User:Old Fred Hunter/sandbox

The early years of the band (1992–1997)
The band was founded in 1992 under the name "Paralysis" alongside other notable Greek bands like Rotting Christ, Septic Flesh, Necromantia, and Nightfall. The band's initial lineup played brutal death metal and released a demo under the same name. They changed their name to Phlebotomy in 1993, and recorded two promos and an EP titled "Dawn of Grief". This period marked their exploration into atmospheric blackened doom-death, incorporating symphonic elements, ethereal female voices, and harsh growls into their music. In 1994, they adopted the name "On Thorns I Lay" inspired by a sonnet by Shakespeare and released the demo "Voluptuous", leading to a contract with the French label Holy Records and their debut album "Sounds of Beautiful Experience" (1995), characterized by an experimental death-doom style. Their subsequent album "Orama" (1997), developing a style of gothic doom death exploring oceanic atmospheric along with the theme of Atlantis.

Second period: the Romanian Period of the band (1998–2002)
In 1998, the founding members of the band left Greece to pursue medical studies in Romania. This era saw shifts in personnel and marked connections with local musicians, with Romanian musicians like Elena Doroftei (viola), Ionna Doroftei (keyboards), and Andrei Olaru (drums) joining the group. They released the album "Crystal Tears," marking a shift in their musical style towards a more melodic, romantic, and atmospheric type of gothic metal. In 2000, the Romanian members Claudia J. and Evans M. became integral to the band's lineup, contributing to the album "Future Narcotic" (2000). This album, recorded at the professional Magic Sound studio in Bucharest, maintained the atmospheric gothic metal essence seen in "Crystal Tears" (1999), yet delved into experimental and ambient elements. Upon the conclusion of their studies in Romania, they recorded their fifth album in 2002. The band refocused its musical direction, embracing a more restrained, melancholic, and depressive type of rock influenced by Katatonia.

Third Period: Return to Greece (2002-2006) and Hiatus (2006-2014)
After completing their studies in Romania, the band returned to Greece, forming a more stable lineup with their previous drummer Fotis Hondroudakis, and adding guitarist and vocalist Minas Ganeau. They released the album "Egocentric" in 2003, marked by influences from Katatonia and alternative rock. The band underwent changes, with Minas taking over vocals, and they recruited female vocalist Maxi Nil and keyboardist Antony Ventouris to complete the lineup later in 2003. Despite professional obligations as physicians, they performed limited live shows. Their album "Precious Silence" was recorded but never released, The band disbanded in 2006 as some members moved abroad for professional reasons. In 2012, they released the unreleased album "Precious Silence" on Soundcloud. The band resurfaced in 2014 when guitarist Chris Dragmestianos returned to Greece.

Fourth Period: Reunion and Return to Doom-Death Style (2011-present)
Between 2014 and 2015, the band delved back into their doom-death influences. They took the existing tracks from the unreleased 2004 album "Precious Silence" and edited and restructured them for their upcoming album "Eternal Silence". . In 2018, they recorded "Aegean Sorrow," which delved even deeper into their doom-death style, abandoning female vocals to create a heavier and darker atmosphere that reconnected with their death metal origins. The band welcomed new guitarist Akis Patras and bassist Jim Ramses, while drummer Fotis Hondroudakis was replaced by Stelios Darakis. Their ninth album, "Threnos," was released in 2020 and continued their exploration of atmospheric doom-death metal The album explored themes of Greek mythology In 2021, the band announced recording their next album, revealing they're working on songs with arrangements featuring an orchestra of Greek folk instruments. During the recording, they announced the departure of co-founder Stefanos Kintzoglou and his replacement by Petros Miliadis for the upcoming album. . In 2022, Stefanos Kintzoglou reformed Phlebotomy with two former members of On Thorns I Lay, Akis and Fotis and released a compilation album titled From Golgotha We Rise in 2023. Meanwhile, in December 2022 On Thorns I Lay embarked in a tour in the Baltic states alongside Rotting Christ. In 2023, they signed with international label Season of Mist, announcing the self-titled album "On Thorns I Lay" for release in October 2023. Promotional singles "Newborn Skies" and "Fallen from Grace" were released in the summer of 2023.