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| '''Gothic metal''' (also called '''Goth metal''') is a crossover between ] and ] itself |
'''Gothic metal''' (also called '''Goth metal''' much to the bereavement of its fans) is a genre of music that is often mistaken for a crossover between ] and ] itself. It developed in the early 1980s in ] as a subgenre of Doom Metal, the genre later forming from that subgenre. Gothic metal is a pretty linear genre but due to much debate amongst non Gothic Metal fans, its actual definition is not commonly known. The fans and musicians have a firm concept of the genre having been around through its growth and nurturing, but newer fans reject such categorisation as limiting or useless on the pretense it is not what they want it to be. | ||
| == Sounds, Constructs and Lyrics == | |||
| == Beginnings (1983-1990) == | |||
| <p> | |||
| The earliest stage of gothic metal could be traced to bands | |||
| in the 1980s who utilized ] aesthetics with metallic | |||
| songwriting. Although Glenn Danzig's ] made some attribution of this, ] are regarded as the most influential to the founding of the genre. The deep vocal baritones of ] and Valor Kand, the downtuned bass guitars and eerie synths made a strong impression on many bands that would form later, including those who experimented with other metal influences. ] - although considered by many as an early ] band - also played an early role for their "gothic-sounding" atmospherics. | |||
| , | |||
| Gothic Metal is a genre of Metal that first appeared in the early 90's. It grew from the Doom Metal scene in parallel with the subgenre of Doom Metal; Gothic Doom. Its first origins was with bands such as The Gathering, Sweet Nightmare, Moonspell and Theatre of Tragedy. These bands created the first symbiotes of Gothic Doom, which later went on to further Gothic Metal. Over time Gothic Metal was stunted in its growth several times, the most well known being the surge of Symphonic Metal bands in the mid 90's and the surge of Nu Metal bands using Keyboards in the Early 2000's. | |||
| == Forward (1990-present) == | |||
| <p> | <p> | ||
| Gothic Metal is a relatively loose genre in the way it sounds because the genre is built and weighed upon its composition of songs and their parts. The overall sound in Gothic Metal plays a minor role to suffice only to depict between itself and other genres. Gothic Metal tends to lend itself musically to both Doom Metal and Black Metal. Bands often tend to take their musical influence from both Doom Metal bands and Black Metal bands, taking the melody ideas from these genres. Thus, added in with Gothic Metals unique use of Duel Vocalists, Keyboarding and Acoustic guitar help distinguish the genre from others. Keyboards in Gothic Metal often play a major role in the music, sufficing to replace the second guitarist in bands, taking on the role of either lead or rhythm. Acoustic guitars are sometimes present in Gothic Metal, and if a second guitarist is used, often is playing a form of acoustic guitar. Bass in Gothic Metal pays akin to the deep lowness of Doom Metal, and the brash harshness of Black Metal. | |||
| In the 1990s, a group of young bands in Northern England borrowed | |||
| from the early gothic metal sound of the 1980s and incorporated it with the slow, downtuned guitar dirges of ]. Gothic Doom, or DoomDeath, as it was often called, would be regarded as a second stage of the subgenre. Bands most notable for this style included ], ], and ]. | |||
| <p> | <p> | ||
| Gothic Metal generally has a high sound quality when it comes to recording, due to better techonology being more readily available than it previously was. It's become a general rule of thumb, and unspoken treaty of respect in the Gothic Metal community, that bands don't put out albums or singles unless they use equipment of good quality. | |||
| Although the Scandinavian region was known more for its ] and ] fertility, many bands who started in either genre had progressed and conformed more to gothic metal styles - ], ], and ] being a few examples. Although ], ] used some female vocals in their music, Norway's ] was the first gothic metal band with a leading female singer, ] (later replaced by another female singer, named Nell). | |||
| <p> | <p> | ||
| Lyrically Gothic Metal is centered around ] and ]. The time setting for lyrics is often in the New Age or Dark Ages, but can also be in Victorian, Edwardian, Romanian, or even modern day. Most people mistake Gothic Metal for having depressive lyrics, or those focused around anger or satanism. Another unique thing to note about Gothic Metal is that lyrically bands don't write in the form of songs, they write in the form of books. This is so that each song acts as a story, or, chapter, inspiring people to listen to the whole album in order to hear the story, instead of just certain songs. | |||
| Similarly, ]'s ] had some connections to ] and ] with lead singer/bassist's Peter Steele's earlier group, ]. Although the band has taken a more humorous, tonque-and-cheek approach to the genre, they have played a large role in the genre and its characteristics. | |||
| <p> | <p> | ||
| Vocalists in Gothic Metal borrow from two notes. First you have the Male vocalist who will use vocals akin to Black or Death metal. The second vocalist is usually female, often using Soprano based vocals, or harmonic singing. You will never find females doing Black or Death type vocals in Gothic Metal, as duel vocalists in the manner prescribed are the signature of Gothic Metal. | |||
| A softer version of Gothic metal had evolved in the mid-late 1990s. These bands focused on female vocals as well, although not neccesserly operatic ones, and reduced ] elements and male death vocals significantly. These bands include ] (]), ] (Netherlands), ] (]) and ] (]). Some of these bands also combined electronic sounds and mainstream ] with the traditional Gothic metal sound to create a lighter and more accessible form of the genre. | |||
| Drums are used to complement the music, using influences from many varying forms of music. The atmosphere is tailored to fit the song, warm and energetic, empty and enclosing. The atmosphere doesn't share the morbidity of Doom Metal, however. | |||
| == History (1990-present) == | |||
| In the 1990s, a group of young bands in Northern England borrowed from the early gothic rock sound of the 1980s and incorporated it with the slow, down tuned guitar dirges of Black Sabbath. Gothic Doom, as it is known, was the first stage of the genre.Bands most notable for this style included ], ], and ]. Gothic Metal originated from this with bands such as ] taking the Gothic Doom sound that had arisen and making romanticide themed bands that borrowed from Black Metal. | |||
| <p> | <p> | ||
| Although the Scandinavian region was known more for its ] and ] fertility, many bands who started in either genre had progressed and conformed more to gothic doom styles - ], and ], being two examples. Although ], ] used some female vocals in their music, Norway's ] was the first gothic doom band with a leading female singer, ] (later replaced by another female singer, named Nell). This impacted on Gothic Metal by adding the first ideas of using two vocalists in the bands, which later became a signature of Gothic Metal. | |||
| The Gothic metal scene is currently very developed in Northern ], especially ]. | |||
| <p> | <p> | ||
| A softer genre known as ] had evolved in the mid-late 1990s. These bands focused on female vocals as well, although not necessarily operatic ones, with no ] elements and little use of male death vocals. These bands include, ] (Netherlands), ] (Netherlands) and ] (]), focusing more on Opera and Classical music themes than those akin to Gothic Metal. Some of these bands also combined electronic sounds and mainstream ] with the traditional Symphonic metal sound to create a lighter and more accessible form of the genre. During this time the divide between ] Metal and ] became greater, ] becoming more aggressive, and started incorporating elements of ] into the music. Taking on a more technical approach and adding highly complex melodys and rhythms into the music. | |||
| <p> | |||
| In early 2000's ] band ] released the album Fallen. This hurt the ] scene badly, as it was later learned by many bands that ] and pirated the songs, stealing them from smaller bands in the Gothic Metal community that had yet to acquire record deals. This sent ]'s smaller bands into a stunted stage where many bands refused to put out albums, fearing they too would be ripped off, and instead resigning into only playing live sets. | |||
| <p> | |||
| In 2004, Nu Metal bands ] and ], alongside Gothic Metal band ], Power Metal band ] and Symphonic Metal band ] agreed to start a new form of music called ]. The idea of this was to add ] and ] elements to ] to create a more easily accessible, and marketable form of the two genres. This sent the ] and ] scenes into an angered period, creating a spoken treaty amongst the worldwide scenes that as long as ] was in existence, bands would refuse to play at any festival or be on any music channel, that featured a ] band. The ] scene also grew a strong hatred for ] site ], that laid claim to the title of Gothic Metal. This inspired many savage attacks from the ] scenes fans in England, most travelling to places where ] bands were playing and attacking them and the fans. | |||
| <p> | |||
| The Gothic metal scene is currently very developed in ] after its problematic past, most notably in England and France, and is growing rapidly in Germany. | |||
| == Common Misconceptions == | |||
| == Misperceptions and Categorization == | |||
| Although the style has seen much less controversy than other metal subgenres - and remarkably, fewer instances of debate - some arguments have gone on in regards to bands that have sported a gothic "image" versus those with direct genetics to the gothic metal genre. | |||
| Although the style has seen much more controversy than other metal genres - and remarkably, the most instances of debate - some arguments have gone on in regards to bands that have sported a gothic "image" in the eyes of the media versus those with direct genetics to the gothic metal genre. This has included bands that have shown imagery akin to morbidity, religious themes, gothic fashion, vampirism, and satansim. | |||
| When widespread news events surrounded ], for instance, some media personalities and journalists categorized him as a "gothic rock" and "gothic heavy metal" musician, eventhough few elements in his music would be classifiable as such. The growing popularity of ] in the 1990s can be factored as a major source to this, considering several artists in the genre inspired a "gothic" styled dress amongst suburban youths which was similarly debated in authenticity by those who proclaimed themselves "true" members of gothic ]. | |||
| Although gothic metal - like most metal subgenres - is difficult to classify, some main attributes have remained fairly consistent: | |||
| == A List Of Gothic Metal Bands (Coming Soon) == | |||
| *''lyrics'' focus on a variety of subjects: ] and ], heaven and hell, romance, (gothic) horror, depression, bereavement, emptiness, and death. Typically, the subjects are set in a pre-20th century environment. | |||
| * ''vocals'' are either sung by a male vocalist, female vocalist, or both. The male vocals are either in a deep ], or ]. Female vocals tend to be high and operatic, but sometimes sung in a regular tone with reverb usage for effects. | |||
| *the ''guitar(s)'' and ''bass'' are often in minor key, but can also be slow and heavily distorted, as what would be heard in ]. Along with ''percussion'' (and sometimes ''synthesizers''), the pace and tone is sometimes dependent on the performance of the singer or the nature of the song. | |||
| ] | |||
| There are also (occasional) instances in which gothic metal crosses over into other genres, such as ] and ]. | |||
| <p> | |||
| ] | |||
| ==List of Gothic metal bands== | |||
| <p> | |||
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| == See also == | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| (Updated as and when more sites become available) | |||
| Metal and Goth databases: | |||
| * - short bio and review of almost every metal band there is. | |||
| * - database of all metal bands (includes biographies, line-ups, reviews, etc.), updated by users. | |||
| Goth Metal magazines / portals / reviews: | |||
| * - band reviews, band database, radio, forums. | |||
| ] | ] | ||
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Revision as of 17:23, 5 November 2005
Gothic metal (also called Goth metal much to the bereavement of its fans) is a genre of music that is often mistaken for a crossover between heavy metal music and gothic music itself. It developed in the early 1980s in Europe as a subgenre of Doom Metal, the genre later forming from that subgenre. Gothic metal is a pretty linear genre but due to much debate amongst non Gothic Metal fans, its actual definition is not commonly known. The fans and musicians have a firm concept of the genre having been around through its growth and nurturing, but newer fans reject such categorisation as limiting or useless on the pretense it is not what they want it to be.
Sounds, Constructs and Lyrics
Gothic Metal is a genre of Metal that first appeared in the early 90's. It grew from the Doom Metal scene in parallel with the subgenre of Doom Metal; Gothic Doom. Its first origins was with bands such as The Gathering, Sweet Nightmare, Moonspell and Theatre of Tragedy. These bands created the first symbiotes of Gothic Doom, which later went on to further Gothic Metal. Over time Gothic Metal was stunted in its growth several times, the most well known being the surge of Symphonic Metal bands in the mid 90's and the surge of Nu Metal bands using Keyboards in the Early 2000's.
Gothic Metal is a relatively loose genre in the way it sounds because the genre is built and weighed upon its composition of songs and their parts. The overall sound in Gothic Metal plays a minor role to suffice only to depict between itself and other genres. Gothic Metal tends to lend itself musically to both Doom Metal and Black Metal. Bands often tend to take their musical influence from both Doom Metal bands and Black Metal bands, taking the melody ideas from these genres. Thus, added in with Gothic Metals unique use of Duel Vocalists, Keyboarding and Acoustic guitar help distinguish the genre from others. Keyboards in Gothic Metal often play a major role in the music, sufficing to replace the second guitarist in bands, taking on the role of either lead or rhythm. Acoustic guitars are sometimes present in Gothic Metal, and if a second guitarist is used, often is playing a form of acoustic guitar. Bass in Gothic Metal pays akin to the deep lowness of Doom Metal, and the brash harshness of Black Metal.
Gothic Metal generally has a high sound quality when it comes to recording, due to better techonology being more readily available than it previously was. It's become a general rule of thumb, and unspoken treaty of respect in the Gothic Metal community, that bands don't put out albums or singles unless they use equipment of good quality.
Lyrically Gothic Metal is centered around Romanticide and Fantacide. The time setting for lyrics is often in the New Age or Dark Ages, but can also be in Victorian, Edwardian, Romanian, or even modern day. Most people mistake Gothic Metal for having depressive lyrics, or those focused around anger or satanism. Another unique thing to note about Gothic Metal is that lyrically bands don't write in the form of songs, they write in the form of books. This is so that each song acts as a story, or, chapter, inspiring people to listen to the whole album in order to hear the story, instead of just certain songs.
Vocalists in Gothic Metal borrow from two notes. First you have the Male vocalist who will use vocals akin to Black or Death metal. The second vocalist is usually female, often using Soprano based vocals, or harmonic singing. You will never find females doing Black or Death type vocals in Gothic Metal, as duel vocalists in the manner prescribed are the signature of Gothic Metal. Drums are used to complement the music, using influences from many varying forms of music. The atmosphere is tailored to fit the song, warm and energetic, empty and enclosing. The atmosphere doesn't share the morbidity of Doom Metal, however.
History (1990-present)
In the 1990s, a group of young bands in Northern England borrowed from the early gothic rock sound of the 1980s and incorporated it with the slow, down tuned guitar dirges of Black Sabbath. Gothic Doom, as it is known, was the first stage of the genre.Bands most notable for this style included Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride, and Anathema. Gothic Metal originated from this with bands such as The Gathering taking the Gothic Doom sound that had arisen and making romanticide themed bands that borrowed from Black Metal.
Although the Scandinavian region was known more for its death metal and black metal fertility, many bands who started in either genre had progressed and conformed more to gothic doom styles - Tiamat, and Theatre of Tragedy, being two examples. Although Paradise Lost, Anathema used some female vocals in their music, Norway's Theatre of Tragedy was the first gothic doom band with a leading female singer, Liv Kristine Espenaes Krull (later replaced by another female singer, named Nell). This impacted on Gothic Metal by adding the first ideas of using two vocalists in the bands, which later became a signature of Gothic Metal.
A softer genre known as Symphonic Metal had evolved in the mid-late 1990s. These bands focused on female vocals as well, although not necessarily operatic ones, with no Doom Metal elements and little use of male death vocals. These bands include, Within Temptation (Netherlands), Epica (Netherlands) and Lacrimosa (Germany), focusing more on Opera and Classical music themes than those akin to Gothic Metal. Some of these bands also combined electronic sounds and mainstream rock music with the traditional Symphonic metal sound to create a lighter and more accessible form of the genre. During this time the divide between Gothic Metal and Symphonic Metal became greater, Gothic Metal becoming more aggressive, and started incorporating elements of Death Metal into the music. Taking on a more technical approach and adding highly complex melodys and rhythms into the music.
In early 2000's Nu Metal band Evanescence released the album Fallen. This hurt the Gothic Metal scene badly, as it was later learned by many bands that Evanescence and pirated the songs, stealing them from smaller bands in the Gothic Metal community that had yet to acquire record deals. This sent Gothic Metal's smaller bands into a stunted stage where many bands refused to put out albums, fearing they too would be ripped off, and instead resigning into only playing live sets.
In 2004, Nu Metal bands Lacuna Coil and Evanescence, alongside Gothic Metal band Tristania, Power Metal band Nightwish and Symphonic Metal band Within Temptation agreed to start a new form of music called Nu-Goth. The idea of this was to add Symphonic Metal and Gothic Metal elements to Nu Metal to create a more easily accessible, and marketable form of the two genres. This sent the Gothic Metal and Symphonic Metal scenes into an angered period, creating a spoken treaty amongst the worldwide scenes that as long as Nu-Goth was in existence, bands would refuse to play at any festival or be on any music channel, that featured a Nu-Goth band. The Gothic Metal scene also grew a strong hatred for Nu-Goth site Goth-Metal.net, that laid claim to the title of Gothic Metal. This inspired many savage attacks from the Gothic Metal scenes fans in England, most travelling to places where Nu-Goth bands were playing and attacking them and the fans.
The Gothic metal scene is currently very developed in Europe after its problematic past, most notably in England and France, and is growing rapidly in Germany.
Common Misconceptions
Although the style has seen much more controversy than other metal genres - and remarkably, the most instances of debate - some arguments have gone on in regards to bands that have sported a gothic "image" in the eyes of the media versus those with direct genetics to the gothic metal genre. This has included bands that have shown imagery akin to morbidity, religious themes, gothic fashion, vampirism, and satansim.
A List Of Gothic Metal Bands (Coming Soon)
Vampiria (Updated as and when more sites become available)
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