Theatre Of Tragedy
„Musique“
Industrial Synth/Metal. CD. 2000

In 2000, ToT (Theatre Of Tragedy) demanded a lot from its fans. Instead of mystical lyrics sung in "old-fashioned" English, they were treated to highly English, modern themes. Instead of Gothic Metal and Dark Rock, there was now Industrial Synth/Metal/Pop. Some fans turned away, expecting Dark Rock and were disappointed. On the other hand, it opened up new customer bases, and some critics took this particularly badly. The question of whether the music was good faded into the background. And regardless of that, it no longer mattered that Liv Kristine proved she could not only sing like a dove. Suddenly, the full range of her voice is on display. The lyrics are more modern, clearer. I'm not denying any fan their taste, and I understand if they simply don't like the music anymore. However, I expect fairness from some critics.

Musique don't offer dark rock. However, they have retained elements of rock and metal, which are all dominated by synths and industrial elements. The songs have a cool atmosphere, especially when Raymond Istvàn Rohonyi celebrates his spoken word. "Crash / Concret" is the most aggressive song. It's easy to dance to. It contrasts nicely with Liv's voice, enticing and demanding. "Commute" goes in a similar direction. Here Liv's voice is more chilled. "Fragment" sounds more technical and has an interesting rhythm, and that's my list of highlights. The first eight songs are all well-crafted and catchy. "Image" is also worth mentioning, as it is here that Liv shows that she can do more vocally than "just" sing sweetly.

Although I'm not really a fan of electronic music, I do like certain genres. I'd like to mention the band Paradise Lost (who underwent a similar stylistic shift) and dark wave. Musique and the subsequent album Assembly really appeal to me. Liv's versatile vocals, the mix of music, the cool techno atmosphere and the danceable melodies. It's instantly catchy, but it's also slicker and more pop-like, and doesn't encourage me to listen to it often. However, Musique has found its way into my CD player again and again for the past 25 years. The author hereby reveals himself to be a huge Theatre Of Tragedy fan who enjoys every phase of the band. That's what makes a prog head: change.

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.