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By JEFF MAKI
Storm, Theatre Of Tragedy's first release in three years, features Nell Sigland replacing vocalist Liv Kristine. While their voices are similar, Sigland is more straightforward and pop-oriented than Kristine's operatic style.
Theatre of Tragedy are now far removed from their death metal origins, a change in style which began in 2000 after several lineup changes. While the last few releases experimented with electronica, Storm is a goth-rock album full of strong melodies and memorable choruses. As is the case with most female-fronted goth rock/metal acts, there are also male vocals. Raymond Istvàn Rohonyi sings in a monotone similar to that of Depeche Mode or maybe even INXS. The main problem here, other than it being predictable, is that the male vocals are almost the same tempo in every song. At first listen, this makes songs hard to distinguish from one another.
The title track and first single, "Storm," sounds similar to newer Within Temptation and is the album's strongest track. It has a perfect mixture of female/male vocals and a beautiful chorus. This song is already making waves in Europe and has potential to be a huge hit for the band. "Begin And End"'s grungy guitar sound takes a page out of HIM's songbook and works well, while "Exile"'s mid-tempo alternative beat and haunting piano make you want to listen again. The album's closer, "Debris," ends the disc on a high note, resembling "Storm" with lots of added electronics. The male vocals in this song are the best on the album.
Theatre of Tragedy are still considered metal but are way past being a metal band. In fact, unless you listen with an open mind, Storm will not appeal to most metal fans. Theatre of Tragedy are still one of the stronger female goth rock acts in the scene. Sigland fills big shoes and performs admirably. This album will surely appeal to fans of Within Temptation, Lullacry, HIM and those needing another dosage of female goth rock.
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