On Thorns I Lay - Threnos (2020)

We are quite psyched that Greek Death/Doom legends On Thorns I Lay have remained active and releasing albums since they reformed back in 2015. With “Threnos”, the band continues their musical journey with yet another powerful and melancholic release. Featuring over 45 minutes of music, this album delivers on the band’s signature style while adding a few surprises to keep the listener’s engaged and entertained.

The opener, “The Song of Sirens”, has that signature OTIL sound of their 90’s releases, with the firm growls, crafty riffs and subtle atmospheric keyboards, perfectly contrasted by weeping lead guitars and a hyper melancholic atmosphere. We particularly love the band’s timeless mixture of heavy foundations, like crushing riffs and tight drumming, with dramatic atmospherics delivered by the keyboards, clean vocals, and string arrangements on tracks like “Ouranio Deos” and the superbly catchy “Cosmic Silence”.

Never letting their melancholic elements lack, “Erynies” and “Misos” are two crushing tracks that remind us of early My Dying Bride and Septic Flesh. It is quite impressive that one moment you can be moshing with a track like “Threnos”, and the next you can be headbanging to a lush melancholic instrumental passage. Bringing back the “Orama” days, “Odysseia” is our favorite track in this release thanks to its very mellow vibe, perfectly complemented by the dramatic female vocals and piano/violin combination.

As a whole, “Threnos” is one hell of a melancholic release that brings back the Death/Doom Metal days from the late 90’s/early 2000’s. While this release has a high nostalgic component, it also feels quite relevant these days as the production values and melancholic elements are 100% on point. If you like powerful and yet depressive Death/Doom Metal, look no further and give this release (and band) a try.

Label: LifeForce Records

Release: February 21st, 2020

Genre: Death/Doom Metal

Country: Greece