I first heard them in 2000, when they released “Future Narcotic” and my first reaction was to go and buy “Crystal Tears” which had been released the previous year. Back then I thought that they were the biggest hope for the Greek metal scene, having been impressed by both these releases. I was completely overwhelmed by the atmosphere that their music was giving out and by the incredibly inspired compositions. “Angeldust” which followed the next year, was quite good although a little differentiated in sound.
Afterwards, for some reason I lost track of them. I heard that they released another album in 2003 however these three releases of theirs “honored” my cd player quite frequently.
In 2015 On Thorns I Lay made their come back in similar music paths to those of atmospheric death or for some others of dark wave. “Eternal Silence” is a decent release but far from the triad I mentioned before. The songs of the album are good; I don’t think they lack in inspiration but what made the other three different was probably their timing. Their music was more ahead of its time than I thought back then. Maxi Nil’s presence in the band (she left after the recording of the album) could have been the catalyst, but it seems that her role was to support and not to get on the frontline.
From “Eternal Silence” I will certainly single out the great “People We Hurt”. It’s the one that keeps the record alive, a song that any record needs.
The return of On Thorns I Lay comes in a time where a lot of things have changed in music. The record seems like a nice, decent attempt, but there is something missing.
