Search - On Thorns I Lay :: Crystal Tears

Theatre Of Tragedy with violins and mellow male vocals

Robert M. Bowers | Beale AFB, CA, USA | 11/10/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Crystal Tears" was my introduction to On Thorns I Lay, and I'm very impressed with it. The music can be classified as Gothic Metal, with pure, sweet female vocals accented by occasional baritone male vocals. If you like Theatre of Tragedy, but don't like the so-called "death grunts" that characterize most black metal these days, check this out. My major criticism of the release is that the violin solos seem overemphasized at times, but that might just be my personal taste."

It's no Orama

Malice | usa | 01/01/2000

(2 out of 5 stars)

"If you were introduced to On Thorns I Lay with the album Orama as i was, Crystal Tears would be a dissapointment. Orama was a much harder metalic sound and with more death vocals. Not that i care for death vocals, but the guitar rhythms were done so well, i could overlook the death vox. Crystal Tears is much softer than orama, 80% of the guitar work is gone. There are a few good tracks, but if you liked Orama, skip this one."

Good ideas, poor production

Jason P. Sorens | Tonawanda, NY United States | 10/10/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I was introduced to On Thorns I Lay through some songs from the "Orama" album, which I rather liked, reminding me of Septic Flesh. "Crystal Tears" is much less aggressive--in fact, the metal parts really play only a small role in the music. On Thorns now remind me more of Lacuna Coil than Septic Flesh; if that sounds like an improvement to you (I would say the reverse) you may be interested. However, there are some additional problems with this album, including poor production afflicting especially the male vocals and electric guitar. However, the strings and acoustic guitar sound clean. It just doesn't sound very well put together overall. If you're interested in mellow classical/metal fusion with female vocals, "Crystal Tears" may be an advisable purchase, but I recommend looking into bands like Haggard and Dreams of Sanity first (or the "Orama" album)."