Theater of Tragedy is a Norwegian Gothic metal band, originally from Stavanger, formed in 1993. It is generally considered one of the foremost groups and forerunners of Gothic metal, and at a more general level from the atmospheric metal wave to female voices in the late 1990s>.
Their music then moves towards an orientation more marked by the electronic music. After the separation with their first singer, the group moved towards a more accessible metal that combines certain elements of their Gothic period and their electronic period. Their most recent album continues in this line, but marks a more pronounced return of certain musical elements of their first period like the song in death grunt. After a seventeen year career, the band decided to separate in October 2010 after the promotional tour of their latest album.
Theater of Tragedy was founded in 1993 by Raymond István Rohonyi and Pål Bjåstad; the group was called at the time Suffering Grief>. The drummer Hein Frode Hansen joined them in 1993, after leaving his former band Phobia, while he was looking for a new musical project in which to play and one of his friends told him that Suffering Grief was looking for a new drummer. At the time, Suffering Grief consisted of Raymond István Rohonyi and guitarists Pål Bjåstad and Tommy Lindal. They still lack a bass player, but they agree with bassist Eirik T. Saltrø to play live. The group includes a young classical musician: Lorentz>
After finding a place of rehearsal, the group decides to work some piano arrangements composed by Lorentz. The vocal parts, at the time, are mainly based on parts using the grunt. After having composed their first song Lament of the Perishing Roses , the group changes its name to that of The Black Queen> and finally for that of Theater of Tragedy in 1994 >>>. Subsequently, they invite the singer Liv Kristine Espenæs to take care of the female singing parts for one of their songs. Finally, they quickly invite him to join the group permanently>. It was in May 1994 that they recorded their first demo >>>, which allowed them to sign to the German label Massacre Records>.
