Aégis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Aégis | ||
 |
||
| Studio album by Theatre of Tragedy | ||
| Released | 1998 | |
| Genre | Gothic metal | |
| Length | 49:57 | |
| Label | Massacre Records | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| Theatre of Tragedy chronology | ||
| Velvet Darkness They Fear (1996) |
Aégis (1998) |
Musique (2000) |
Aégis is the third music album of Norwegian metal band Theatre of Tragedy, and the last album of their musical period defined by gothic stylings and Early Modern English lyrics.
[edit] Music and lyrics
While still clearly within the bounds of gothic metal, Aégis differed from most other examples of the genre and Theatre of Tragedy's earlier work in having a far mellower tone. This was exemplified in that although the songs feature alternating and occasionally overlapping 'Beauty and the Beast' male and female vocals, the male vocals, while still not exactly sung, are no longer delivered in a death grunt. Distorted electric guitars are also given far less prominence within the music, with more prominence given to piano.
As with Theatre of Tragedy's previous albums, the lyrics are written in Early Modern English, some of which is close to incomprehensible for those not familiar with the language, even native speakers of modern English. For example, from Angélique: "'Vaunt! - Devil tyne - Wadst thou wane fore'ermae?" The subject matter is drawn from a range of European folklore: Cassandra, Aœde and Siren are drawn from Greek mythology, Venus and Bacchante from Roman, while Lorelei refers to a Nix from German stories.
[edit] Track listing
- Cassandra – 6:48
- Lorelei – 5:37
- Angélique – 5:46
- Aœde – 6:10
- Siren – 7:30
- Venus – 5:33
- Poppæa – 5:47
- Bacchante – 6:42
A limited edition release contains a bonus track, Samantha, which appears between Siren and Venus. The Japanese release of the album contains a second bonus track, Virago, which appears after Bacchante.
