Back in the ‘90s Greek band On Thorns I Lay offered unforgettable shades of gothic/doom metal and now with a refreshed creative force and indisputable passion the latest effort “Aegean Sorrow” reveals a diverse range of music inspirations.

The title track immediately offers a direct blast of fiery darkness with doom tinged vibes and a prominent melo-death approach that instantly favors dramatic melodic guitars spontaneously entwined with harsher riffs and ominous growls. Through subtle rhythmic fury an enchanting melancholia is fully expressed by soft piano melodies and additional sophisticated gothic style melodic guitar passages & solos resulting in an ever-growing realm of darkness.

“Erevos” definitely offers plenty of magical & memorable melodies and effortlessly evokes a pure poetic mood with darkly refined orchestrations that together with majestic melodic guitars contribute to create a harmonious fluidity that will naturally move the listeners with intensely dramatic, almost heartbreaking, instrumental segments and cathartic emotional quality.

“Olethros Part I” will intrigue the audience with a rather fierce beginning that showcases some extreme metal roots as growls emerge from the darkest depths and guitar riffs become utterly thick and aggressive before leading to a more doom oriented soundscape with slower rhythms and another compelling round of exquisite melancholia infused melodies.

In contrast with the previous track “Olethros Part II” focuses on lavish acoustic instrumental passages flowing through dreamy atmospheres and spiritual vibes that will eventually evolve into a gothic/doom ensemble gaining distortion and darkened aesthetics with spellbinding melodic guitar work.

On “The Final Truth” there are hints of funeral doom as the bleak rhythm tends to maintain super heavy and depressing textures but again many poetic melodic moments built by slowly mournful guitars and charming weeping violins hold a dominant role in the song’s structure that also features highly contemplative segments.

Despite highs and lows in the past, On Thorns I Lay return in impeccable shape and “Aegean Sorrow” elegantly balances poetry and primordial darkened metal elements filled of all the profound emotions that their music has explored through all these years.
Aegean Sorrow