THEATRE OF TRAGEDY — Storm (review)

Album · 2006 · Gothic Metal

3/5 · 2021-05-30
lukretion

After releasing their fifth album Assembly in 2002, Theatre of Tragedy parted ways with their long-time singer and founding member Liv Kristine Espenæs in 2003. It could have been a fatal blow for the band, as Liv was a central figure for Theatre of Tragedy, her duets with growler-turned-crooner Raymond Rohonyi being at the heart of the “beauty and the beast” aesthetics the band heralded since the second half of the 1990s. But Theatre of Tragedy bounced back. In 2004 new singer Nell Sigland joined the band from gothic metal act The Crest, and Theatre of Tragedy released their new album Storm in 2006 via AFM Records.

Storm is often described as the missing link between the sophisticated gothic metal of the band’s third album Aégis and the more energetic and poppier electro-gothic rock of their fourth album Musique. Listening to Storm, I can see why. The album marks a return to a more guitar-driven sound after two records (Musique and Assembly) where electronic loops and keyboards had been the dominant element of the music. The piano, which had played a major part in Theatre of Tragedy’s early records, also makes a comeback on Storm. As a consequence, the album feels closer to the standard gothic metal canon both in terms of instrumentation and songwriting, than the glitchy, 3-minute electropop songs of Musique and Assembly. At the same time, Storm retains several elements in common with those two albums too. The music is poppy and energetic, with choruses filled with ear-candy melodies that are catchy and immediate (listen to the opening lines of the title-track “Storm”). The guitar work is predominantly rhythmic and has an industrial flavor that harks back to songs like “Automatic Lover” from Assembly. Electronic loops surface here and there in the music (“Silence”, “Senseless”, “Exile”), and Raymond Rohonyi keeps using his robotic, half-spoken vocal style that he had inaugurated on Musique.

The formula works well for the most part, placing Storm in a similar camp as the albums that bands like The Gathering and Lacuna Coil were releasing around that time. There is also a touch of cinematic, atmospheric rock/metal in the spirit of the 2010s releases of Anathema that can be heard in some of the tracks of the album, like “Fade” which could have easily been lifted off Anathema's We Are Here Because We Are Here or Weather Systems.

The album’s ten songs flow away pleasantly, with enough melodic hooks and rhythmic verve to keep the listener engaged all the way through. Not all tracks are equally strong, though, and some of weaker tracks can almost be labelled as fillers. “Storm” is a fantastic opener, containing probably the best melody of the album. “Ashes and Dreams” and “Voices” are also good tracks, perfectly suspended between electro-goth/industrial influences and melodic gothic metal. “Fade” is a beautiful ballad, bursting with big, cinematic melodies and an outstanding performance by new singer Nell Sigland. Nell also shines on “Senseless”, which is perhaps the song here where Theatre of Tragedy remind me the most of The Gathering. Its odd metric (in 7/8) and dark, oblique melodies make this one of the most interesting moments of the album. “Disintegration” is another strong song, featuring a good contrast between Raymond’s robotic delivery and Nell’s soaring vocals. Other tracks are weaker, particularly the anonymous “Begin and End” and “Exile” and the somewhat corny closer “Debris”.

The production is excellent. The album sounds warm, lush and deep. The guitars have a slick, powerful tone. The keyboards are used in a clever, not overpowering way, complementing well the rest of the instrumentation. I particularly like how the piano sits in the mix, just below the guitars but loud enough to drive the songs’ melodies. The biggest limit of the album is perhaps the lack of variation in the songwriting. Most songs are cut out of the same cloth. Some are stronger, some are weaker, but the songwriting formula stays pretty much the same, playing on the contrast between subdued verses with Raymond robotic vocals and restrained instrumentation, and bombastic choruses with big melodies and Nell’s soaring vocals. Moments where the band try something different are rare and far in between (“Fade”, “Senseless”). Storm would need more episodes like these, to inject more dynamism and diversity into the tracklist and transform the album from a mere collection of ear-pleasing songs into a more substantial sonic journey with ebbs and flows.

Nevertheless, Storm is a strong comeback for a band whose future could have been at risk, after two brave but controversial albums like Musique and Assembly and a split from their iconic singer Liv Kristine. Storm may not be as bold as Musique and Assembly, nor does it reach the level of sophistication and mastery of Aégis, but it nevertheless shows that Theatre of Tragedy are alive and well. Moreover, the album shows that the band has found in Nell Sigland a strong replacement for Liv Kristine. She has a warm, powerful voice that, while less elfin and ethereal than Liv’s, fits well with the album’s sound. It seems that Theatre of Tragedy may have weathered the storm, after all.