On Thorns I Lay
Orama
Holy Records
Review by John Raftopoulos
On Thorns I Lay made their debut in 1995 with "Sounds Of A Beautiful
Experience". This was not exactly a great introduction for this talented
melodic / atmospheric death metal band from Greece. It was a fairly patchy
effort and didn't flow as a whole. With their second album "Orama", On
Thorns I Lay have rectified this problem and are ready to be taken as
serious musicians.
Their second album is a glorious concept album based on the mystery
surrounding the lost city of Atlantis. Out of the nine songs on display,
only 3 are linked into the concept fully but the rest of the tracks retain
that 'aquatic' feel and most of the lyrics have references to oceans and
islands anyway.
The introduction conjures up images of a city that's crumbling with the
island's inhabitants desperately screaming for their lives. The opening riff
then comes in and it's then you will notice the band's magical approach. A
crushing riff, almost thrash like, coupled with a dreamy melody line which
is not in a standard time signature. Beware though: it's effect is not
instant. This is mainly due to the strange production the band has adopted.
It has that typically Greek bottom heavy rhythm guitar sound and piercing
leads but this one is different in tone. Actually, it is almost like Septic
Flesh's brilliant "Esoptron" in parts. In fact, even the band's melodic
approach can be compared to Septic Flesh at times. However, On Thorns I
Lay certainly isn't a carbon copy, they definitely have their own style.
The Atlantis saga is is broken up into three parts. It has a continuing
theme song' running that is repeated a few times and is extremely melancholic.
This is evident in "Atlantis 3", a track which combines a lush acoustic guitar
arrangement with dreamy keyboards that really make the listener feel like
they have suddenly drifted away to some beautiful tropical island.
However, the album's greatest moment arrives at the third track called
"Oceans". Words cannot describe how great this song really is. A
melodic riff leads into a marvelous chorus with a dual approach of
extreme death growls and warm female vocals. The contrast is
perfect, and the keyboards present highlight the atmosphere.
Roula, responsible for the female vocals and keyboards, is the key ingredient
to this great album. She has really helped the band mold their own sound.
Her contribution to songs like "In Heaven's Island", "If I Could Fly" and
"Aura" are nothing short of spectacular.
On Thorns I Lay have finally offered us a complete album that flows
wonderfully. This band has set new standards in the field of melodic /
atmospheric death metal but to lump them into this category would probably be
an insult to the band. On Thorns I Lay are in a league of their own.
Septic Flesh fans take note in particular. To fans of melodic / atmospheric
metal, this comes highly recommended.
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