Theater of Tragedy - Theater of Tragedy
One of the forerunners of the gothic metal scene, and certainly one of the first to employ the "Beauty and the Beast" effect, Theatre Of Tragedy's debut full length takes the blueprint laid down by the likes of Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride and adds a few extra layers of 'darkwave' atmosphere, most notably with the presence of Liv Kristine, but also with a stronger permeation of keyboards, principally an organic piano sound. The results may not be revelatory, but with its emphasis on atmosphere and a heavy brooding production adding a cavernous quality to the doom-ladden riffs, this album remains one of the classics in the development of gothic metal as a definitive genre.
Sullen riffs open this album with plodding tempos, yet never repeat themselves to aggravating levels. There's a healthy amount of ideas and shifts in aggression popping up within each of the tracks, except the instrumental "Monotone" which takes a particularly cool note pattern and rolls with it. Guitars interweave melodies when not slugging away at morose chord progressions, and the keyboardist appears reasonably busy throughout, avoiding lush symphonics and going for an older, more traditional presence. The flow for these tunes range from a dirge-like crawl to medium-paced stomps, and the echo on the drums adds a necessary foreboding aura, particularly during "Sweet Art Thou", in which the snare's resonance is powerful and almost otherworldly thanks to the generous reverb.
Vocally is where things get interesting, and what was back then a novel approach to reciting the lyrics. Raymond's un-amused growl has depth and carries enough of that morbid slovenly feeling to blend well with the melancholy melodies. As a complete counterpoint, youngster Liv offers ghostly female wisps that linger in the air like a cold vapor cloud. I'll be honest, her voice works fine as a direct foil to the growling, but without those growls, this would be one chore of an album to put up with since her one-dimensional and somewhat amateurish delivery eventually would furrow the brow and annoy the living shit out of me. At times it is effective though, circumventing pop convention for Elizabeth Frazer worship that adds to the mellower moments such as "...a Distance There Is...", a lengthy song bluntly on the goth side of the gothic metal spectrum. In general, together the two singers generally compliment each other decently, except during the few occasions when they sing together in unison, sounding like some sort of deranged parody of a duet that I picture avant garde acts like The Residents thinking "We need to try that!"
As one of the initial harbingers of gothic doom before the floodgates of female-fronted corset obsessed metal acts opened wide, this debut remains one of the more listenable ones due to the dynamics of the spacious production, baroque lyrics, off-setting vocal approaches and some pretty well written doom riffs. If Liv had a bit more skill at this entry point in her long career, or at least varied her tone a bit once in a while during the recording, this album would hold up even better in comparison to major efforts by better developed later acts appropriating aspects of this sound to their own similar visions. Theatre Of Tragedy themselves would soon evolve into a less underground-anchored band by streamlining their style and eventually ditching the growls, but in this case they stick close to their death/doom roots, flirting with the notion of evolving into a more goth-oriented band thanks to what seemed to be a growing interest by them and other acts towards the 4AD ethereal class of gothic derived music. As a product of its time, Theatre Of Tragedy's self-titled effort is still a worthy enough benchmark for a style they contributed immensely in developing.
copas dari http://www.metal-archives.com/reviews/Theatre_of_Tragedy/Theatre_of_Tragedy/706/
Tracklist:
01. A Hamlet For A Slothful Vassal
02. Cheerful Dirge
03. To These Words I Beheld No Tongue
04. Hollow-Heartéd, Heart-Departéd
05. ...A Distance There Is...
06. Sweet Art Thou
07. Mïre
08. Dying - I Only Feel Apathy
09. Monotonë
TKP
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