What is.....Gothic Metal

[FoxyPage]

Gothic Metal



What is it?​

Gothic metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that mixes gothic metal's dark melancholy elements with the aggression of heavy metal music and consists of lyrics that are melodramatic and mournful. Gothic metal came to be in the early 90's, stemming from Europe. The music itself is rather dark, depressing and romantic. The vocals in the genre depend on the band. Some prefer growls, shrieks, screams, some prefer opera, and others prefer just plain clean vocals. A number of bands have growling/shrieking/screaming male vocals while their female vocalist keeps her singing clean. This genre has a bigger female demographic in terms of vocalists in general and, contrary to the genre name, not all band members look like a bunch of goths. Some look and dress like the average person, whereas, other bands do take on the full out goth look.

Example of gothic rock:




Theatre of Tragedy are credited as the band that introduced the 'beauty and the beast' pairing of clean female vocals with harsh male vocals. Gothic metal as since become mainstream in Europe.

One of the most famous gothic metal bands in the US is Italy's Lacuna Coil, fronted by the beautiful Cristina Scabbia and Andrea Ferro, though their sound has changed a bit over time.







The most popular countries that produce gothic metal bands are England, The Netherlands, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Italy and Germany.

 

[Cinder]

Yes I quite like Chirstina Scabbia, Ive seen her live and she is a very good vocalist along with Andrea Ferro of Lacuna Coil.

I do enjoy the classical rock/goth and in particular the female fronted groups as

Lacuna Coil, Within Temptation, Evanessence, Delain, Nightwish to name but a few.

 

[Amirlan]

ohhhh......... i love gothic metal and goth people....

lyrics is so amazing...

mmm..... night wish is not gothic metal.. its symphonic metal... but some songs are gothic...

my fav bands are

-moonspell
-lacrimosa
-and many many

 

[Foxhound]

Shame that the pics arnt there either.

I don't think there are any pics in FoxyPage's original post, just videos.

 

[MusicMistress]

Gothic Metal, A Metal Lover's Perspective​

Gothic metal begins with Gothic Rock, which is a spin-off from the punk movement. Gothic Rock, which takes its beginnings in the late 70’s, includes bands such as Bauhaus, The Cure, and Joy Division. The main difference between punk and goth is the political focus; goth focuses on personal politics where punk is externally driven against the establishment and external politics. Gothic Rock incorporates personal politics such as the feelings one gets from romanticism, art, and philosophy. Gothic Rock, in general, focuses on personal growth and education, and excludes external politics. Gothic Rock musically uses synthesizers to create a “spooky” vibe and the percussion is often described as “tribal” in nature.

Now that one can understand the meaning behind Gothic Rock, crossing over into the realm of Gothic Metal is easier to explain. Gothic Metal encompasses the feelings one gets from deep emotions, emotions that are triggered by pain, horror, dark mythical subjects, and nihilism. The lyrics are extremely melodramatic, and draw upon personal feelings of melancholy, like painting an epic picture of how one feels at the loss of a loved one or the horror felt when witnessing a murder.

Gothic Metal musically is more difficult to explain. True Gothic Metal is derived from Gothic Rock adding a cross-over infusion of Heavy Metal, which means adding aggressive, speed and thrash guitars that utilize synth distortion, loud percussive sound, and vigorous vocals. The most distinctive characteristic of Gothic Metal are the vocals. Gothic Metal typically uses two types of vocalists together; the soft, often opera-like female vocalist and the deep, powerful male vocalist to create a very unique harmony. It is not uncommon for the male vocalist to display deep, guttural vocals while the female’s vocals remain clean and crisp.

The most notable pioneering band for Gothic Metal is Paradise Lost, which is a band from England and began recording in 1990. The album which is truly noted to be the first Gothic Metal album is “Gothic”, released in 1991 by Paradise Lost. Other pioneers of the genre include Anathema, Type 0 Negative, My Dying Bride, and Marilyn Manson. The band which is credited with creating the “Beauty and the Beast” type vocal harmonies is a Norwegian band, Theater of Tragedy. This type of vocal harmony has become the mainstay for Gothic Metal. More recent Gothic Metal bands, such as Tristania, Lacuna Coil, Evanescence, Nightwish, We are the Fallen, and Within Temptation have taken Gothic Metal and added a progressive and symphonic influence. The musical pieces are often lengthy and tell great tales of personal tragedy, love, and mystery. The music has become very emotional and epic with the addition of elements of classical music, adding even more intrigue and mystique.

The evolution of Gothic Metal has made the genre very difficult to generalize into one single category. Like most evolutions, the changes are welcome and have now brought this fabulous genre into the mainstream for all to enjoy.

MusicMistress

 

[LOU/REALM]

LOVE LIKE BLOOD.........were an excellent gothic rock band from Germany .Consisting of the Eysel brothers Yorck [vocals] and Gunnar[bass].
The early albums were more reminiscent of Goth legends FIELDS OF NEPHILIM,but as albums passed were creating their own sound.LOVE LIKE BLOOD became more gothic metal by the time they released "Exposure"
They sadly split around 2001....and the expected "come back" has never materialised





LOVE LIKE BLOOD Discography

Flags of revolution 1989
An irony of fate 92
Sinister dawn/Ecstasy 92
Odyssee 94
Exposure 95
Snakekiller 98
Enslaved +Condemned 2000
The best of Love Like Blood
Chronology of a love affair [covers album] 2001

I love this band and got all their albums. They have been a massive influence on me musically.
Check out the 2nd track hmmm [ I wonder where LOU got the name THE REALM from ..now you know ]
Id really love this band to reform !!

 

[LOU/REALM]

GARDEN OF DELIGHT........Another top gothrock band from guess where? Yes Germany! They have been in the gothscene for a long time and have produced some 20 albums. Similar to LOVE LIKE BLOOD in the fact that they are getting heavier by the release.They are simply getting better and better !I saw them some time ago headlining a gothfest in the UK....... Lots of SISTERS OF MERCY influences here....

 

[b.o.b.]

http://www.churchoftiamat.com/

Tiamat on Myspace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads

Tiamat started as a death metal band being part of the bands that pioneered the Swedish death metal sound. After two death metal albums, Clouds was a turning point in their evolution. This album lightened the way to their magnum opus: Wildhoney. 1994's critically acclaimed Wildhoney mixed raw vocals, slow doomy guitar riffs and atmospheric synthesizers creating a psychedelic progressive style which sounded different from other extreme metal bands active at that time.

Upon the release of A Deeper Kind of Slumber (1997), Edlund relocated from Sweden to Germany and declared himself the only permanent member of the band; all albums that would follow would cement the band into a more gothic rock sound, quite different from the extreme music they did in the years before, with recent albums showing a Sisters of Mercy and Pink Floyd influence.


Current line-up
Johan Edlund - Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards
Anders Iwers - Bass
Lars Skjöld - Drums

Discography
Sumerian Cry - 1990
The Astral Sleep - 1991
Clouds - 1992
Wildhoney - 1994
A Deeper Kind of Slumber - 1997
Skeleton Skeletron - 1999
Judas Christ - 2002
Prey - 2003
Amanethes - 2008

Highly recommended albums:

Wildhoney 1994
A Deeper Kind of Slumber - 1997
Skeleton Skeletron - 1999

​

 

[LOU/REALM]

Absolute fantastic !! The TIAMAT tracks you put up are brilliant !! A couple I have recently seen after you recomended this band to me....Im really won over....TIAMAT are on my wish list...I will be out to get their c.ds !!!!
I just love their style...and that uncertainty about them. A couple of those tracks were quite commercial but still rocked big style.
Previously Id only ever heard one track "whatever that hurts" before on a compilation some years back. As you say sometimes there is a PINK FLOYD feel to them as there is with some of the later material by ANATHEMA......another band Im hoping you educate me on. Cheers b.o.b.....Cinder is going to love TIAMAT aswell !!!

 

[b.o.b.]

Wow, I'm so glad you like Tiamat . All the albums from 1994 Wildhoney until 2008 Amanethes are a must have for a gothic rock/metal lover.