosin, Taking Back Sunday, and Dashboard Confessional. The future of the band was left uncertain after it was revealed that guitarists Zack Roach and Matt Smith would no longer be touring with the band, with both choosing to focus on their families after the recent births of their children. Despite almost breaking up, the band took the rest of the summer of 2016 off to regroup. In late 2016, the band supported Sum 41 on their "Don't Call it a Sum Back" full United States tour. Bassist Gavin Caswell took over rhythm guitar duties live, with Styliades returning on bass guitar, and Jason Millbank filling the role of lead guitarist. CANNOTANSWER
Pull the Thorns from Your Heart was released on June 30, 2015.
Senses Fail is an American post-hardcore band formed in Ridgewood, New Jersey, United States, in 2002. Founded by vocalist James "Buddy" Nielsen, drummer Dan Trapp, guitarists Garrett Zablocki and Dave Miller, and bassist James Gill (replaced by Mike Glita shortly after); the band has seen many lineup changes, with Nielsen being the only consistent member.

The lineup currently consists of Nielsen, bassist/guitarist Gavin Caswell and drummer Steve Carey, together with bassist Greg Styliades and guitarist Jason Milbank.

The band has released seven studio albums, Let It Enfold You, Still Searching, Life Is Not a Waiting Room, The Fire, Renacer, Pull the Thorns from Your Heart  and If There Is Light, It Will Find You. In addition, the band has two EPs, From the Depths of Dreams and In Your Absence and one live album, Joshua Tree.

History

Formation and From the Depths of Dreams EP (2001–2003)
Senses Fail's beginnings started in October 2001 after Nielsen posted an advertisement on the Internet to recruit members for the band. The advertisement attracted attention from Garrett Zablocki, who then began writing with Nielsen. Later Zablocki contacted Dave Miller to join the band who also brought along his friend, James Gill. After a short time with another drummer the band came across Dan Trapp, who was only 14-years-old at the time. Before the band signed to Drive-Thru Records, James Gill was kicked out of the band due to irreconcilable differences; he was replaced by former Tokyo Rose drummer Mike Glita.

Nielsen explained the band name, stating: "In Hinduism, they believe that being alive is hell, and the only way to reach Nirvana is to ultimately have no attachments to anything. So, people go out and live in the middle of the woods and they don't eat and don't drink. They just meditate because they've reached such a high level where they're not attached to love, relationships or anything. And if you want to reach the highest level of being and see God, you have to have all your senses fail."

Building a local fan base by playing any gig they could find from skate parks and clubs to churches, they soon entered the studio and started to record. Their first release, From the Depths of Dreams, was a six-track EP that was originally released on ECA Records on August 16, 2002. It originally started as two three-song demo CDs, but was later joined together to make one release by producer John Naclerio. The independent release did very well and caught the attention of some record labels. They signed to Drive-Thru Records, and reissued their EP on April 29, 2003 with two extra tracks, remastering, and new cover art. The b-side "Bastard Son" was also recorded during this time. The release saw much success, and sold enough copies to peak at No. 144 on the Billboard chart. In support of the EP, Senses Fail toured with such bands as  The Used, Millencolin, The Starting Line, and Drive-Thru labelmates Finch.

Let It Enfold You (2004–2005)
Senses Fail started working on their debut album, Let It Enfold You in April 2003. During this time, lead singer and songwriter Buddy Nielsen was 18–19 years old. They worked with producer Steve Evetts (Saves the Day, A Static Lullaby, Every Time I Die) on their new label Vagrant Records. The lyrics were derived from a wide variety of sources. The title of the album was taken from a poem written by Charles Bukowski, the song "Irony of Dying on Your Birthday" is about the work of mythologist Joseph Campbell, and parts of the song "Slow Dance" include lines of the Dao De Jing. Nielsen stated that, "We just love making music and writing good songs. I feel like I've got a lot more to say and we've got a lot more to contribute. But even if things ended tomorrow, we've gotten 10 times further than we ever expected to get and that makes us feel like we've succeeded regardless of what happens from here on." Let It Enfold You was released on September 7, 2004 on Vagrant and Drive Thru Records. The album was certified gold by the RIAA, and has sold over 600,000 copies worldwide.

Let It Enfold You saw the release of two singles: "Buried a Lie" and "Rum Is for Drinking, Not for Burning." The music video for "Buried a Lie" was filmed on the set of the soap opera Guiding Light. Nielsen's mother, who shot the video, used to act in the show. The release of the video started attracting mainstream success for the band. During this period, Senses Fail were featured in magazines such as Kerrang!, Rolling Stone, Spin and appeared on the cover of Alternative Press.

The band toured extensively in support of the release. They were added to Warped Tour in 2004, 2005, and 2006, and 2009, and played on the main stage for the 2005 and 2006 editions of the tour. They were also included on the first Taste of Chaos tour in 2005 with such notable acts as The Used, My Chemical Romance, and Killswitch Engage. They also headlined a few tours of their own during this time with The Early November from Drive Thru and Emanuel from Vagrant.

The album was reissued in November 2005 with bonus tracks and new album art. In addition to the original track listing, it featured acoustic versions of songs from the album, an unreleased track, and a cover of the Suicidal Tendencies song "Institutionalized."

In 2005, the band's web site announced the departure, by mutual agreement, of guitarist Dave Miller. He was replaced by Heath Saraceno, previously the guitarist and vocalist of the band Midtown. Miller started his own record label called DMI (Dave Miller Industries) in September 2006.

The song "Lady in a Blue Dress," from this album, was released as a downloadable track on the Rock Band Network on March 4, 2010.

Still Searching (2006–2007)

After taking a break from touring, and acquiring a new lineup, Senses Fail began to write their second studio album. The new album, titled Still Searching was produced by Brian McTernan (Thrice, Cave In) and mixed by Chris Lord-Alge. This album eased up on the aggression on previous albums and showed more emotion. On the subject of the new songs, Nielsen explained, "I like my lyrics to be open to interpretation, but I didn’t want to paint pictures of things no one was going to understand; I want our fans to be able to relate. At some point, we all start examining our lives. If you don’t, there’s something wrong with you."

In support of the new album, the band toured on the Taste of Chaos again. In 2006 they toured with the Taste of Chaos International, and in 2007 Senses Fail returned to North America for the 2007 Taste of Chaos tour. In the summer of 2007 they also participated in a few dates of the Zumiez Couch Tour alongside From Autumn to Ashes. They headlined in late 2006 with Saosin and Bleeding Through as supporters. On October 5, 2007, Senses Fail began a 33-city co-headlining tour with New Found Glory which started in Las Vegas, Nevada. Also on the tour was Set Your Goals. The tour ended on November 24, 2007 in San Diego, California.

On November 13, 2007, Senses Fail released a deluxe version of Still Searching, which featured new art, behind-the-scenes DVD featuring footage from the band's headlining tour last fall, two new songs, three b-sides, and a cover of The Cranberries' song "Salvation."

On December 8, 2007, bassist Mike Glita left the band to pursue his side project Knights In Paris. Jason Black joined as a temporary replacement, though he later became a permanent member.

The song "Can't Be Saved," from this album, is featured in the game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. One of their other singles, "Calling All Cars," is featured in the game Burnout Paradise.

Life Is Not a Waiting Room (2008–2009)
Their album Life Is Not a Waiting Room was released on October 7, 2008 through Vagrant, and began a nationwide tour the day after.
On November 21, Senses Fail did an online interview with Ultimate Guitar, talking about the evolution of the band, their new bassist and the album.

On June 30, 2009, it was announced that guitarist Heath Saraceno would be leaving the band after the 2009 Warped Tour, stating: "I've shared many great times with these guys over the past four years or so. We've made two records I'm very proud of, toured the world and the States countless times, and I've made friends with people I would not have met otherwise. These guys from Jersey (and Atlanta by way of Florida) have turned into some of my closest friends, and I will miss seeing them as often as I've been able to." He was replaced by Zack Roach.

The Fire (2010)

The band began recording their new album, titled The Fire, at Salad Days Studio with Brian McTernan in June 2010 hoping to release later that year. The Fire was released in the UK on October 25, 2010 through Hassle Records and elsewhere on October 26 through Vagrant Records to generally positive reviews. The album does not feature Zack Roach on guitar, replacing Heath Saraceno after leaving in 2009, but instead has Garrett Zablocki playing both guitar roles. In February 2011, Garrett Zablocki left the band to attend college; however, he will be composing music for various films and videos.

Follow Your Bliss: The Best of Senses Fail (2012)
On July 13, 2011, Senses Fail posted "We are hanging writing new songs and practicing for the shows this weekend." on their Facebook page, and posted pictures via Twitter and Instagram of them in the studio.

Senses Fail announced that they would be going on tour with Stick to Your Guns, Make Do and Mend, and The Story So Far in November 2011.

The band then released The Fire on vinyl through Mightier Than Sword Records.

Senses Fail played again on the 2012 Vans Warped Tour. They released a greatest hits album entitled Follow Your Bliss: The Best of Senses Fail which featured music from all of their previous albums and came with an added four-track EP of new songs. The album was released on June 19, 2012 in a double-CD package and it is limited to 10,000 copies.

On June 15, they released "War Paint" from their Greatest Hits album.

Renacer (2013–2014)
On November 13, 2012, Senses Fail posted on their Facebook page that "We begin recording our fifth full-length album this week in Los Angeles, California. We will be working with producer Shaun Lopez (Far, Deftones) at The Airport Studio and Red Bull Studio. The recording is expected to wrap up in mid-December with a Spring 2013 release planned." The resulting album, Renacer, was released on March 26, 2013. On February 4, 2013 the first single, "Mi Amor" was released,along with pre-orders for the album. On March 1, 2013 a second single was released, "The Path."

The band played at the UK Slam Dunk Festival in May 2013.

The music video for "Between the Mountains and the Sea" was released on August 2, 2013

It was announced on June 2, 2014 via the band's Facebook page that Senses Fail would be doing a 10th Anniversary tour playing their record "Let It Enfold You" from start to finish and that ex-Poison the Well, current Big Black Delta live drummer, Chris Hornbrook would be replacing long time drummer, Dan Trapp.

Pull the Thorns from Your Heart, touring replacements, side projects (2014–2016)
In 2014, on their tumblr blog the band announced they signed to Pure Noise Records. Senses Fail would enter the studio in November to start recording their next full-length album which was scheduled to be released in summer 2015. It was later announced that the album would be titled Pull the Thorns from Your Heart.

On February 2, 2015, the band released a tease of their split EP on their Facebook. The EP was released on March 3, 2015. Pull the Thorns from Your Heart was released on June 30, 2015.  The touring cycle for the record kicked off by playing the entirety of the 2015 Vans Warped Tour.  The band then embarked on a winter co-headlining tour with Silverstein.  On this tour, guitarist Matt Smith was absent due to the birth of his first child.  Greg Styliades, who had previously toured with the band after Zack Roach returned home for the birth of his child, performed with the band on this tour. At this time, the band was classified by AbsolutePunk as screamo and "alternative".

On May 17, 2016, frontman Buddy Nielsen announced that he had formed a new band called Speak The Truth... Even If Your Voice shakes.  The band also includes drummer Alex Pappas and guitarists Alex "Grizz" Linares and Daniel Wonacott, all formerly of the band Finch.  They released their debut, self-titled 7" on November 4, 2016 via Bad Timing Records.  The release features the songs Crash My Car and Go For The Throat.  Senses Fail bassist Gavin Caswell was later recruited to play bass at the outfits first ever live performance.

In 2016, the band performed at the recently revived Taste of Chaos festival in San Bernardino, California.  After returning as a single day festival in 2015, Taste of Chaos returned as a full United States tour in 2016, culminating in the festival date.  The festival took place on July 16, and also featured performances from The Starting Line, The Get Up Kids, and Quicksand, as well as 2016 Taste of Chaos full tour acts Saosin, Taking Back Sunday, and Dashboard Confessional.

The future of the band was left uncertain after it was revealed that guitarists Zack Roach and Matt Smith would no longer be touring with the band, with both choosing to focus on their families after the recent births of their children.  Despite almost breaking up, the band took the rest of the summer of 2016 off to regroup.  In late 2016, the band supported Sum 41 on their "Don't Call it a Sum Back" full United States tour.  Bassist Gavin Caswell took over rhythm guitar duties live, with Styliades returning on bass guitar, and Jason Milbank filling the role of lead guitarist.

In Your Absence, Quince Años Tour and If There Is Light, It Will Find You (2016–2019)
On November 15, 2016, the band announced that in celebration of its upcoming fifteenth anniversary, they would be embarking on the Quince Años Tour in March and April 2017, with support from Counterparts, Movements, and Like Pacific. To commemorate the event, the band performed its 2006 album Still Searching in full, alongside a collection of career spanning songs.

On the same day, the band announced the release of their long teased acoustic EP, In Your Absence. It featured three brand new songs recorded and produced by Beau Burchell, alongside acoustic renditions of "Lost and Found" from Still Searching, and "Family Tradition" from Life Is Not A Waiting Room recorded and produced by Kyle Black. A music video was released for the lead single, "Jets to Peru", on January 26, 2017. The EP released on March 3, 2017 alongside the beginning of the Quince Años Tour.

The band entered the studio with Saosin guitarist Beau Burchell, who also handled recording duties on In Your Absence, to begin recording their seventh full-length album on June 27, 2017, to be titled If There Is Light, It Will Find You. Nielsen commented that the album would feature a style more akin to earlier releases, such as Let It Enfold You. The album was written entirely by Nielsen.

On August 2, it was revealed that former drummer Dan Trapp would be performing drums on the album, although current drummer Chris Hornbrook would still be performing and touring with the band. However, on January 8, 2018, Hornbrook announced his departure from the band. Hornbrook had been touring with Dhani Harrison during the recording sessions. On February 1, 2018, Steve Carey of The Color Morale was announced as the band's new drummer, following the announcement that The Color Morale would be entering a hiatus.

On November 30, the lead single "Double Cross" was released. A second single, "Gold Jacket, Green Jacket..." was released on January 11, 2018. On February 1, 2018, a third single, "New Jersey Makes, the World Takes" was released. The album was released on February 16, 2018.

On August 29, a re-recorded version of 2004's "Bastard Son" was released with a video, and the band announced the release date of a "reimagined" From the Depths of Dreams EP on September 6, 2019.

Hell Is in Your Head (2020–present)
In January 2020, Senses Fail announced that they had begun recording their eighth record, tentatively titled Hell Is In Your Head, and that it would follow the character from Still Searching after the events of the song "The Priest and the Matador." In March, they updated the working title to What the Thunder Said, Hell Is in Your Head.

On October 30, 2020, two Misfits covers were released as part of a split covers EP with the band Saves The Day titled Through Being Ghoul.

On November 25, 2020, the band released an EP titled Christmas Has Been Canceled Due to Lack of Hustle which features two songs, a cover of Saturday Night Live's "I Wish It Was Christmas Today" and "Donde Esta Santa Clause".

On February 17, 2021, the band released "Lush Rimbaugh," coinciding with the death of conservative news pundit Rush Limbaugh. Hell Is in Your Head is scheduled for release on July 15, 2022.

Musical style and influences
Senses Fail has been described as post-hardcore, emo, screamo, metalcore, pop punk, hardcore punk, and punk rock. Senses Fail have cited Jimmy Eat World, The Get Up Kids, The Promise Ring, Appleseed Cast, Saves the Day, Thursday, The Casket Lottery, Lifetime, and Deftones as their influences.

Band members
Current
James "Buddy" Nielsen – lead vocals, piano, programming, additional percussion (2002–present)
Gavin Caswell – guitars, backing vocals (2016–present); bass guitar (2013–2016)
Greg Styliades - bass guitar (2016–present); guitars (touring 2015)
Jason Milbank - guitars, backing vocals (2016–present)
Steve Carey - drums (2018–present) (also in The Color Morale)

Former
Garrett Zablocki – guitars, backing vocals (2002–2011)
Dan Trapp – drums, percussion (2002–2014, official; 2017–present, session)
Mike Glita – bass guitar, backing screamed vocals (2002–2008)
Dave Miller – guitars (2002–2005)
Heath Saraceno – guitars, backing vocals (2005–2009) (also of Midtown)
Jason Black – bass guitar (2008–2012) (also of Hot Water Music)
Zack Roach – guitars, backing vocals (2009–2016); bass guitar (2012–2013)
Matt Smith – guitars, backing vocals (2011–2016) (also of Strike Anywhere)
Chris Hornbrook – drums (2014–2018) (also of Poison the Well)
James Gill – bass guitar (2002)

Touring musicians
Etay Pisano – guitars (2009–2010)
Jeremy Comitas – bass guitar, backing vocals (2012)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums
 Let It Enfold You (2004)
 Still Searching (2006)
 Life Is Not a Waiting Room (2008)
 The Fire (2010)
 Renacer (2013)
 Pull the Thorns from Your Heart (2015)
 If There Is Light, It Will Find You (2018)
 Hell Is in Your Head (2022)

References

External links
Official tumblr blog / Website 
Website
 
 

2002 establishments in New Jersey
Rock music groups from New Jersey
Punk rock groups from New Jersey
American post-hardcore musical groups
Emo musical groups from New Jersey
American screamo musical groups
Drive-Thru Records artists
Hassle Records artists
Musical groups established in 2002
Pure Noise Records artists
Vagrant Records artists
Musical groups from New Jersey
Pull the Thorns from Your Heart is the sixth studio album by American post-hardcore band Senses Fail. In March and April 2015, the group supported Bayside on their headlining US tour. It was released on June 30 through Pure Noise Records.

Background and production
Senses Fail released their fifth album Renacer through Vagrant Records imprint Staple Records in March 2013. It served as a transitional record for the band, showcasing them moving away from a pop-orientated sound to a heavier-direction, incorporating hardcore punk riffs and breakdowns. Few months after the album's release, vocalist Buddy Nielsen stated moving forward they would be exploring a "more metal, more hardcore, less melodic" direction. While touring in support of the record, Gavin Caswell took over bassist Jason Black's position. In January 2014, founding drummer Dan Trapp left the band, which he later announced publicly in May. The following month, Chris Hornbrook of Poison the Well was announced as their new drummer. Nielsen was enthusiastic about Hornbrook's inclusion as Poison the Well was an influence on him growing up and a major influence on Renacer.

In September and November, the group went on a 10-year anniversary tour for Let It Enfold You (2004). During their performance at Riot Fest, the band announced they had signed to independent label Pure Noise Records. On November 10, the band revealed their next album's title Pull the Thorns from Your Heart, which they began recording that same day. Sessions were helmed by producer Shaun Lopez in Burbank, California. Drums were tracked at Lavish Studios, before moving to Lopez's The Airport Studios. The recordings were mixed by Eric Stenman at Dragonfly Creek Recording in Malibu, California and Red Bull Studios in Los Angeles, California. Mastering was done by Eric Broyhill at Monster Lab Studios.

Composition
Pull the Thorns from Your Heart was written in a period after Nielsen opened up about his personal life; he revealed his struggles with substance abuse and sex addiction, as well as coming out as queer. Additionally, Nielsen had a life-changing experience with Buddhism and a deep appreciation for Vipassanā meditation, which helped him with coming out. The album's title is taken from a poem by Sufi poet Rumi. Nielsen was a huge fan of his work and was enamored with what he knew about life. He explained that a lot of people have a difficult time in their lives and don't"truly get to live in the beauty that is life because there is so much wounding, so many defense mechanisms, and so much built up around our heart and conditioned behavior."

The album is broken down into four chapters – Annica & Sacca, Tisarana, Maransati and Brahmaviharas – all of which being named after Buddhist concepts. Nielsen noted that while the majority of music that showcases growth and change is more peaceful and abrasive, he wanted to "show that friction is what helps spur action. Without the friction, we wouldn't want to change, we would be content." All of the songs were written by the band except "The Courage of an Open Heart", "Dying Words" and "Pull the Thorns from Your Heart", which were written solely by Nielsen. Will Putney contributed additional writing to those three tracks, while Lopez did additional writing on "We Are All Returning Home". Half of the tracks deal with him coming out as queer, while the other half is about reaching a level of safety and reducing suffering.

Release
On March 3, 2015, the group released a 7" split with labelmates Man Overboard. Senses Fail's contributions were a Pull the Thorns outtake "All You Need Is Already Within You" and a cover of Man Overboard's "Real Talk". In March and April, the group supported Bayside on their headlining US tour. On April 29, Pull the Thorns from Your Heart was announced for release in June. Alongside the announcement, a music video was released for "The Importance of the Moment of Death". The video is a "mythic representation of how innocence can be forcefully taken away from us as children, leaving us with too much too soon and without the proper coping skills." On May 26, "The Courage of an Open Heart" and "Wounds" were made available for streaming via Metal Hammer.

On June 17, a lyric video was released for "Carry the Weight". Pull the Thorns from Your Heart was made available for streaming on June 22, before being released on June 30 through Pure Noise Records. Between June and August, the group performed on the Warped Tour. A music video for "The Three Marks of Existence" premiered on July 9 via Substream Magazine. It was filmed in black and white and shot during the group's performances at Warped Tour. In September and November, the band supported Counterparts on their headlining European tour. In November and December, the group went on a co-headlining US tour with Silverstein. They were supported by Hundredth and Capsize. The band was due to tour Australia in March 2016, but as a result of family issues it was cancelled.

Reception

The album received positive reviews.

Track listing
Writing credits per booklet.

Personnel
Personnel per booklet.

Senses Fail
 James "Buddy" Nielsen – lead vocals
 Gavin Caswell – bass
 Chris Hornbrook – drums
 Zack Roach – guitar
 Matt Smith – guitar

Production
 Shaun Lopez – producer
 Eric Stenman – mixing
 Eric Broyhill – mastering
 Jamie M. Moore – artwork, layout

Charts

References

External links

Pull the Thorns from Your Heart at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)

2015 albums
Pure Noise Records albums
Senses Fail albums A Covenant of Thorns is a one-man synthpop/darkwave project from the United States. Formed in Seattle, in 1992, by Scott-David Allen, the project is currently based in the upper midwest, outside of Chicago.

History 
After a string of smaller projects and bands, in 1992, Scott-David Allen began work on various songs with no real plan to release any of the material written.

Several years later, in 1998, at the urging of individuals who heard the songs, he released two six song EPs, A Covenant of Thorns 1 and A Covenant of Thorns 2.  The two EPs were a mixture of digital and analogue 4-track recordings.

In 1999, after the initial success of the two EPs, the first full-length album, Hallowed & Hollow, was released.  Consisting of eleven of the twelve songs from the first two EPs, the track Crown of Thorns was omitted due to a lack of space on the album.

Five years later, in 2004, the follow-up, full-length album, If The Heavens Should Fall was released.  The release was a reflective, personal and much more subdued offering.

After a decade of silence, The Fields of Flesh, a six track EP, was released in December 2014.  The release was noticeably more upbeat than If The Heavens Should Fall but still retained a slightly more modern, core A Covenant of Thorns sound.

In 2016, the six Track EP Forgotten was released.  It was the first release to feature guitars and retained the upbeat feel of the previous EP.

2017's Requiem was a dark introspective six song E.P. dealing with the passing of Scott-David Allen's father.

2018 brought the release of the third, full-length album, Shadows & Serenades.  It was noticeably more upbeat than the previous release while still exploring darker themes.

Late in 2020, the third full-length album, Black was released.  Exploring themes such as religion, love, loss and loneliness, it built upon the previous album, retaining its feel, while exploring new sounds and ideas; notably in the song Choke, which was a commentary on the treatment of women, from the Salem witch trials to current day.

Name 
According to Allen, the name A Covenant of Thorns symbolizes the contrast between everyday events:

Discography

EPs 
 1998: A Covenant of Thorns 1
 1998: A Covenant of Thorns 2
 2014: The Fields of Flesh
 2016: Forgotten
 2017: "Requiem"

Albums 
 1999: Hallowed & Hollow
 2004: If The Heavens Should Fall
 2018: Shadows & Serenades
 2020: Black

Compilations 
 1999: MP32K - The Future Is Now
 2000: Shadow Dancing
 2002: Trinity
 2005: Angelic Hauntings
 2020: Tiny Gods Who Walk Beside Us

Remixes 
 Dahlia (Phosphene Dreams Mix) - Remixed by The Joy Thieves

External links

See also 
Synthpop
Darkwave

References 

American synth-pop groups
Dark wave musicians
Electronic music groups from Washington (state)
Musical groups established in 1992