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Gothic metal (also called Goth metal much to the berevement 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 1990s in Europe. Gothic metal is a prettylinear genre but due to much debate amongst non Gothic Metal fans, its actuall defination is not commonly known. The fans and musicians have a firm concept of the genre having been around through its growth and nuturing, but newer fans reject such categorisation as limiting or useless on the pretense it is not what they want it to be.
What is Gothic Metal
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 knocked back in its growth several times, the most reknown 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 relativly loose genre. The genre is built and weighed upon its construction of songs and their parts. The overall sound in Gothic Metal plays a minor role to suffice only to depicate between itself and other genres. Gothic Metal tends to lend itself musically to both Doom Metal and Gothic Metal. Bands often tend to take their musical influence from Doom Metal bands or Black Metal bands, taking the melody ideas from these genres, and adapting them to be highly techincal and epic sounding. Thus, added in with Gothic Metals unique use of Duel Vocalists, Keyboarding and Accoustic guitar help distinguish the music. Keyboards in Gothic Metal often play a major role in the music, sufficing to replace the second guitarist in bands, (Yup, Gothic Metal only uses one Guitar normally *Shock horror*), taking on the role of either lead or rhythm. Accoustic guitars are often present in Gothic Metal, and if a second guitarist is used, often is playing a form of accoustic 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, but thats only due to the fact the only bands in the genre have the money for high quality equipment. Its become a general rule of thumb, and unspoken treaty of respect in the Gothic Metal community, that bands dont put out stuff unless they use good quality equipment.
Lyrically Gothic Metal is concerned with one thing, Romanticide and Fantacide. The time setting for lyrics is often in the New Age or Dark Ages, but can also be in victiorian, edwardian, romanian, or even modern day. Most people mistake Gothic Metal for having depressive lyrics, or those focused around anger or satanism. Wrong, wrong and wrong. All the lyrics in Gothic Metal are romanticide and fantascide themed, period. Another unique thing to note about Gothic Metal is that lyrically bands dont 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, instead of just for certain songs. Often bands will give songs specific parts in a triology on the album. Ie; 02: Once Upon A Fairy Tale (Dream Statement 1), 07: The Egyptian Gothess (Dream Statement 2), 11: Dolls Of Wax And Ice (Dream Statement 3).
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 influence from anything from Jazz to Black Metal to the guys that sacked Rome while listening to the Sisters Of Mercy.
Atmosphere is tailored to fit the song, warm and energetic, empty and enclosing. The atmosphere doesnt 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, downtuned 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 themedbands 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 impaced 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 neccesserly 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 incorperating elements of Death Metal into the music. Taking on a more techinal 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. This sent Gothic Metal into a stunted stage where many bands refused to put out albums, fearing they too would be ripped off.
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 fits of rage, creating a spoken treaty amonst the worldwide scene that as long as Nu-Goth was in existance, 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 the site Goth-Metal.net, that laid claim to the title of the genre. This inspired many savage attacks from the Gothic Metal scenes fans, 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, where many of the bands work with Ley Shade to pronounce the genre and to aid smaller, younger bands.
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.
Gothic metal - like most metal genres - as seen its far bit of evoloution, most all of its main attributes have remained consistent:
- lyrics focus on a variety of subjects: religion and God, heaven and hell, romance, religion, fantasy. Typically, the subjects are set in a pre-20th century environment. The defining link between all these is that they are all Romanticide and Fantiscide themed, no matter the setting or characters. (Common Misonception: Newer Fans of the genre assume anything with reference to depression or suicide is Gothic Metal, when it isnt)
- vocals are by both a male vocalist using death or black vocals, and a female vocalist. Female vocals tend to be high and operatic, but sometimes sung in a regular tone with reverb usage for effects. (Common Misonception: Many newer fans assume that Gothic Metal uses only one vocalist, which it doesnt, except on rare occasion)
- the guitar(s) and bass are often in minor key, fast and heavily distorted, as what would be heard in black metal. Along with percussion and synthesizers, the pace and tone is the middle point between doom metal and black metal. (Common Misconception: Many people assume bands are Gothic Metal because they make use of a keyboard, again, this is wrong)
Gothic Metal bands are refusing to appear on anything featuring or associated with a Nu-Goth band. (Common Misconception: Many people assume Nu-Goth bands are Gothic Metal, simply because they dont know any better) Many bands are mistaken for being Gothic Metal, below is a list of the most common:
Sins Of Thy Beloved,Katatonia, Cradle of Filth, To Die For, Theater of Tragedy, Within Temptation, Cemetary, Type O Negative, Him, Lacrimas Profundere, Eternal Tears of Sorrow, Dimmu Borgir, After Forever, 69 Eyes, Opeth, Without Face, My Chemical Romance, Epica, Lake of Tears, Evanescence, Nightwish, Cathedral, Anathema, Therion, Theaters Des Vampires, My Dying Bride, On Thorns I Lay, Lacuna Coil, Darkseed, Paradise Lost,For My Pain, Seasons End, Sentenced,