On Thorns I Lay

The band started in 1992 under the name Paralysis; they recorded a demo under that name. The band played in the brutal death metal style at the time. But noting that a Dutch band bore the same name, they changed their name to Phlebotomy in 1993, in reference to the medical practice that seemed to them to suit the Death music they were then playing. Under this name, they produced two promos and an EP titled Down of Grief, which had a lot of success for a demo; it sold, in fact, nearly 2000 copies. But as their style evolved over time, they felt the need to change the name again to On Thorns I Lay (in 1995). The term comes from a passage in Shakespeare; the idea was suggested to them by Efthimis Karadimas, the singer of the Greek band Nightfall.