"Forever is the world" CD by Theatre Of Tragedy

by Oliver Kube (30.10.2009) Stavanger's finest have put their best new song at the beginning of their seventh studio album: "Hide and seek" is wonderfully sluggish and irresistible like lava dripping slowly from your speakers. What makes it also very special is that on this one (in contrast to the rest of the CD), both TOT fronters, growling Raymond István Rohonyi and angelic voice Nell Sigland are having almost equal rights at the mike (as the hefty guitars and spheric keyboard parts, too). Neither wishful "A nine days wonder", "Deadland" (reminding you of the Mission's heyday), nor interestingly arranged "Astray" reach the atmospheric intensity and almost threatening aura of this opening composition. So much for the good or even brilliant songs - unfortunately, there are also some boring, trivial dark Pop songs ("Revolution", "Transition")... On these, Sigland sings more or less uninspired which doesn't add any positive impulses to the matter.