Theatre Of Tragedy
Aegis
Century Media, 1998
One of the pioneers in the "Beauty and the Beast" Gothic Metal movement,
Norway's Theatre Of Tragedy reached their apex with their third album, Aegis.
After two albums of melodramatic, theatrical Gothic Metal which hinted at so
much potential, they refined their sound, streamlined their approach, and wrote
the best songs of their career.
Gone are the monstrous growls of Raymond I. Rohonyi, instead opting for a
cleaner delivery that is subtle in its approach but much more effective. Yet, it
is his female counterpart, Liv Kristine Espenaes, who really shines here. This
woman possesses one of the most beautifully angelic voices I've yet to hear in
music, and her performance here is stunningly breathtaking. Her voice is
predominant throughout, Raymond's used as more of an effect to compliment Liv,
save for a couple of songs. The lyrics are written in a type of Old Romantic
poetry, and although this makes it a bit difficult to sing along, it also adds
to the overall vibe of the album. Aegis is based on the concept of the
various incarnations of females. Beautiful and mysterious, yet vicious and
ruthless all the same, man will never understand woman completely. She can take
man to the highest of Heavens, and with one look, one word, she can send him
down to the darkest pits of Hell. Yet, no matter, man will always desire woman.
He is a slave.
Musically, this is some of the most beautiful music I've ever heard created with
basic Rock instruments. A much lighter work than previous recordings, Aegis
is an album that would likely appeal more to Gothic and Darkwave audiences
than Metal fans. The only thing keeping this album linked to Metal is the
thundering drums and the power of the guitars in certain sections. Songs like
"Angelique", "Siren" and "Venus" are pure ethereal beauty, while "Loreliei" and
"Poppaea" are more uptempo, Goth rock numbers still maintaining the effervescent
aura of the rest of the album. In terms of what the band were attempting, this
is an outright masterpiece. Perfect all the way down to the beautiful layout and
the crystal clear yet powerful production. Unfortunately, the band would choose
to try its hand at electronic club music on its next album, harboring none of
the exquisite beauty of its past recordings.
2000
Tracklisting
1. Cassandra
2. Lorelei
3. Angelique
4. Aoede
5. Siren
6. Venus
7. Poppaea
8. Bacchante
Theatre Of Tragedy Discography
Theatre Of Tragedy (Massacre, 1995)
Der Tanz Der Schatten EP (Century Media, 1996)
Velvet Darkness They Fear (Century Media, 1996)
A Rose For the Dead (Century Media, 1997)
Aegis (Century Media, 1998)
Musique (Nuclear Blast, 2000)
Inperspective EP (Massacre, 2000)
Closure:Live (Nuclear Blast, 2001)
Assembly (Nuclear Blast, 2002)
Storm (AFM, 2006)