returning to the fold

listening to the new Cradle of Filth album Nymphetamine and was pleased to hear a familiar voice on the title track (watch the video). the voice was that of the angelic Liv Kristine, from the norwegian band Theatre of Tragedy.

i was introduced to ToT years ago by a friend of my friend tucker's who was visiting from england. they were one of the first bands i'd heard who completely nailed the combination of melody, death metal, and gothic ambience. their album Velvet Darkness They Fear remains the bar against which i've compared everything else in the genre since then. Exhibit A is the song "And When He Falleth" which pretty much captures the the atmosphere of the album.

unfortunately, since Velved Darkness, i had to watch ToT slowly sink into--let's face it--mediocre industrial pop. Velvet Darkness was the last album with death metal vocals rumbling beneath Liv's. with Musique, they were really no longer recognizable as the same band. these days they're even doing the obligatory 80's covers. here's You Keep Me Hanging On, which isn't necessarily bad, but it isn't really even a shadow of what attracted me to the band in the first place.

interestingly, Liv Kristine recently left ToT because of "differences of opinion that cannot be bridged, and completely incompatible sets of ideas for the band’s further development". hearing Liv's voice and seeing her in the Cradle Of Filth video has filled me with hope that she will be returning to the dark side where she is desperately missed.