By Melissa Andrews

Forever is the World is the latest offering from Norway’s Theatre of Tragedy. It continues along the same line of some of the other disappointing gothic rock albums released this year. It sounds pretty and all that but the songs tend to be forgotten a few minutes after the album is turned off. The lyrics are better then some of the average bands in this genre.

There’s a certain quality to Nell Sigland’s vocals that people are either going to like or not like. She has that high soprano sound that may either sound ethereal or like finger nails on a chalkboard, depending on your tastes. The contrasting male vocals are used on a couple of songs such as the opening “hide and seek” and “hollow” but should have been used some more to add more depth to the sound. What was developed instead was a standard sounding gothic rock album with a couple of singles but nothing that gives it an enduring quality.

(AFM Records)

Rating: 4.o