Pages of Tragedy

"A Hamlet for a Slothful Vassal" : Not the first song I heard, but one of the most beautiful of the band. Aëry piano of Lorentz is rythming the story of the "dove-feathered raven" with the support of the Hein's drums. Fantastic ! The chorus make me feel emotions which takes off and goes in the neverendingly highness of the elating heavens. Guitars give loudness during the two-voices moments, like each character of the play don't want to let the other have the last word. I live that ! Liv's voice was such a nightingale's melody : "Cannot help me melt the ice...". I love that ! <!--emo&--><img src='http://www.theatreoftragedy.com/board/html/emoticons/rolleyes.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='rolleyes.gif' /><!--endemo-->

"Cheerful Dirge" : the song I prefer on the first album. The story is so sad, the melody has been written with an ink drawn in the veins of the Tragedy and the orchestration is as good as later's songs. Raymond's voice is -at the first secondes of the lyrics !- so full of joy until the Liv's one appears ; after her first words, he tries to get again the love of her beloved but... "Please... Heed my words !!!" : leaving behind him all the things which could make her see as a warrior and not as an husband or simply a man, he seems to fall on its knees and implore her to have a chance to love her to the death, as he can do whatever she wants. But it's not the wish she have. The bass of Eirik slide in an ocean of melancholy, guitars are crying all the notes so loud on their strings and the drums prints in ears a regular rhythm which beats as a broken heart. It's the Raymond's one, full of despair in a situation which can't have a happy end. Impossible for a knight of many battles to forgive the lady who gave him hope and strenght in the hard times of the war and now who spit at his face the venom of unrespect and indifference...

That's right <!--emo&--><img src='http://www.theatreoftragedy.com/board/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo--> but each TOT's fan can, with differents ways and means, hear songs in several states of mind and feel music in himself. To my mind, TOT's songs, poems, plays and soliloquys could be played... on the scene of a theatre, and I think Raymond and the other members of the band choose this name not because it was beautiful and cool and fun and... It's not a coincidence ! When I listen "A Hamlet...", I really see a man and a woman in a beautiful landscape... It's not a metaphor, it's a true vision, a real apparition in front of... my mind ! That's why, if your opinion is not mine, I can understand, but not feel it's like a bedroom talk <!--emo&--><img src='http://www.theatreoftragedy.com/board/html/emoticons/mad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='mad.gif' /><!--endemo--> ... <!--emo&<_<--><img src='http://www.theatreoftragedy.com/board/html/emoticons/dry.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='dry.gif' /><!--endemo--> ... <!--emo&-_---><img src='http://www.theatreoftragedy.com/board/html/emoticons/sleep.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sleep.gif' /><!--endemo--> ... <!--emo&--><img src='http://www.theatreoftragedy.com/board/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo--> ... <!--emo&--><img src='http://www.theatreoftragedy.com/board/html/emoticons/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' /><!--endemo-->

"To these Words I beheld no Tongue" :<br><br>First notes... Under a deep night, still is a dead trees forest.<br><br>Guitars... A view's running in the profoundest obscurity, seeing trees by the pale moonlight and a fast zoom goes ahead... ahead... ahead...<br><br>Liv's choirs : a glade with an old castle in front of the view (camera). Only a light which is burning at the window of the tallest tower gives life to this mystic scene. Fireplace ? Candles ? We don't know...<br><br>Raymond's chant : a man like a king. No ! A monarch... And a pretty lady with him. The words goes ever and ever. Entwinded by the flames of candles on a large table, they are face to face. She listen to him.<br><br>Choirs : She moves slowly and quiely to go behind the other side of the room, keeping a fallen stare on the floor. The light's dancing on her sad face.<br><br>Liv's reply : sorrow is heavy on her lips as she don't know how to tell the one who's in front of her the things she wants him to know..<br><br>Raymond's answers : he seems to be in torments. Turning her arms, throwing a hand in the direction of the window ("Or doth the throstle..."), showing a big fist to her ("Brawl nor..."), he let running all he carried for long times. But she don't let him continue, making step towards him and stops at less than one meter of his large and imposant armored body.<br><br>During she speaks to him, guitars creates melting notes of pain. Anger is coming in the lady's eyes and her words are such a dagger she bury in the deppness of the monarch's chest. And she leaves...<br><br>"Far by...". She alone, alone with is loneliness and sadness. Outside. The night became more black and profound as earlier. Was the conversation with the man of the castle really good ? Are the ravens in the dead trees a sign of an unfortunate situation ?<br><br>Drums are swimming fast in the sea of darkness while she runs in the heart of the forest...<br><br>Deeper...<br><br>Guitars : the window's light dies, all is black and the view turns and looks at the pale moon.<br><br>Very good !!! With "Hollow-Heartéd, Heart-Departéd", it's the most gothic song of the album. <!--emo&--><img src='http://www.theatreoftragedy.com/board/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif' /><!--endemo-->

Hollow-Heartéd, Heart-Departéd" :<br><br>Pål & Tommy's guitars : Snow... everywhere snow... to the horizon. The coldest blizzard blows and flakes are passing away too fast to be seen. A manor appears as an illusion...<br><br>Liv's voice & Anders' cello : a large room with a red carpet which goes from the two large doors to a throne. A lord. And in his sight, below, a lady with the knees on the floor. The lord seems to be bored to have to listen to what she tells him. Suddenly, a smile makes live his mouth and he stares at the girl with amazed eyes.<br><br>"I do, in the blooming flower...". She answers : "And me, in the...". The conversation turns in another colour and change his appearance.<br><br>Choirs from the deepness : each one has eyes in the ones of the other. Nothing lives around them. All is dead. The whole world doesn't exist.<br><br>"Innocence..." : Without a move, he gives a lesson to her during the coldness becomes louder and louder in the room.<br><br>Liv's "Aaah...". She gets on her feet.<br>"For thee, even a hound..." : She has more self-confidence. But a terrible flame burns in the lord's eyes. He put his hands on her knees and listen to her attentively.<br><br>"Father of leprous children" : He stands up and come to her. The large sword of the lord is just in front of her eyes. Shadows are dancing on the stone walls... and behind her. Words still leaves herself like flying swallows. Her voice becomes louder : "Sayest ye nay...". He passes on the side of the lady and continues walking behind her. She turns the head and keeps stare on him.<br><br>Guitars with hard beats of Hein's drums : The view shows the large face of the lord in the obscurity of the room. Blazing eyes, closed lips, a large nose and a pale skin broken and burnt by the time.<br><br>"Err me not...". He turns and looks at her. Lady's scared. He takes his sword in a fast move, watch her own face in the blade as he speaks and put the point of the sword towards the weak lady who seems to be as afraid as a sheep amongst wolves.<br><br>Hein's double pedal in the acceleration of the rhythm : Step by step, he's closer to her even if she moves back.<br><br>"My haughtiness !!" : Tears come to the eyes of the sheep-like lady and running on her cheek's skin to her lips. His heart's beating too fast for her. She feels lost and alone, misunderstood.<br><br>"No man..."-"Wherefore bereave..." : She left the room and speaks to the lord as he shouts so loud that she hears his words even in the corridors of the manor ; running for the exit, not seeing well with the tears in her eyes, she reach the hall and pull the doors to go outside.<br><br>"Loom my darling sun..." : She walks in the snows hardly...<br>"Bear the scarlet..." : ..., falls on the floor, attacked by the venom of this too-cold weather.<br>"Colour..." : ...and say her last word as looking as the grey sky in the blizzard before her last breath...<br><br>Last guitar riff with Hein's tempo : snow, wind, blizzard's deeper...

Is that pleasant, Banshee ?? <!--emo&--><img src='http://www.theatreoftragedy.com/board/html/emoticons/huh.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='huh.gif' /><!--endemo--> <br><br>Sometimes, the things I live during listening to TOT's songs are deeper than what I scribe, but my english aptitudes aren't good enough to allow me to say whatever I see and feel...<br><br>Sorry <!--emo&--><img src='http://www.theatreoftragedy.com/board/html/emoticons/wacko.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wacko.gif' /><!--endemo-->

Mephitic > Yes, "Cheerful Dirge" is the most beautiful song of the album and I'm happy you agree with me. And I agree with you for the best moment of the song.<br><br>"On... On his knees...<br> A plea to harvest roses,<br> No heed for the thorns yon count !"<br><br>Yeah, it's really magic, like if you were in Liv's mind and could feel what lives inside her body, within her eyes, and the melody of Lorentz with the four repetitive notes of Eirik at this moment gives shivers. Wonderful waves of hotness through all my body's parts, ecstatic images and sounds ahead of me... in which I'm now. Good...<br><br>Yes, Mephitic, we're as snow melting by the rays of the orb of Melancholy...<br><br>Banshee > Thanks a lot, guy !!! <!--emo&--><img src='http://www.theatreoftragedy.com/board/html/emoticons/drunk.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='drunk.gif' /><!--endemo--> It's not really an analysis. To my mind, it's more the way I feel music and images and stories which comes from it, as a video-clip. Sometimes, it's very personnal, sometimes, it's -as you say it- an analysis of instruments, notes, effects, melodies...<br><br>Awaiting for next ones ? <!--emo&--><img src='http://www.theatreoftragedy.com/board/html/emoticons/thumbup1.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='thumbup1.gif' /><!--endemo-->

Hey Banshee ! I didn't know you're a gal !! Damn !!! <!--emo&--><img src='http://www.theatreoftragedy.com/board/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif' /><!--endemo--> <br><br>Let's go seeing what you looks like... <!--emo&--><img src='http://www.theatreoftragedy.com/board/html/emoticons/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' /><!--endemo-->