Band:	Macbeth
Album:	Romantic Tragedy's Crescendo
Style:	Gothic metal
Release date:	1998
Guest review by:	Ernis

01. A Gothic Overture
02. Forever...
03. The Dark Kiss Of My Angel
04. Black Heaven
05. The Twilight Melancholy
06. Thy Mournful Lover
07. Moonlight Caress
08. Shadows Of Eden
09. Sweet Endless Sleep

Speaking of Macbeth it is not always easy to define their style. It has been labelled with "gothic black" , "gothic rock" and many other such tags. One is for sure - they are considered to be a typical Italian goth influenced band, which they actually are. Still they do have some elements in their music that make them different from other such bands.

"Romantic Tragedy's Crescendo" (later in text "RTC" or simply "the album") is their first full length album that was released in 1998 and it was quite a success.
RTC is a fine representative of the band's pre-Morena & Andreas music. They have not yet developed their specific style we can hear on the later releases but some elements in the melodies are all the same. As for the vocals, Macbeth was in 1998 just another Beauty vs Beast band with fair Cristina's tender voice and Vittorio's grunts and high pitched screams. Cristina's voice is a factor that makes the music extremely interesting for she sings with a peculiar, fragile, almost childish voice. Vittorio has a good and strong voice but without any distinguishing features.

The album opens with a nice introductive instrumental part called "A Gothic Overture", the title may today seem a bit as a cliché but the music itself is good. The effect of thousands of raindrops falling down in torrents and the melancholic music creates a dark atmosphere. This overture would make an excellent soundtrack for some fantasy or horror film. The first track slides unnoticeably to the next one, bearing a most deep title "Forever?" (believe me, the dots ARE actually there). The song itself is one of the best ones on the release. It has a powerful beginning, violently tearing off the tender curtain created by the overture. Actually the album, as are other two albums of the band, is said to be a dark opera and that is actually quite true if you get deeper into their music.

An absolute highlight is "The Twilight Melancholy", a lively song that best expresses the very spirit of Macbeth. "Thy Mournful Lover" warms hearts with its polyphonic organ solo opening and black metal ending. Other fine songs are the piano ballad "Moonlight Caress", featuring only Cristina accompanied by the piano, the metal waltz "Shadows of Eden" and the final song "Sweet Endless Sleep" that closes the album with a sad but beautiful acoustic guitar solo.