Theatre Of Tragedy

Aégis

(p)1998 Century Media Records

Review by Neil St.Laurent

Thanks to Century Media for the CD

Following the release of 3 MCDs/Singles after their "Velvet Darkness They Fear" album, Theatre Of Tragedy has finally released another full-length album: "Aégis".

The term gothic has been thrown about the music scene for a long time now, and there doesn't seem to be an agreed upon popular descriptive of what gothic music really means. In the sense that comparisons can be drawn to other gothic bands like Nightingale, Type O Negative, or Die Laughing, Theatre Of Tragedy is a gothic band -- anybody who has heard all of those bands will understand what a large umbrella the term gothic really is.

"Aégis" is an ethereal recording: the music creates an engulfing atmosphere that never really comes or goes, it has some low points and high points, but for the most part the general feeling is the same. This is an interesting note, for whether a distorted guitar sound is present or not (as it often comes and goes) the feel of the music doesn't really change -- except that the relative heaviness of the music shifts somewhat. This effect is quite good the first time, but every guitar rhythm on the CD sounds exactly the same, and it is all rather monotonous.

With that in mind, it is not likely surprising that a keyboard plays a fairly strong role in the recording, with duties split between a synth and a sample sequencer (usually of percussive sounds). What is more surprising is that despite the effect of the guitars, the bass still manages to keep a consistent and noticeable impact on the music.

Adding the true ethereal quality to the album are the vocals of Liv. Although it seems unlikely that the resultant vocals on this recording are entirely natural, the basic singing approach by Liv is very effective, well balanced to the music, and never over-the-top or too diminished -- also a result of a high quality production.

Overall "Aégis" is a very good recording, extremely pleasant to listen to, and definitely a result of a very good production. The problem lies in that there is little variation from song to song, and unless you are just listening to it as background music it becomes very repetitive. There is also nothing very original about the album, it is clearly a mix of other existing styles without anything defining added to it. From an enjoyment point of view this is a good album, from a more critical point of view based on technical merits this album falls short in almost all respects.

Theatre Of Tragedy is:
Raymond I. Rohonyi - Vocals
Liv Kristine Espenœs - Vocals
Tommy Olsson - Guitars
Frank Claussen - Guitars
Eirik T. Saltrø - Bass
Hein Frode Hansen - Drums
Lorentz Aspen - Synthesizer

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