THEATRE OF TRAGEDY – Forever Is The World

Most bands probably wish they could survive for as long as Theatre of Tragedy has. They’ve been together for over fifteen years, most notably with Liv Kristine as lead singer. When she left the gang in ‘03, the band was determined to forge ahead with Nell Sigland. With the passing of years, there’ve been many changes in the group’s sound. Electronic elements were embraced on the last release, “Storm”. Pop leanings are also apparent on some of their albums.

Happily, with Forever Is The World, the electronic and pop influences aren’t easily found. Most of what you get here is dark, Gothic Metal. The album starts off in fine fashion with “Hide and Seek”. Raymond Istvàn Rohonyi’s harsh growls serve as an excellent counterpoint to the beautiful, crisp sound of Nell’s vocals. This song is also the most ominous of any on the album. For sure, there’s some dark and intriguing stuff going on with that one.

Lorentz Aspen is to be commended for his use of keyboards. They really seem to construct the foundation of ToT’s sound. The guitars are a consistent force, but they’re pleasantly subtle, too. The restraint that Frank Claussen and Vegard K. Thorsen shows make this album that much more interesting.

Although the band features both a male and a female vocalist, Rohonyi seems like more of a part-timer on this album. He really takes a backseat to Sigland, which seems a bit unfair. While she certainly sounds great, it might’ve been nice to hear Rohonyi a bit more frequently. Tracks like “Astray” and “Illusions” are proof that he’s capable of shedding his eerie side and going for a clearer sound.

Overall, this is a very likeable album. The landscape is dark and foreboding, something you can easily immerse yourself in. That said, the material featured on Forever Is The World isn’t really that catchy. Things are perhaps a bit too brooding for these songs to really stick.