Review JAGER HENRY “Heart of Thorns” – EP

Jager Henry’s roots go back to the early days of rock, as his genes are directly linked to the legendary Led Zeppelin. He is the son of none other than Jason Bonham and the grandson of Led Zeppelin drum icon John Bonham. So music is part of his DNA, and it’s no surprise that the young man was looking for an outlet for his passion for music.

“Heart of Thorns” is the title of his new EP, which was released a few weeks ago. An intro and seven songs make up the tracklist of this release, and after the last note of “Preface” fades away, the release picks up speed with the title songs. The tune is a fusion of electro sounds interacting with heavy nu-metal reminiscent riffs. Combined with a well-crafted melody line it doesn’t take long to like the song.

What adds to the heaviness factor are the party hoarse vocals/screams, while the song itself is more of a modern rock song that has some airplay potential. The opener actually frames the sound of “Heart of Thorns” quite well, as this EP is built on various influences.

Déjà Vu” is even easier to connect to, as the song comes with an addictive melody, while some shouts in the background don’t make the song too sugary. “Breaking Down” connects to the title track as you might have a mental breakdown after finding out that your heart is made of thorns. The song itself sounds very melodic and with the electronics it connects to bands like Linkin Park.

Photo: Jessica Christian

“Lighthouse” is a pretty straight-forward song. Not deviating too much from the general principles of this EP, the song jumps between a calmer moment and an outburst in the chorus. All held together by a good sense of melody.

The Nu Metal influences return with “Closer to Heaven”, a song that also features Noah Thomas, before the more candy-like melodies return with “Bite Down”. A thick riff and a dark vibe come to the fore with “Mortal Sacrifice”. It is a dark and oppressive moment on this EP that shows a young artist following his musical heart.

“Heart of Thorns” is a well done EP that transports the heyday of Nu Metal into the 2020’s and one must say that this mission has been successfully accomplished. Jager Henry has created an interesting release with this EP and fans of bands like Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit and Korn should check this release out, an EP that also has enough good stuff for rock fans.