Theatre of Tragedy
Theatre of Tragedy
Digipack CD, 1995. Double-LP, Remastered 2020.

A brief outline of the history of the Norwegian band from the city of Stavanger. Founded in 1994, their first album, which bore the band's title, was released in 1995. The band described their style as gothic metal, which they retained on their second album. After that, the style changed several times, but one thing remained constant: the vocals. Liv Kristine's bright, sweet and soft voice contrasts with the guttural, growling vocals of singer Raymond István Rohonyi. For me personally, this was the hallmark of the band on their first albums. A style that more and more bands in the burgeoning gothic metal scene were using. Hein Frode Hansen played drums, Tommy Lindal and Pål Bjåstad played guitar, and Lorentz Aspen was on keyboards. In 2003 there was a big bang, partly with the departure of singer Liv Kristin. The band picked themselves up again and, with a new singer, recorded two more studio albums and one live album. With this album, "Last Curtain Call," the band disbanded in 2011.

I'm not a goth myself, and never have been. What I find interesting is the darkness, the playful arrangements, the hard riffs and pounding drums contrasted by clean female vocals. And of course, the pompous. The pathos and the romantically dark lyrics. And that's exactly what I like about Theatre of Tragedy. Liv Kristine's voice is truly sweet and soft. I even embraced and enjoyed all the stylistic shifts. From gothic metal to dark rock, through techno-infused synth-rock, and back to their roots.

Highlights for me: “Cheerful Dirge”, “... A Distance There is ...” (wonderfully pathetic and of good length) and “Dying: I Only Feel Apathy”.
Theatre of Tragedy is a groundbreaking album for Gothic metal. Nothing more and nothing less. As a prog-head, it really appeals to me, as it also contains elements from prog. Highly recommended.

Addendum: I now also have the vinyl version. Remaster, reissue, gatefold, 180 gram, black vinyl. 2020 (1995). The record is of good quality and has an excellent sound.

Theatre of Tragedy 1995
Velvet Darkness They Fear 1996
A Rose for the Dead (EP) 1997
Aegis 1998
Musique 2000
Assembly 2002
Storm 2006
Forever is the World 2009
Remixed 2019 (only Remixes)

The photos are all from my CD. The rights to all motifs, logos, texts and fonts that can be seen in the photos are of course owned by the copyright holder.

No AI was used in the making of this Review.
©19.06.2024