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Revision as of 06:39, 20 November 2005 by Idont Havaname (talk | contribs) (subpaging as Leyasu suggested on my talk page)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Some notes first
I've subpaged this over from the talk page, as suggested on my talk page by Leyasu. Please don't discuss on this page; this page is merely for the text of the revision, so that when we've reached something that we're happy with, we can just copy it back to the main article. --Idont Havaname 06:39, 20 November 2005 (UTC)
Revised Version
Belows is the revised version of what i had. I have posted it below so people can see it and post underneath what they thing is wrong, where it is wrong, and make suggestion on how it could be better. Also putting any information that is missed would be helpfull so we can have a nice and complete, accurate, informant, and easy to understand article using everyones strengths when it comes to writing it. ~~Leyasu
Gothic metal (Sometimes called Goth Metal) is a genre of music that originated from doom metal. It developed in the early 1980s in Europe as a subgenre of Doom Metal known as Gothic Doom, the genre later forming from that subgenre. Gothic metal is a somewhat linear genre but due to much debate, 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 evoloution, but newer fans reject such categorisation as limiting or useless.
Sounds, Constructs and Lyrics (Header)
Gothic Metal is a genre of Metal that first appeared in the early 90's. It grew from the Doom Metal scene as an outgrowth from the subgenre of Doom Metal; Gothic Doom. Its first origins was with bands such as The Gathering, Moonspell and Theatre of Tragedy. These bands created the first symbiotes of Gothic Doom, which later went on to further Gothic Metal.
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 Doom Metal, Black Metal, and Death Metal taking influence for the melody and rhythm 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, often replacing 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, are often found playing a form of acoustic guitar. Bass in Gothic Metal pays akin to the deep lowness of Doom Metal, and the agression of Black Metal.
Lyrically Gothic Metal is centered around Romanticide and Fantacide themes. 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. The Romanticide and Fantacide lyrics often used in Gothic Metal cover many broad subjects and are intended as being back themes and guides to the lyricist, rather than a complete prequisite of the genre. Gothic Metal bands typically don't write their albums in the form of seperate songs, they write in the form of books.
This is so that each song acts as a part, or, chapter, inspiring people to listen to the whole album in order to hear the story, instead of just certain songs.
Gothic Metal bands normally have two vocalists. One Vocalist is a Male, who will use vocals akin to Black or Death metal. The other vocalist is usually female, often using Soprano based vocals, or harmonic singing. It has never been heard of that females do Black or Death type vocals in Gothic Metal, as duel vocalists in the manner prescribed are a signature of the Gothic Metal genre. Sometimes bands will use other forms of vocals included with the two prior vocalists, but this tends to only be for backing vocals.
The atmosphere is tailored to fit the song; warm and energetic, empty and enclosing. The atmosphere doesn't often follow the morbidity of Doom Metal unlike its origin, Gothic Doom.
Pre Gothic Metal History (1983 -1990) (header) The earliest stage of gothic metal can be traced to bands in the 1980s who utilized goth rock aesthetics with metallic songwriting akin to doom metal to later influence the subgenre, Gothic Doom. Although Glenn Danzig's Samhain made some attribution of this, Christian Death are regarded as the most influential to the founding of the subgenre. The deep vocal baritones of Rozz Williams 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. Celtic Frost - although considered by many as an early black metal band - also played an semi important role for their "gothic-sounding" atmospherics.
History (1990-present) (header)
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 in the same fashion as doom metal bands. Gothic Doom (known then as Doom Death), was the first stage of the Gothic Metal 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, Tristania and Therion taking the Gothic Doom sound that had arisen and making romanticide themed bands that borrowed from Black Metal's and Death Metal's guitaring and vocal styles.
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 - Moonspell, and Theatre of Tragedy, being two examples.
Although early gothic doom bands Paradise Lost and 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 as it was quickly mimiced by bands including Tristania and The Gathering.
A softer genre known as Symphonic Metal had evolved in the mid-late 1990s from Gothic Metal bearing strong similarities to its predecessor, with bands led by female singers. During this time the divide between Gothic Metal and Symphonic Metal became apparant, Gothic Metal incorperating more aggresive elements of Death Metal and Black Metal directly into the music, adding more techinally complex melodys and rhythms into the music in comparison to the operatic and classical themes in Symphonic Metal.
The Gothic metal scene is currently very developed in Europe most notably in England and France, and is growing rapidly in Germany. Several groups of smaller bands are also emerging in east Europe and South America, struggling to gain a foothold where the scene is small.
Common Misconceptions (header)
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 musical connections to the gothic metal genre. This has included bands that have shown imagery akin to morbidity, religious themes, gothic fashion, vampirism, and satansim. Bands are also often mistaken for being Gcthic Metal as people considered goths will attend the performance of a band, and the media takes to believing the band is part of the gothic metal genre due to the people attending.
Gothic Doom (header)
Gothic Doom is best described as a subgenre of both doom metal and gothic metal. Early gothic doom started as a subgere of Doom Metal (Also then know as Doom Death) and later evolved to become more affiliated with Gothic Metal.
Gothic Doom thoughout its existance has combined aspects of both doom metal and Gothic Metal in varying quantities. Early bands in the genre were heavily rooted in doom metal, incorperating elements of death metal into the music and utilizing many things that later went on to become part of gothic metal, such as duel vocalists and the use of accoustic guitars. Later gothic doom later changed to be more based from gothic metal, often being rooted from gothic metal and replacing a lot of its aspects with their doom counterparts.
Gothic doom bands are overall characterized by their mixed use of elements of gothic metal and doom metal.
List Of Gothic Metal And Gothic Doom Bands (header)