Goth metal

Goth metal (also called Gothic Metal) is a crossover between Doom Metal , heavy metal music and goth music itself. It developed in the early 1990s in Europe and the United States.

Originally, Gothic Metal evolved from Doom Metal, where bands like Paradise Lost (U.K.) and Theatre of Tragedy (Norway) added female vocals and melodic keyboards to heavy doom riffs and death grunts. Bands such as Type O Negative (U.S.), My Dying Bride (U.K.), and Anathema (U.K.), focused on eerie keyboards and gloomy atmosphere as well. Paradise Lost's Gothic is considered to be the first Gothic Metal song ever created, introducing duet of female vocals and death grunts.

The Gothic Metal scene is currently very developed in Northern Europe, especially Norway.

Norwegian bands, such as Theatre of Tragedy, Tristania, and Sins of Thy Beloved added gorgeous vocals to dark, haunting music. The medieval-classic elements - Gregorian Chant choruses, church organs, side-flutes, violins and operatic female vocals - have added a new layer to the heavy Doom metal riffs and created a fascinating style of music. This style known as "Scandinavian Gothic Metal" and often resembles symphonic Black metal\\Death metal (bands such as Therion).

A softer version of Gothic Metal evolved in the mid-late 1990s. These bands focused on female vocals as well, although not neccesserly operatic ones, and reduced Doom Metal elements and male death vocals significantly. These bands include The Gathering (Neth.), Within Temptation (Neth.), Lacuna Coil (It.) and Lacrimosa (Switz.). Some of these bands also combined electronic sounds and/or mainstream rock music with the traditional Gothic Metal sound to create a lighter and more accessible form of the genre.

In general, Gothic Metal lyrics focus on a variety of subjects: religion and God, heaven and hell, romance, horror, depression, bereavement, emptyness, and death.

Gothic Metal bands include:

• After Forever (Netherlands)
• Anathema
• Ashes You Leave (Croatia)
• Entwine
• Haggard (Germany) - BNR summary
• Killing Miranda (UK)
• Lacrimas Profundere
• Lacrimosa (Swiss)
• Lacuna Coil (Italy) - BNR summary
• Lake of Tears (Norway)
• Moonspell (Portugal)
• My Dying Bride (UK)
• Paradise Lost (UK)
• Sin Of Thy Beloved (Norway)
• Sirenia (Norway) - BNR summary
• Theatre of Tragedy (Norway) - BNR Summary
• Tristania (Norway) - BNR summary
• Type O Negative (USA)
• Within Temptation (Netherlands)

External Links

Related genres:

• Goth music
• Doom metal
• Death metal
• Black metal
• Heavy metal
• Power metal
• Gregorian Chants

Metal and Goth databases:

• The BNR Metal Pages - short bio and review of almost every metal band there is.
• The Encyclopaedia Metallum - database of metal bands (includes biographies, line-ups, reviews, etc.), updated by users.

Goth Metal magazines \\ portals \\ reviews:

• Roan Vercammen Gothic Metal reviews: Old \\ New
• feel free to add more

Official websites of Goth Metal bands:

• Haggard
• Paradise Lost
• Tristania
• Killing Miranda
• feel free to add more