Year: 2023
Total Time: 43:18
Label: Season of Mist
ON THORNS I LAY. A band that has managed to create and maintain its own musical identity over the years. Several member changes over the course of their career but they still manage to produce high quality and inspiring music, while keeping their personal style intact. They have gone through various phases of experimentation incorporating elements from almost the entire spectrum of the extreme sound, mainly serving atmospheric Death/Doom and Gothic Metal. Bringing with them album stations for extreme sound, for three decades, they manage to keep the flame of experimentation and musical excellence unquenchable. Nothing is left to chance. So here comes their tenth self-titled album (first with the French Season of Mist), to prove it amply. Six songs, with a total duration of 43:18 minutes, all carefully arranged one by one, manage to enchant you. Observing the excellent cover by Dimitris Tzortzis, perfectly matching the style of the band, you enter directly into the atmosphere of musical mastery and the journey that is about to follow…
From the intro you understand the atmosphere that permeates the release. The sound of the violin and the female-angelic vocals, like other laments, soothe the soul creating a shiver that escalates and suddenly erupts with the terrible death growls of Petros Miliadis. Melancholic yet commanding riffs mixed with powerful drums and intense basslines leave an impression on the mind, making you want the eight-minute track not to end! “Newborn Skies” for the continuation, the smallest song of the record and the first taste we got, which, however, does not fall behind in quality with more melodic elements and even deeper vocals. The continuation follows stormy, as the first notes of “Crestfallen”, testify to the oriental elements and the perfect marriage of folk elements with death-doom aesthetics. My favorite song from the album. Incredible guitars and this duality of peace – outburst that, accompanied by piano and choirs, captivates you. “Among The Wolves” with even more dynamic vocals and a stronger presence of keyboards and violin that perfectly silence the exhaling fury of the vocals. The penultimate track of the record “Raise Empires” with seminar guitars also here (Christos Dragamestianos – guarantee!) and excellent drums. “Follow the cry of mankind” is imprinted on your mind, as its lyrics say. What better way to close this absolutely neat and perfect release than the song “Thorns Of Fire”. Simply magnificent. It contains all those elements that made up the album, in perfect union with the previous tracks. An excellent epilogue that treads strongly on the Death/Doom paths and intertwines in a balanced way with the oriental elements, the strong playing, but also the melody.
In conclusion, this is a unique album that I’m sure has already earned its rightful place next to the monumental records of this band, maintaining the representative enchanting atmosphere, the high musical perfection, but bringing a fresh breath. All the musicians are amazing in performance. I couldn’t help but mention the tremendous work that has been done in the lyrics, which came somewhat prophetically and sensibly to be a trigger for further reflection within the context of socio-cultural developments in the world. It will stay forever in our album collection, that’s for sure!
Rating: 9/10
Editor: Filomeni Riga
Related Link: ON THORNS I LAY – Official Page
