Theatre Of Tragedy
Assembly

THE REVIEW

The work of discord, the sonic pandemonium of the Stavanger sextet that has horrified many of their most unrestrained fans and turned them, in the metal realm to be clear, into an object of derision and target of boisterous reviews.

The fifth chapter in the discography of the Norwegians, this "Assembly" is, on the contrary, a record full of pathos, with sinuous arrangements on the brink of madness, seductive loops on the verge of the most dazzling trance, imbued with commercial audacity yet serving pieces that remain consistently intriguing. The vocal duet between Raymond and Liv is interesting, where the sobriety of the former gently embraces the histrionic talent of the latter, capable of navigating very different territories (soprano gothic-euro pop-dance) with disarming skill.

Excellent work from the guitar duo Claussen-Thorsen, imprinting a remarkable groove capable of bringing that touch of rock-metal aggressiveness to tracks with light and experimental structures. Not to be outdone, the rhythm section with the soft yet sober beats of the skilled Hein-Frode. The band moves through territories of impossible categorization, delivering tremendous emotions throughout the entire album, ranging from industrial rock textures to electro-dance sampler references, to ethereal notes of dreamy synths, ultimately reaching subdued pop-rock harmonies that will surely be accused of "commercial sellout."
The opening of "Automatic lover" is stratospheric, with a granite guitar crunch that madly pairs with hallucinated keys. The electronic modernism dominates the pleasant "Universal race", fast and incorrigibly agile with an easily assimilable refrain. I highlight the seductive notes of the semi-ballad "Starlit", where Liv and Raymond meet sadly in an efflux of sorrowful melodies, all punctuated by progressive keyboards, tenderly romantic, and the touch of a sinuous and elegant drumming. Perfect.

"Flickerlight" returns to the territories of the opener, catchy rocking riffs introduce us to soft male-vocals, then explode into a very "easy" refrain dominated by the skill of a splendid Liv. Profuse emotions also in the experimental "Liquid man" and the closing track "Motion", an ethereal breath of solely ethereal-ambient keyboards unleash into harmonies with a pop touch, and again, the female vocals languish and attract in a grip of seductive melancholy.
Perfect production, modern sounds, refined arrangements, and unpredictability are the basic ingredients of this recipe that is quite indigestible to fans of the duo "Theater of Tragedy"-"Velvet darkness they fear", to whom I can only remind that the Norwegian combo has always produced records very different from one another, sacrificing themselves at the altar of experimentation and perhaps, therefore, risking "too much".

This is a work of quality, ideas, and compositions of rare effectiveness.