Theatre Of Tragedy
„A Rose For The Dead“
Dark/Gothic Rock/Metal. EP CD 1997

What do you do when you have more material after your last album? Either release remixes or, as in this case, an EP! At least some unreleased material was used. Whether the two remixes of the album "Velvet Darkness They Fear" by Bruno Kramm (Das Ich) are truly new is debatable. But they, too, were previously unreleased. The only question that remains is whether it's worth it for us listeners.

I'll start with what I supposedly "hate" the most, and that's remixes! Bruno Kramm chops up "And When He Falleth" and "Black As The Devil Painteth" into a harsh electro corset. And it works with Liv Kristine's delicate and bright voice. The techno character of the remixes contrasts incredibly well with her vocals. I'll certainly never become a fan of remixes, but when they so beautifully reverse my usual tastes, it works for me too.

My favorite song is the title track, "A Rose For The Dead," as it resembles the gothic metal of the band's early phase. The heavy guitars and Liv's voice create precisely that blend of harshness and fragility that makes Theatre Of Tragedy so special to me.
For me, this is a return to the Theatre of Tragedy sound I've come to appreciate. Liv's almost ethereal vocals meet heavy riffs, creating the signature contrast between harshness and fragility. It's precisely this blend of heaviness, atmosphere, and Liv's voice that makes this the strongest track on the EP for me.
"Der Spiegel" is a song sung in German. I think it's okay, but I'd prefer it in English, which brings us to the song "As The Shadows Dance." In German, it's a big club hit as "Tanz Der Schatten," but I simply like it better in English. The closing track, "Decades," is a cover version of a Joy Division song. It doesn't really fit the style of the EP. And Liv doesn't sing on it.

The EP is certainly also intended for commercial purposes, and fans will buy anything anyway. I like the EP and recommend it based on "A Rose For The Dead" alone.

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 EP CD. The rights to all motifs, logos, texts, and fonts appearing in the photos are, of course, owned by the copyright holder.

TheProgThief
©19.06.2025
Mk 2