Aégis (album)
Aégis is the third studio album by Norwegian gothic metal band Theatre of Tragedy, and the last album of their musical period defined by gothic stylings and Early Modern English lyrics.
| Aégis | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 18 August 1998 | |||
| Recorded | Woodhouse Studio, Hagen, Germany | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 49:45 | |||
| Language | Early Modern English, Latin | |||
| Label | Massacre | |||
| Producer | Peter "Pee Wee" Coleman | |||
| Theatre of Tragedy chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Aégis | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Sputnikmusic | [2] |
Music and lyrics
As with Theatre of Tragedy's previous albums, the lyrics are written in Early Modern English (except "Venus", in Latin) which sounds very different from modern English: Vaunt! - Devil tyne - Wadst thou wane fore'ermae? (from the song "Angélique"). The subject matter is drawn from a range of European folklore and history: Venus and Poppæa are from Roman sources; Aœde, Cassandra, Bacchante and Siren are drawn from Greek mythology; while Lorelei refers to a Nix from German stories, and Angélique is inspired by medieval poem Orlando Furioso.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Cassandra" | 6:47 |
| 2. | "Lorelei" | 5:36 |
| 3. | "Angélique" | 5:45 |
| 4. | "Aœde" | 6:10 |
| 5. | "Siren" | 7:27 |
| 6. | "Venus" | 5:32 |
| 7. | "Poppæa" | 5:46 |
| 8. | "Bacchante" | 6:42 |
| Total length: | 49:45 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Cassandra" | 6:47 |
| 2. | "Lorelei" | 5:36 |
| 3. | "Angélique" | 5:45 |
| 4. | "Aœde" | 6:10 |
| 5. | "Siren" | 7:27 |
| 6. | "Samantha" | 4:12 |
| 7. | "Venus" | 5:32 |
| 8. | "Poppæa" | 5:46 |
| 9. | "Bacchante" | 6:42 |
| 10. | "Virago" | 5:19 |
| Total length: | 59:16 | |
Personnel
Theatre of Tragedy
- Raymond Rohonyi - vocals
- Liv Kristine Espenæs - vocals
- Frank Claussen - guitars
- Tommy Olsson - guitars
- Lorentz Aspen - synthesizer
- Eirik T. Saltrø - bass
- Hein Frode Hansen - drums
Singles
From this period there were 2 releases.
- "Cassandra" was the only single taken from the album and was released in April 1998. It was released in shorter version called "Cheap Wine Edit" and backed with "Aœde (Edit)"
Charts
| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| German Albums Chart[3] | 40 |
External links
- Aégis at MusicBrainz (list of releases)
References
- Huey, Steve. "Theatre of Tragedy - Aégis review". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
- g, manos (26 August 2014). "Review: CD Theatre Of Tragedy - Aegis Album". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
- "Album - Theatre of Tragedy, Aégis". Charts.de (in German). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 14 April 2014.