Aégis is the third music album of Norwegian

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

 metal

Heavy metal music

Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...

 band Theatre of Tragedy

Theatre of Tragedy

Theatre of Tragedy was a Norwegian band from Stavanger, active between 1993 and 2010. They are best known for their earlier albums, which provided a great deal of influence to the gothic metal genre.-Biography:...

, and the last album of their musical period defined by goth

Gothic metal

Gothic metal or goth metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that combines the aggression of doom metal with the dark melancholy of gothic rock. The music of gothic metal is diverse with bands known to adopt the gothic approach to different styles of heavy metal music...

ic stylings and Early Modern English

Early Modern English

Early Modern English is the stage of the English language used from about the end of the Middle English period to 1650. Thus, the first edition of the King James Bible and the works of William Shakespeare both belong to the late phase of Early Modern English...

 lyrics.

Music and lyrics

While still clearly within the bounds of gothic metal

Gothic metal

Gothic metal or goth metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that combines the aggression of doom metal with the dark melancholy of gothic rock. The music of gothic metal is diverse with bands known to adopt the gothic approach to different styles of heavy metal music...

, Aégis differed from most other examples of the genre and Theatre of Tragedy's earlier work in having a far mellower tone. This was exemplified in that although the songs feature alternating and occasionally overlapping 'Beauty and the Beast' male and female vocals, the male vocals are no longer delivered in a death grunt fashion, but in a deep, echoed voice. Distorted electric guitars

Electric Guitars

Electric Guitars were formed early in 1980 by Neil Davenport and Richard Hall who were both studying English at Bristol University. The band soon increased to a five-man line-up, with Andy Saunders , Matt Salt and Dick Truscott , they also later added two backing singers: Sara and Wendy...

 are also given far less prominence within the music, with more prominence given to piano

Piano

The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...

.

As with Theatre of Tragedy's previous albums, the lyrics are written in Early Modern English

Early Modern English

Early Modern English is the stage of the English language used from about the end of the Middle English period to 1650. Thus, the first edition of the King James Bible and the works of William Shakespeare both belong to the late phase of Early Modern English...

, some of which is close to incomprehensible for those not familiar with the language, even native speakers of modern English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

. For example, from Angélique: "'Vaunt! - Devil tyne - Wadst thou wane fore'ermae?" The subject matter is drawn from a range of Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

an folklore

Folklore

Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...

: Venus

Venus (mythology)

Venus is a Roman goddess principally associated with love, beauty, sex,sexual seduction and fertility, who played a key role in many Roman religious festivals and myths...

 is from Roman legends, Aœde

Aoide

In Greek mythology, Aoide was one of the three original Muses, though there were later nine. Her sisters were Melete and Mneme. She was the muse of song. According to Greek mythology, she is the daughter of Zeus, the King of the Gods, and Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory...

, Cassandra

Cassandra

In Greek mythology, Cassandra was the daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy. Her beauty caused Apollo to grant her the gift of prophecy...

, Bacchante

Maenad

In Greek mythology, maenads were the female followers of Dionysus , the most significant members of the Thiasus, the god's retinue. Their name literally translates as "raving ones"...

 and Siren

Siren

In Greek mythology, the Sirens were three dangerous mermaid like creatures, portrayed as seductresses who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island. Roman poets placed them on an island called Sirenum scopuli...

 are drawn from Greek mythology

Mythology

The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...

, Poppæa from Roman history (Poppaea Sabina

Poppaea Sabina

Poppaea Sabina and sometimes referred to as Poppaea Sabina the Younger to differentiate her from her mother of the same name, was a Roman Empress as the second wife of the Emperor Nero. Prior to this she was the wife of the future Emperor Otho...

), while Lorelei

Lorelei

The Lorelei is a rock on the eastern bank of the Rhine near St. Goarshausen, Germany, which soars some 120 metres above the waterline. It marks the narrowest part of the river between Switzerland and the North Sea. A very strong current and rocks below the waterline have caused many boat...

 refers to a Nix

Nix

The Neck/Nixie are shapeshifting water spirits who usually appear in human form. The spirit has appeared in the myths and legends of all Germanic peoples in Europe....

 from German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 stories.

Track listing

1. "Cassandra
   Cassandra
   In Greek mythology, Cassandra was the daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy. Her beauty caused Apollo to grant her the gift of prophecy...
   
   "  – 6:48
2. "Lorelei
   Lorelei
   The Lorelei is a rock on the eastern bank of the Rhine near St. Goarshausen, Germany, which soars some 120 metres above the waterline. It marks the narrowest part of the river between Switzerland and the North Sea. A very strong current and rocks below the waterline have caused many boat...
   
   "  – 5:37
3. "Angélique
   Angelique
   Angelique may refer to:* Angélique * Angélique , also called angelica or angel lute, a theorbo with up to 17 single strings, tuned in diatonical order* Angelique, a tree used in boatbuilding...
   
   "  – 5:46
4. "Aœde"  – 6:10
5. "Siren
   Siren
   In Greek mythology, the Sirens were three dangerous mermaid like creatures, portrayed as seductresses who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island. Roman poets placed them on an island called Sirenum scopuli...
   
   "  – 7:30
6. "Venus
   Venus
   Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows...
   
   "  – 5:33
7. "Poppæa"  – 5:47
8. "Bacchante"  – 6:42

A limited edition release contains a bonus track, Samantha

Samantha

Samantha is a feminine given name. It was first recorded in the 18th century in New England, but its origin is unknown.Speculation has suggested an origin from the masculine given name Samuel and anthos, the Greek word for "flower"...

, which appears between Siren and Venus. The Japanese release of the album contains a second bonus track, Virago

Virago

Virago is a term used to describe a woman who demonstrates exemplary and heroic qualities. The word comes from the Latin word vir, meaningvirile 'man,' to which the suffix -ago is added, a suffix that effectively re-genders the word to be female...

, which appears after Bacchante.

Singles

From this period there were 2 releases.

• "Cassandra" was the first single and was released in April 1998. It contained the title track in its album form and a single edit called the Cheap Wine Edit backed with an edit of "Aœde"
• "Virago" followed in May 1999. This EP contained the tracks "Virago" and "Samantha" which were released on the limited edition release and Japanese release of the album.

1. "Der Tanz Der Schatten" (Edit)
2. "Der Spiegel"
3. "Samantha"
4. "A Hamlet for a Slothful Vassal"
5. "Virago"