The LICHTLÆRM Audio Thorn is a compact high gain distortion pedal from LICHTLÆRM Audio, built as a signature unit for Lennart Bossu, known for his work with Amenra, Oathbreaker, Predatory Void and Living Gate1. It is a three-mode design: the maker describes it as offering "SDT-1, SDT-2 and proprietary laerm modes", and it uses what the company calls Lichtlaerm Audio Smart Relay technology1.
What it does
The Thorn's three modes give it three distinct gain voices:
- SDT-1: the stock SDT-1 core sound, the pedal's baseline voice2
- SDT-2: a more compressed and saturated voice. The maker says it was "added an SDT-2 mode for the more compressed, saturated tones Lennart leans on in Living Gate"1. Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson notes this mode "also has some volume drop"2
- laerm: the maker describes this mode as "more open, louder, and more direct than any Stampede ever was"1, and Karlsson calls it "the more open and even louder new 'Laerm' mode"2
The pedal also carries an EQ switch, which matters to how the modes come across. Karlsson's verdict on the settings: "I much prefer the EQ On! And I much prefer the SDT-1 and Laerm Modes over the SDT-2."2
"This is such a potent distortion, I really don't feel I need the Boost at all"
Where it sits in the LICHTLÆRM range
Guitar Pedal X places the Thorn alongside the LICHTLÆRM Audio Medusa and LICHTLÆRM Audio Gehenna as part of the maker's compact gain pedal line, and judges it "closest to the Gehenna - but there are still distinct differences between them"2. For players comparing the two, that makes the Gehenna the nearest alternative within the range.
The Thorn is a three-mode pedal, and the SDT-2 mode runs at a lower output than the other two modes, according to Guitar Pedal X's review2. Players switching between modes may want to level-match on the fly.
What reviewers said
Guitar Pedal X listed the Thorn among its 2025 distortion pedals of the year, describing it as the "Lichtlaerm Audio Lennart Bossu Signature Thorn High Gain Distortion"3. The review's overall impression is of a pedal with plenty of gain on tap, strong enough that the reviewer saw no need to pair it with a boost2.
If you are weighing the Thorn against other options, the Distortion Pedals page covers the wider field of high gain designs.
Videos
EVIL GREED
CHURCHOFRA C-O-R
Dirty Demos
Sources (3)
- Lennart Bossu // Amenra Signature Pedal, LICHTLÆRM AUDIO
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2025-12-01
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2025-12-05
