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Monday, August 24, 2009

Chp 259. MM: Liv Kristine - Venus & Elegy.


Happy Music Monday everyone. Hope you had an amazing weekend and spent the entire Saturday or Sunday nursing a hangover. Lolz. And if the DJ climbs over the console and grabs a bottle of tequila screaming “Free drinks on the houuuuuuse” and pours it into whoever opens their mouth, I am
never going to fall for that one again!

For this week’s Monday Music, I would like to honor my first crush in symphonic gothic metal, and the lady who got me interested in this genre in the first place.

Ladies and gentlemen – Liv Kristine!



Around the summer of ’98 – ’99, I was still listening to mainly glam rock and speed metal. And then my friend OPie came along and introduced me to Theatre of Tragedy. There was no looking back since then. Liv Kristine was the vocalist of Theatre of Tragedy, and it was more of a doom/death metal band with symphonic element – A definite “love at first sound” for me.

Many people still think Nightwish are the pioneer of symphonic goth metal with a female soprano voice (aka Tarja Turunen’s legacy). Nopsie. Nightwish was formed in ’96. ToT was formed way back in ’93.

Theatre of Tragedy, along with Atrocity, is the first gothic metal band to play at the Wave Gotik Treffen in Leipzig, Germany. With their appearance they open the doors to dozens of other gothic acts to the most important festival of the scene.

But their first album (ToT – 1995) fails in the view of most press issues: Although German Break Out-Magazine calls them “Newcomer of the Month”, most of the other media do not exactly know how to “handle” this new combination of female vocals and harsh metal riffs. But it turns out to be exactly what the audience had been waiting for: within a short time the album sells the sensational number of 25.000 copies, which has tripled its numbers until today.


My favorite song by Theatre of Tragedy - “Venus”. I loveeee this song.



The lyrics are a mixture of Latin and Old English. Romantic tragedy at its darkest and most passionate, especially with the “beauty and the beast” kinda epilogue exchange between the two vocalists.

Circa mea pectora multa sunt suspiria
De tua pulchritudine, que me ledunt misere.

Venus! - I trow'd thou wast my friend -
Professed to Heaven thou wouldst send;
As a disciple of a villain
Didst thou act the tragedienne.

Translation:

Down inside this soul of mine a heavy sigh consumes me.
The yearning for your beauty strikes me wretchedly.

Venus! - I trusted you were my friend -
Swore upon the Heavens you wouldn't come
as a disciple of a villain
Why did you act the role of a tragedienne?

Check the rest of the translations here: songmeanings.net



After 10 years with Theatre of Tragedy, Liv was fired from the band in 2003, due to “musical differences which could not be bridged” but she had already formed her new band called “Leaves’ Eyes” by then. (Why is it so difficult to admit that she was fired because she formed another band? )

My favorite from Leaves’ Eyes is Elegy.

Ps. For the uninitiated, elegy means: “A mournful poem; a lament for the dead.”

The style is more atmospheric in nature, as compared to her previous musical style in ToT. This song is also my “most listened track” in my last.fm profile. You HAVE to listen to this song, my dear friends. It is PURE HEAVEN!!!



Teardrop on a fragile eyelash
She's looking like a dream
Hoping for some understanding
An answer or at least
A calming word a single sentence
To restore her heart
Aching since the day I left her
Crossing lonely seas

Silent tears of a woman
Make a warrior cry
Heaven, I beg you
Please release hopes from fears

This is my elegy
Do you know what I feel?
This is my elegy
Do you believe it's real?
Will I hold you in my arms again?

Well that’s it for me. Happy Music Monday everyone, and hope you enjoy these two songs by Liv Kristine.

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Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.




PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!





22 comments:

Mizohican said...

heehee.. ok sue me... I know its not yet Monday here in India and I manipulated the post timing... but I can't just sit and watch all my great blog buddies from South East Asia blogging about Music Monday because its Monday already there. Not fair, you know... :-)

Jackie said...

Hey it's still Sunday here in America too so I understand!

I love your picks they are fabulous. I have 1 satellite down and am only running on one cylinder so I could only listen to a wee bit.

But, it's fabulous. I didn't do R&R or pop this week and will most likely surprise everyone.

I do love my R&R! But, I also love this one particular composer and the video went with the wild horse photo I had.

i hope you drop over and see if you recognize which movie the theme was written for!!

Happy MM!!
Jackie:-)

Mizohican said...

lolzzz Jackie, I've just commented on your MM and then I saw your comment here. haha! Yeah It sux to be in a delayed time zone. :-) And yes, I was commenting about the horses on your MM too. But I didn't recognize the movie it was written for :-(

Liz said...

Hi Kima! This is the first time I've heard of her and the song. She's very beautiful. Thanks for sharing. Happy MM!

Cafe au Lait said...

Great pick! Happy MM!

Miss Moneypenny said...

@ Venus Music Video: Is that Darth Vader singing the background? ;~))


Happy Music Monday :)

Mizohican said...

@ Liz: Thanx for listening. They are indeed wonderful :-)

@ Cafe au Lait: Thanx... :-) Happy MM to you too. Today is a beautiful day! It rained! :D

@ Miss Moneypenny: lolzzzzz. No thats not Darth Vader. Haha, thats the doom/death metal voice known as the growl or death grunt. ToT combined both elements of symphonic metal and death metal to come out with this brilliant fusion. Happy MM! :-)

A said...

Happy MM! :D

Mizohican said...

hehe Ane, happy MM :-) Why aren't you taking part in MM this week?

Jackie said...

Thank you so much Kima for telling me the link was not broken.

Out of 12 or 13 comments you were the very first to let me know this.

I went back this morning and just now reloaded the video and it is working now.

http://shinade.blogspot.com/2009/08/music-monday-wild-horses.html

I do so hope you will finally come have a listen.

Ennio is a fabulous composer. One that even the hardest R&R's even enjoy.

He has written the themes for a ton of movies. Ahhhh...also no guessing needed because the video tells you up front which movie this one was for.

But the shots of wild horse in the video are great and the tune is almost haunting!!

Thanks again so much for telling me.

Wow I am so grateful and love your pick so much that I am adding you to my blog roll!

Happy day although it is late evening or night time in India now correct?
Jackie:-)

vana said...

Haha ka hriatloh zawng tak chu a ni e. Mahse i duhzawng ang hmeichhia khi chu ka duh ve lo tih erawh ka chiang :).
Man Utd leh Arsenal inkhel tur chu i urlawk nasa tawh em? Enge kan in bet ang aw :)

Mizohican said...

@ Shinade: awweee... thank you dear. Well, if you had looked at the other comments too, most of them commented only on the horse because I guess they were just like me, thinking something was wrong from our side.

But after seeing it from two different places and still no music, I realized the problem was not from my end. lolz. Thanx for the blogroll, thats really sweet. I'm almost done with work, so I'll be over once I'm done.

@ Vana: Bro, tiang ang hmeichhia hi chu monu a tan an thra fu a sin.... bekang leh zawngtrah te pawh an siam thiam lutuk. lolz. In bet ang hmiang, pawi hleinem. :-)

@ Empty Streets: Thanx mannn :-) Glad you like it. Happy MM! :-)

Mimihrahsel said...

yup, I like 'elegy'. btw bro, have you seen my other blog "My Music Box"? what do i have to do to join the MM group?

Mizohican said...

@ Mimi: Yup you can join every monday by following the instructions given here. The MM was made by a bunch of my blog friends from Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, USA etc and we go way back (there weren't that many Mizo bloggers back then). I can always introduce you to our circle of friends. They're an amazing bunch of people.

@ Alana: Spammmmmm! :-)

Blind Dayze said...

It think it was sometime in 2000 that i first heard a couple of Theatre of Tragedy songs ... only one i clearly remember called A Rose for the Dead which i really liked... will definitely give a listen to Leaves' Eyes..

Not female fronted but give a listen to Firewind ..[Greek power metal] band.. their guitarist Gus G will now be Ozzy's new axe man..

Mizohican said...

@ Blind Dayze: Yup I listen to Firewind. Told ya I have a huge collection of Speed and Power Metal too.

Some of the other tracks by Theatre of Tragedy you must check out apart from "Venus" and "A Rose for the Dead" are:

1. Black as the Devil Painteth
2. Siren
3. On Whom the Moon Doth Shine
4. A Hamlet For a Slothful Vassal
5. Velvet Darkness they Fear
6. Lorelei
7. Cassandra
8. Seraphic Deviltry

I never liked them once they changed their style and went Industrial goth - "Musique" and "Assembly" were the two albums that made me stop listening to them. Very electro-pop IMHO. But I still worship their older tracks.

Trix said...

Hello Mister Sandman...
Excellent post,I just wish I could view the media but as my isp sucks,I have no choice but to drool as I read your wonderful musical descriptions of this talented lass,knowing that sadly,I cannot experience it for myself.Still, I think your great writing allows me to gain understanding of this music without needing to listen to it.You have interesting taste in music.Listen,my friend,I hope you are doing very well over there and that you are being a good boy,oh ya...and don't forget to wash behind your ears :)

The Pissimist said...

Wowie! Gothic Metal. Gothic Symphonic Doom Metal rulezzzzzz!!!. :D \m/
Come to think of it, it’s funny how I started listening to gothic metal songs. Way back in the nineties, we somehow got a Cradle of Filth MP3 and me and a couple of friends listened to it to laugh at the way Dani Filth sang. We had a great time laughing and then suddenly, one night, I no longer laughed! That was probably when I got hooked :P

I had reached that susceptible and awkward age when religion and love (seemed to) veer off from our childhood notions. I started questioning life and pretty much what everyone considered the norms. With no answers and nausea from life’s twists and turns, anger and depression set in. I felt alone and vulnerable. It was then that it hit me, the songs were music AND words. I had never listened to songs that way before. Then I realised Liv, Raymond, Vibeke (Tristania) et al. in their songs, had been singing all along what I wanted to scream out, that too in a beautiful way! Ahhhhhhh! Solace for a troubled teen  I could relate to the lyrics. Sure there are plenty of other songs with equally, if not more, insightful lyrics, you may add. But none could, can, will, should, or may surpass the authenticity and power in the voice of Liv, Vibeke or any other gothic metal vocalists. In music genres other than gothic metal, the lyrics seem a tad too cheesy for me probably because of the music. It seems to me as though there’s a template to create those lyrics and music. They’re too shallow. They sound too gay (Gay as in jolly, happy) and the other gay too :P

ToT’s Musique and Assembly – Way off course. (Happy happy dance electro IMHO) :D

Gothic metal
Music divine, Poetry divine.

Anonymous said...

happy music thursday dude


zualbonez

claytonia vices said...

Well, here's the kind of stuff that's gonna make me look forward for mondays :)

Geneza Pharmaceuticals said...

This music genre is very peculiar

Peregrin said...

So, I do not really imagine this is likely to have success.
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