There's no need to introduce Theatre of Tragedy. There's hardly any band that led the aesthetics of the so-called "Gothic Metal/Rock" to such a plain perfection as this band did.
Many bands tried walking in their footsteps over the years...
Already in '95, their first, self-titled album was considered as a stepping-stone in Gothic Metal and Theatre of Tragedy rapidly lived up to the meaning of "Overnight Sensation".
You could even say that Theatre of Tragedy were the inventors of the extreme contrast between the well known male 'death grunt'-type of vocals and so called 'clean' female, angel-like singing.
The band was able to create a totally new style with what they were doing, not to forget about the beautiful, romantic-depressive lyrics by singer Raymond I. Rohonyi, which were written in old English. They succeeded in becoming a very unique band, which of course soon found many imitators. Their song "A Hamlet For A Slothful Vassal" of their first album became a cult classic, which so far still counts to the most important tracks in every repertoire of any Indie/Gothic-disco, but the band soon should reach new heights. The second album "Velvet Darkness They Fear" (released in '96) turned out to become one of the most successful gothic albums ever, and their club hit "Tanz der Schatten", helped them to reach an even bigger audience. Many headliner-tours followed, and Theatre Of Tragedy established themselves as one of the most important bands in the Metal/Gothic genre. So far, these Norwegians succeeded in selling more than 90.000 copies of every album in Europe, and therefore showed that they've got everything to unite even fans that only occasionally listen to Metal or Gothic. Again, the vocals of Liv Kristine stood out as a trademark, and many guest collaborations (remember Atrocity's "Werk 80") and even a solo album followed.
With their third album "Aégis", released in '98, the band began to cross their own borders, and showed their real potential. Many fans were a little frightened at first due to the untypical, electronic and silent aspects of "Aégis" and the new way how the duets between Raymond and Liv were performed. But as time passed by, it turned out to be the right and logical step. Not only have they been one of the few bands that were able to escape the restrictions of their genre, but also the chart entry of "Aégis", which hit the 58th place in Germany, showed that they had won a lot of new fans. Robert Müller, chief editor of German's major mag Metal Hammer, once said: "Theatre Of Trgaedy is music that can be compared to having a romance with an unknown beauty: A delight for the senses, but also dangerous like playing with dynamite."
Theatre of Tragedy soon discovered that their full potential couldn't be supported by their old record label, so with the help of a new management, a deal with East West Records for Germany and Nuclear Blast for the rest of the world was secured a little later on.
"Musique", the first album for the new companies, was a perfect mixture from the well-known Theatre of Tragedy trademarks and the electronic influences they already practiced on "Aegis". The electronic part was stronger than on the previous record and so the band found a lot of new fans and followers. The outstanding video clip to the major hit "Image" had airplay and rotation on nearly every important Music Channel world-wide. They played a sold out European Tour and confirmed their status as one of the best live bands on the planet.
On the new album "Assembly" they go their way straight ahead. There were a lot of sound changes in the last couple of years, but it always was typical Theatre of Tragedy. And so is "Assembly"! Together with their new guitarist Vegard K. Thorsen they made their electronically masterpiece. Produced by Hiili Hiilismaa (HIM, Apocalyptica, Moonspell, 69 Eyes) the band again shows the world their amazing talent and potential in writing songs.
Although it's not comparable to what they did in the past, Theatre of Tragedy managed to maintain their own, unique sound. Self-confident, matured in all terms, Liv Kristine Espenæs has become one of the most important characteristics of this band. But not only she, but also the rest of the band seems to be a little more relaxed and ready to take the next big step.
Line Up:
Liv Kristine Espenaes - Vocals Raymond I. Rohonniy - Vocals Hein Frode Hansen - Drums Lorentz Aspen - Keyboards Frank Claussen - Guitar Vegard K. Thorsen - Guitar
Discography:
1995 Theatre Of Tragedy CD (Massacre Records) 1996 Velvet Darkness They Fear CD (Massacre Records) 1996 Der Tanz Der Schatten Single (Massacre Records) 1997 A Rose For The Dead EP (Massacre Records) 1998 Cassandra Single (Massacre Records) 1998 Aégis LP/CD (Massacre Records) 1999 Theatre Of Tragedy Shape CD (Massacre Records) 1999 Velvet Darkness They Fear - limited gatefold vinyl edition(Massacre Records) 2000 Image Single (Nuclear Blast/EastWest) 2000 Musique (Nuclear Blast/EastWest) 2001 Machine Single (Nuclear Blast/EastWest) 2001 Closure:Live (Massacre Records) 2002 Assembly (Nuclear Blast/EastWest)
Source: http://www.theatreoftragedy.com/
