Lyncelia influences, article #3: Aegis

Third article of this thread, today I talk about an album I do adore, this is “Aegis” from Theatre of Tragedy.

Important album cause this is with this one that I started to enter in the Gothic universe in 1998. At this time I only swear with Metal (and the Spice Girls!), I wasn’t fan of Gothic Music that my friends loved. It was too down-tempo or too repetitive until this album came out.

A friend of mine let me listen to this album. Without being convinced I put it on my cd desk. The album opens on the song “Cassandra”. From the very first note I’m hypnotized, the drum sound is awesome, clear and powerful (I love this Reverb), the piano very captivating and the 12 Strings guitars with arpeggios take me away. The singer comes with a low and clear voice that suits the music (the singer gave up with Metal grunts for a Sisters of Mercy like vocals).

Then on the middle of the song Liv Kristine starts to sing. And I’m blown away, lost in time and space.

Her clear voice with an extreme sweetness is so emotional, a real melancholy entering in my mind and soul to never came back out of it.

A mastered fragility, she reach each notes with a divine sweetness without failing. Her voice is crystal clear and perfect and she’ll never sing like that after this album.

From this day, Liv Kristine is one of my favourite female singer, her voice captivate me each time I listen to.

My work on adding female voices in Lyncelia came from that and I have the chance to have great singers in my family whose voices are like Liv Kristine’s one. I couldn’t dream better.

“Lorelei” with its upper tempo is a Gothic-Rock / Gothic-Metal Hit, they made the perfect synthesis of these 2 genres. Back on melancholic sensuality with the great “Angélique” with its acoustic guitars and arpeggios. Perfect match with “Aoede” and its 2 voices chorus. “Siren” and “Venus” make no doubt, Liv Kristine lead this album from start to end with her crystal clear voice.

All in this album is perfect, each notes are justified. Nothing unwanted, all is necessary. No demonstrations, just emotions. Male voice and female voice suits well in a perfect chord on Shakespearian Beauty lyrics with lots of old English.

This album is apart from their discography, their was a before in Doom-Metal and an after in Electro-Metal. They never managed to find this perfection and the feeling of this album more Gothic than Metal. A Masterpiece. Thank you Theatre of Tragedy.

And you, what inspire you this album?