Formed in 1992 as Phlebotomy, On Thorns I Lay has, over the course
of their first six albums,
drifted through various styles of atmospheric
metal, with the early albums more traditional doomdeath-influenced
and the later material more in the post-goth realm.
The vocal styles have similarly varied, from mostly male death
vocals up to Orama and female soprano vocals taking over as the
major style on the later material, though founder/guitarist
Stefanos still contributes vocals on the later albums.
The band has a unique, somewhat relaxed style to their songwriting,
based more on mood and effect rather than in-your-face riffing.
Orama appears to be the majority choice for their best album,
though the personal opinion here is that Crystal Tears is a shade
better.
They left their Greek homeland for Romania some time ago, but have
since returned to Greece.
After a 12-year absence from the recording scene, they put out
Eternal Silence in 2015.
Recent album: On Thorns I Lay,
released on October 13, 2023.
