On Thorns I Lay, the Greek death-doom titans from Athens, release their self-titled album via Season of Mist — the tenth of their career and their first with the French label. Thirty years after their debut, which had a gothic aura, the band raises death-doom to epic levels, casting a new gothic light on the muscular riffs and cavernous vocals of the early 90s Peaceville tradition.
Country: Greece
Genre: Death-Doom Metal
For fans of: Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride, Anathema
The listen
«Fallen From Grace» opens the record with a long, otherworldly build-up of strings and chants, before the force falls like a meteorite. «Newborn Skies» comes in weaker and more comfortable, with the main riff dancing around before the heavy doom hits like a boxer without gloves. «Crestfallen» begins with acoustic guitars and gothic themes, and the voice moves from deep growls to rage, before a piano lets the album’s sensitive side shine — before despair returns doubled.
«Among the Wolves» is multifaceted, with heavy passages and lighter ones, reminding us that the wolf symbolizes loyalty and family. «Raise Empires» shifts scales a few times without losing the listener, with melodies that strike straight at the heart. «Thorns of Fire» closes the record with another strong song, drenched in hatred and despair, with one more brief clean passage in the middle — but hopelessness and remorse dominate.
Six songs of total awe and anguish: by the end of the record, you feel you lost a year of your life — or that you gained a new perspective on how to handle things. Either way, it’s a trial for the soul.
Lineup
Peter Miliadis – vocals
Christos Dragamestianos – guitar
Nikolas Paraskevopoulos – guitar
Kostas Mexis – bass
Antonis Ventouris – keyboards
Stelios Darakis – drums
See also
Abyssal Rift – Relics of Great Ash · ARGUL – Soledad & Orgullo
