THIS BURNING EFFIGY was formed towards the end of 1993 in Dublin, Ireland. The band started out as a five-piece consisting of Stephen Carey (Guitar & Keyboards), Ger Egan (Vocals), Micheal Cowley (Bass), Brian Fallon (Drums) and Phil Doyle (Guitar).

The formation of the band was a direct reaction to the then predominant Metal/Rock scene in Dublin. Aiming to infuse the music scene with something more than clichéd rock, the band set about writing and preparing songs that were ethereal yet powerful and which did not conform to the popular median, Metal, Goth or otherwise.

Honing their set and performance with regular live dates in Dublin, the band built up an excellent reputation as live act and soon recorded their first demo titled "The Eternal Procession" at Heartbeat Studios in Dublin. Following the release of this two-track cassette, Phil Doyle left due to musical differences.

The cassette was distributed world-wide and sold out quickly, resulting in the band being asked by the freshly established record label GRAVE NEWS to produce a track for their 1994 compilation "Dreams in the Witch House". "Communion with Sophia", with its themes of sex and fear of life, gained the band many listeners and an album deal with GRAVE NEWS.

However, it was not until 1996 that their debut Album "To Bestial Gods..." was released. Recorded during the second half of 1995 at Sonic Studios, Dublin, the sessions were an intensive three month search for a sound that captured the essence of the band. With the aid of engineer Bart, the haunting vocals of Tanya Doyle and some unorthodox recording techniques, the band achieved what they wanted – an album which sounded like a finished and coherent work, not a fragmented collection of songs of no relevance to each other.

The summer of 1996 saw the band relocate to London for musical and financial reasons, unfortunately leaving members Brian (Drums) and Micheal (Bass) behind with commitments at home too great to leave Dublin for. Stephen (Guitar) and Ger (Vocals) continued to write and record new songs, with several compilations bearing witness to this. "Bare" appeared on PHD`s "Darkend" compilation, an earlier demo of the track can be found on the Gothic Grimoire Compilation "Red", and a new demo "Sway" appeared on the 1996 CD of Bats & Red Velvet Magazine. The following year's BRV CD also featured a track, "Flagellation And Dancing" from their debut album.

The next album (working title "Exiles") was scheduled later on that year with a darker, heavier sound planned, though still containing the ethereal touches that are a trademark of THIS BURNING EFFIGY.

In the end it was released in the spring of 1999, entitled "Descent". Recorded during August 1998 at Substate Belgravia Studios, London, the band again worked with a female singer. They managed to gain the support of Julianne Regan, who is most famous for her work with ALL ABOUT EVE. Though basically reduced to a two-piece, the band managed to further develop their sound and Julianne's parts only helped making the album sound more mature and varied.

The year 2000 saw the band bring out their third and final full-time release, "Resolution", which was recorded at The Hermitage and Shelter Studios, London. The album contains 'new' songs from the never-released first recording "From The Icon", along with remixes and alternative versions.

In 2001 then, unfortunately, the band decided to split up, with Ger returning to Dublin and Stephen remaining in London and playing live guitar for NFD.

Stephen soon started working on new material though, mostly for the collaborative project THE EDEN HOUSE he formed with Tony Pettitt. Among the contributing artists were Julianne Regan, Monica Richards, and many other illustrious names of the scene.

In the meantime, he was also doing a few local gigs with ADORATION, a side project he started with John Stone and Lee-Anne Burgess. Their debut full-length album was released in 2008.

Both projects are featured on Strobelight's New Dark Age compilation series, with THE EDEN HOUSE so far yielding two full-length albums and a series of EPs, including numerous contributions from well-known artists.