I was heartbroken when the mighty Theatre of Tragedy decided to call it a day in 2010, and when I find out they where releasing a recording of their last ever live show I needed to get my hands on it. This is the Last Curtain Call (quite a fitting name for a bands last show) the two disk live spectacular – that every die hard Theatre of Tragedy fan needs to get their hands on. Containing a DVD of the live show, a CD of the bands favourite tracks to play live, and an exclusive half an hour “Behind the Scenes” extra including never before heard interview with the band. This is the mother of all live albums, and it can be yours for a price as cheap as chips!

CD 1 [7/10] is a ten track audio CD containing the bands favourite songs that they played at their final farewell show. It’s a real shame that such a talented band have split, and as we can hear from the amazingly clear sounding live recording, they have some killer tracks at their disposal such as ‘Hide and Seek’, ‘Ashes and Dreams’ and ‘A Rose for the Dead’. They were at the top of their game in 2010, and it’s quite odd because you can hear that they are enjoying what they are doing when playing the music. So, why choose to split when you are doing so well? That’s the question.

DVD 1 [9/10] really is a visual spectacle, and you can see that Theatre of Tragedy give all they have got when doing a live show. Everyone on stage is so pro-active, throwing themselves about, head banging like crazy, and clapping like one of those mentally retarded monkeys with symbols (reference to the keyboard player who is clapping 24/7 throughout the show). The music is on top form, and having a DVD really does make you feel like you are actually at the show, as the stage and crowd is filmed from all manner of angles through stellar tracks like ‘Bring Forth ye Shadow’, ‘Frozen’ and ‘Storm’.

As part of the DVD there is the backstage footage that was taken on their final European tour which shows friendship, love and musicianship all on one DVD, showing interviews with key people in the music business on what they thought of Theatre of Tragedy, the fans reaction t the devastating split, and of course the important press conference in which they announced the split that would shock the gothic metal nation!

As pioneers of the gothic metal genre, and even the female fronted rock status, Theatre of Tragedy have given their fans a farewell present in the form of Last Curtain Call and is a must have for any fan of metal. Go out and buy one. No, go out and buy ten. For this is one of the best live albums ever released!