Theatre of Tragedy
A Rose for the Dead

THE REVIEW

It's pointless to retell the story of Theatre Of Tragedy; you already know it. However, a review of their e.p. "A Rose For The Dead" is essential, marking the transition from the atmospheric doom of "Velvet Darkness They Fear" to the gothic rock of "Aégis". It begins with the title track, characterized by a one-minute doom introduction featuring both acoustic and electric guitars. It truly comes alive only when Liv's angelic voice and Raymond's clean vocals appear, covering ever-changing rhythms that remain somber and funereal. The voices intertwine at times and simultaneously seem to recite mild soliloquies. Then Raymond unleashes his growl, and the sound intensifies to a gloomy and anguished climax. Introduced by electronics, "Der Spiegel" picks up where "Der Tanz Der Schatten" left off, another ideal track for dancing in dark clubs. Here, the metal element is slightly diminished to create a nearly electro-goth piece reminiscent of L'Åme Immortelle. A very gothic organ introduces "As The Shadows Dance", the English version of "Der Tanz Der Schatten", enriched with a few more electronic effects. In my opinion, the track loses much of its impact without the German vocals. The iconic phrase "Ich Liebe Dich" is blandly replaced with "I love thee" here. Following are the remixes of two tracks from the previous album, namely "And When He Falleth" and "Black As The Devil Painteth". The first is really bad, and the dark melody that permeated the original has been largely lost, although not completely. The second, however, enhances the beauty of the original by enriching it with a catchy groove, supported by keyboards and beats with an almost industrial flavor. It closes with the Joy Division cover "Decades", a commendable song, a gothic rock with calm tones, clean and lamenting vocals, and a beautiful piano ending.

The work is good but not excellent, I would recommend it primarily to fans of the band who certainly won't miss it. For others, I would say that those who love experimentation won't be disappointed.