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
exile
Theatre of Tragedy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Catalogue all still heartbeats
Franchise the machinations of
The bourgeois-fangled reverie
Gleaming in flamboyancy
Resign to solid chrome
Ohmic opposition is futile
And impedes upon ideas worthwhile
Delicate, infallible construction
We know now what destructiveness comes from
We are living - there's no deed in indulgence
A faded glory, relying on 'Me and Mine'
The exile from human ecstasy
To a place where we're engineered
Seminars on entangled escalators
Meetings with silent translators
A flashback of dystopia
Warning in sleep with a recurring trace
All the fragments and segments
Of fluid sequences
The pretence of a universal race
Not made of metal is moot
Delicate, infallible construction
We know now what destructiveness comes from
The lyrics to Theatre of Tragedy's song Exile touch upon a world where all human experience has been commodified and turned into machines. The song seems to be a commentary on how technology and capitalism have taken over human experiences and how the "Delicate, infallible construction" referred to in the song is none other than the mechanistic world we live in today.
The lyrics describe how humanity has been exiled from "human ecstasy" and instead been sent to a place where everything is engineered. The words "Seminars on entangled escalators" and "Meetings with silent translators" describe how everything in this mechanistic society is structured and pre-planned. Even dreams and subconscious thoughts are overrun with reminders of the dystopian world that's been created.
The pervasive feeling of loss and melancholy is reinforced by the repeated use of words such as "exile," "dystopia," and "warning". The song seems to be asking the listener to consider the price of progress and modernity, and what is lost when humanity becomes too dependent on technology.
Line by Line Meaning
Synchronise the flow of intersections
Coordinate the movement of different paths
Catalogue all still heartbeats
Record the absence of life in a systematic way
Franchise the machinations of
The bourgeois-fangled reverie
Gleaming in flamboyancy
Promote the complicated, indulgent dreams of the upper class
Resign to solid chrome
Accept a cold, unyielding reality
Ohmic opposition is futile
And impedes upon ideas worthwhile
Resistance is useless and will only slow down progress
Delicate, infallible construction
We know now what destructiveness comes from
We understand the consequences of our fragile creations
We are living - there's no deed in indulgence
A faded glory, relying on 'Me and Mine'
The exile from human ecstasy
To a place where we're engineered
We're alive, but living selfishly and missing out on true happiness, exiled to a world where we're manipulated
Seminars on entangled escalators
Meetings with silent translators
A flashback of dystopia
Warning in sleep with a recurring trace
A nightmarish vision of the future, with confusing meetings and ominous warnings
All the fragments and segments
Of fluid sequences
The pretence of a universal race
Not made of metal is moot
The idea of a universal humanity is misguided, and our complex biology makes it impossible
Contributed by Grayson M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
ActiveMusic
Synchronise the flow of intersections
Catalogue all still heartbeats
Franchise the machinations of
The bourgeois-fangled reverie
Gleaming in flamboyancy
Resign to solid chrome
Ohmic opposition is futile
And impedes upon ideas worthwhile
Delicate, infallible construction
We know now what destructiveness comes from
We are living - there's no deed in indulgence
A faded glory, relying on 'Me and Mine'
The exile from human ecstasy
To a place where we're engineered
Seminars on entangled escalators
Meetings with silent translators
A flashback of dystopia
Warning in sleep with a recurring trace
All the fragments and segments
Of fluid sequences
The pretence of a universal race
Not made of metal is moot
Delicate, infallible construction
We know now what destructiveness comes from
ActiveMusic
Synchronise the flow of intersections
Catalogue all still heartbeats
Franchise the machinations of
The bourgeois-fangled reverie
Gleaming in flamboyancy
Resign to solid chrome
Ohmic opposition is futile
And impedes upon ideas worthwhile
Delicate, infallible construction
We know now what destructiveness comes from
We are living - there's no deed in indulgence
A faded glory, relying on 'Me and Mine'
The exile from human ecstasy
To a place where we're engineered
Seminars on entangled escalators
Meetings with silent translators
A flashback of dystopia
Warning in sleep with a recurring trace
All the fragments and segments
Of fluid sequences
The pretence of a universal race
Not made of metal is moot
Delicate, infallible construction
We know now what destructiveness comes from
Abdallah Hariri
nice so my 19 years of learning English appears to be useless
Sanela Zdravkovic
Thanks!
Dimos G.
this actually was the first song I heard from them and I loved it. that's what got me into them
Ma. Antonieta Cirano
this album was very good, i liked this, and i loved Nell too, it's sad that they ended :(
Whisperlands
This is great for any other band, but not for Theatre of Tragedy. I miss them
Sad Boi
ahhh old school haven't heard this in ages still as good as i remembered
Luke Duncanson
Depresses me to know they don't do this anymore. TT~TT
Louis B
her voice :)) and the bass lines are sick!
jose carlos
Wow que buena cansion me encanto