Oh, how the mighty are forgotten.

It seems that almost every band seems to have a certain album or two that -- for whatever reason -- simply doesn't generate the hype of their other releases. Interestingly enough, I've found that many times, that neglected album is a band's most magnificent offering. Norwegian metal band Theatre Of Tragedy's third album Aegis is frequently overlooked, but it is an extremely important album in their discography because it bridged the gap between the very dark, heavy nature of Theatre Of Tragedy's first two albums and the "electronic" direction the band took with 2000's Musique.

One of the first words that comes to my mind when I think of Aegis is... elegant. There's such a striking sophistication and maturity to this music. Theatre Of Tragedy's vocalists, soprano Liv Kristine and growler Raymond I. Rohonyi complement one another so perfectly, harmonizing against gentle piano melodies and calming, rhythmic guitars. Fans will notice rather quickly that Aegis isn't as heavy as ToT's first two albums, Theatre Of Tragedy and Velvet Darkness They Fear, mostly due to the fact that Raymond slowed down significantly on his growling here. In Aegis, Raymond chooses a strangely effective speaking voice (many just refer to it as 'a fake British accent') for many songs, often choosing to sing melodically along with Liv as well.

Aegis begins with the solemn "Cassandra," a slow-paced song with swirling keyboards, a simple guitar melody, and excellent vocals from both Raymond and Liv. "Lorelei" speeds things up a bit, making great use of elaborate synthesizers and very catchy guitar riffs.

Liv's gentle voice truly gets a chance to shine in the back-to-back gorgeous songs "Angelique" and "Aoede," reminding me yet again why she ranks up there with The Gathering's Anneke van Giersbergen as my favorite female vocalist. The exotic "Angelique" may be the most beautiful song on Aegis, with truly enchanting, soft guitars and flawlessly written lyrics: "'Come not wont to this uncouth Devil! ... Lest to a Devil thou wilt translate...my Angel."

"Siren" proves that simplicity is highly effective in gothic-metal, opening with a distorted piano melody before diving into a sea of slow, melancholic guitars. Unsurprisingly, this song showcases more untouchable vocals from Liv, whose pure, angelic tone is sure to blow anyone away. Similarly stunning is "Venus," a desolate song about betrayal. "Venus" is complete with a haunting, very high-pitched keyboard melody that ebbs and flows throughout the song's entire duration. Liv's amazing vocals are complemented here by Raymond's angry growls of "Venus! I trow'd thou wadst my friend," in the memorable chorus.

Aegis moves along with "Poppaea," a song in which the guitars are much heavier than in the majority of the album -- Tommy Olsson and Frank Claussen prove that they are capable of writing wonderful, dark riffs that are crushing and melodic at the same time. Liv really lets loose with her voice here, showing off her impressive range while Raymond backs her with an eerie baritone voice similar to that of Type O Negative's Peter Steele. "Bacchante" finishes Aegis up, and it's a lavish, creepy song for sure, with dramatic changes in pace around every corner. Raymond moves swiftly from monotonous speaking to fierce growls, and by the time the song's conclusion arrives, wildly chanting choirs have completely taken over. "Bacchante" has a strong horror-movie feel to it for those who like that type of thing.

Aegis is my personal favorite Theatre Of Tragedy album. It's difficult to pinpoint the exact genre of it, though at the end of the day, I feel safe recommending it to anyone who might be interested in progressive, gothic, very melodic, soothing metal music. This album doesn't scream of metal like Theatre Of Tragedy's first two albums do, because it lacks extremely rough, heavy guitar riffs and Raymond's growls are used sparingly here.

However, it's dark, unique and it's something that can hold a lot of appeal for those into stuff like Type O Negative, The Gathering, Opeth, Katatonia, and Paradise Lost's older work. Anyone who looks into Aegis and likes what they hear should make it a point to check out Leaves' Eyes as well -- Liv Kristine was booted from Theatre Of Tragedy in 2003 and she's now doing vocals for that band, quite fabulously, might I add. Theatre Of Tragedy's new vocalist Nell is about as mediocre as they come, with none of Liv's emotion and not even a third of Liv's range. Clearly, the band will never fully return to the level of perfection displayed on Aegis, so hunt this down as soon as you possibly can.







Recommended: Yes