Their earlier albums have provided a great deal of influence to the gothic metal genre. The band was one of the first ones who made use of contrasting vocals - male bass vocals and death growls and female soprano singing.
On their first three albums (Theatre of Tragedy, Velvet Darkness They Fear, Aégis) Theatre of Tragedy presented lyrics written predominantly in Early Modern English, a precedent to modern English used in and around Shakespearean times.
Starting from the album Musique, however, the band made drastic changes to their style, which became significantly inspired by electro-rock and electro-pop, abandoning Early Modern English lyrics writing, heavier guitar riffing and death growls in the process. This style change was consequently continued on the following album, Assembly.
After a long break and after changing the female vocalist due to musical differences, and furthermore their management and the record label, Theatre of Tragedy released their new album Storm, the first one with their new singer, Nell Sigland (from The Crest).
On this album, the electronic influences are reduced again in favour of simplicity and naturalism. According to Hein Frode Hansen, Storm is to be seen as the missing link between Aégis and Musique.
The new album Forever is the World, reverts back to the gothic metal roots, but keeps the atmospheric metal styling of Storm. The band said the album was very much written by Nell as well as other band members, moreover it was partially written before Storm was. It is seen to be more organic than their last 3 albums and has been both praised and criticised by fans, though most publications seem to praise it from being different to the symphonic metal that is very much popularised in today's music industry.
The band split on October 2nd, 2010, exactly 17 years after forming. The final curtain show was played in Stavanger, Norway and was recorded live for a later DVD release.
Final lineup:
* Raymond István Rohonyi - Vocals & Programming
* Nell Sigland - Vocals - (The Crest)
* Frank Claussen - Guitars
* Vegard K. Thorsen - Guitars
* Lorentz Aspen - Keyboards
* Hein Frode Hansen - Drums - (ex-Phobia)
Former members:
* Liv Kristine Espenæs Krull - Vocals - (Leaves' Eyes, Liv Kristine, Atrocity (guest), Cradle of Filth (guest))
* Tommy Lindal - Guitars
* Tommy Olsson - Guitars
* Pål Bjåstad - Guitars
* Geir Flikkeid - Guitars
* Eirik T. Saltrø - Bass
Albums:
1995 - Theatre of Tragedy
1996 - Velvet Darkness They Fear
1998 - Aégis
2000 - Musique
2001 - Closure: Live
2002 - Assembly
2003 - Two Originals (Compilation)
2006 - Storm
2009 - Forever is the World
Singles and EPs:
1994 - Theatre of Tragedy Demo (Demo)
1996 - Der Tanz Der Schatten (Single)
1997 - A Rose for the Dead (EP)
1998 - Cassandra (Single)
2000 - Image (Single)
2001 - Machine (Single)
2001 - Inperspective (EP)
2002 - Let You Down (Single)
2002 - Envision (Single)
2006 - Storm (Single)
2010 - Addenda (EP)
Official site: www.theatreoftragedy.com
A Hamlet for a Slothful Vassal
Theatre of Tragedy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sun on high - birds in sky.
Yonder the whist firth eathing,
Fro where a gale erranteth.
Ye beholdest but the shadow.
That is a lie!
Mayhap a tithe of trothplight
I deem - e'er and anon!
My words are but a twist.
Tis a feigned lie through loathing,
I say!
To and fro, save hither,
Is thy love.
A dotard gaffer, I daresay
Not a loth!
But vying for my kinsmen!
A sapling not!
Beautiful tyrant!
Fiend angelical!
Dove-feathered raven!
Wolvish-ravening lamb!
A hamlet for a slothful vassal
Soothing ale for a parched sot.
Hie to tell me
What ye judgest as naught;
I behold the shadow!
Wherefore call me such names;
Nay imp am I!
Thou art my aghast hart
Grazing in the glade.
E'er thou sayest aye!
That is a lie!
Thief of a plot!
Lief I am not!
Now go to thy tryst!
My words are but a twist!
Go, leave, totter!
Fare well! With joy I came,
Until ye dwindlest.
With rue I leave
A morsel, nay more,
Even the orb cannot
For thy journey
Help me melt the ice?!
Hither and thither!
The song "A Hamlet for a Slothful Vassal" by Theatre of Tragedy discusses the inner turmoil and conflicted emotions of the singer. The song begins on a positive note, as the singer describes a beautiful morning with the sun shining high and birds in the sky. However, this joyful tone is quickly contrasted by the singer's bleak and cynical perspective. The singer believes that what others see as reality is just a mere shadow, and everything is a lie. The singer believes that he is not really in love, and all his words are just a pretence fueled by his loathing.
The singer is also conflicted about his feelings towards a tyrannical person, whom he describes as a fiend angelic, wolvish-ravening lamb. The song's title "A Hamlet for a Slothful Vassal" is an allusion to William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, where the singer is unable to take action and is often perceived as a slothful vassal. The singer's internal monologue represents the inner turmoil and ability to take action.
The lyrics are abstract and complex, leaving the interpretation of the song up to the listener. It can be interpreted in many ways, from a commentary on societal norms to a personal crisis of self-awareness.
Line by Line Meaning
Behold a jocund morn indeed!
Look at this happy morning we have!
Sun on high - birds in sky.
We have sunshine and birds in the sky.
Yonder the whist firth eathing,
There is a quiet creek over there.
Fro where a gale erranteth.
The wind is blowing in every direction.
Ye beholdest but the shadow.
You are only seeing a small part of the story.
That is a lie!
That statement is not true at all.
Mayhap a tithe of trothplight
Perhaps only a fraction of the truth is being told.
Lief I am not!
I am not willing to live this way anymore!
I deem - e'er and anon!
I believe - now and then!
My words are but a twist.
I'm really just playing with words.
Tis a feigned lie through loathing,
I'm lying because I hate the truth.
I say!
And that's what I have to say about that!
To and fro, save hither,
You're all over the place, except here with me.
Is thy love.
Your love is unstable and unpredictable.
A dotard gaffer, I daresay
I think you're an old fool!
Not a loth!
I'm not afraid!
But vying for my kinsmen!
I'm competing with my own family!
A sapling not!
I'm not a child anymore!
Beautiful tyrant!
You are a cruel and controlling person.
Fiend angelical!
You are a demonic angel!
Dove-feathered raven!
You appear to be innocent, but you do dark things.
Wolvish-ravening lamb!
You seem innocent, but you're actually dangerous.
A hamlet for a slothful vassal
This place is only fit for a lazy servant.
Soothing ale for a parched sot.
This alcohol is only good for an extremely thirsty drunk.
Hie to tell me
Come here and tell me
What ye judgest as naught;
What do you think is worthless?
I behold the shadow!
I see the darkness lurking.
Wherefore call me such names;
Why do you use those insulting words?
Nay imp am I!
I am not a mischievous creature!
Thou art my aghast hart
You are my frightened heart
Grazing in the glade.
Resting in the open space of the forest.
E'er thou sayest aye!
Before you say yes!
That is a lie!
That's not true!
Thief of a plot!
You've stolen my plan!
Now go to thy tryst!
Now go to your secret meeting!
My words are but a twist!
I'm just being tricky with my language!
Go, leave, totter!
Get out of here and stumble away!
Fare well! With joy I came,
Goodbye! I came here full of happiness and enjoyment,
Until ye dwindlest.
Until you decrease entirely.
With rue I leave
I'm leaving with regret
A morsel, nay more,
A tiny piece, perhaps even less,
Even the orb cannot
Not even the sun could
For thy journey
For your travels.
Help me melt the ice?!
Can someone help me break the tension?
Hither and thither!
Here and there!
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind