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Gothic metal

Gothic metalStylistic origins Gothic rock, heavy metal, death-doom, doom metal, progressive rock

Cultural origins Early 1990s, United Kingdom

Typical instruments Vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, synthesizers, cello, violin

Derivative forms Dark metal

Subgenres

Symphonic gothic metal, gothic black metal

Regional scenes

England, Finland, The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Italy, Poland, United States, Greece

Other topics

List of gothic metal bands

Gothic metal (or goth metal) is a subgenre of heavy metal and gothic rock that combines the heaviness of doommetal or death-doom with the dark atmospheres of gothic rock.[1] The music of gothic metal is diverse with bandsknown to adopt the gothic approach to different styles of heavy metal music. The genre originated during the early1990s in Europe originally as an outgrowth of death-doom, a fusion of death metal and doom metal. Lyrics aregenerally dark and introspective with inspiration from gothic fiction as well as personal experiences.Pioneers of gothic metal (although the bands themselves never claim the title of gothic-metal) include Paradise Lost,My Dying Bride and Anathema, all from the north of England. Other pioneers from the first half of the 1990sinclude Type O Negative from the United States, Tiamat from Sweden, and The Gathering from the Netherlands.Norwegian band Theatre of Tragedy developed the "beauty and the beast" aesthetic of combining aggressive malevocals with clean female vocals, a contrast that has since been adopted by many gothic metal groups. During themid-1990s, Moonspell, Theatres des Vampires and Cradle of Filth brought the gothic approach to black metal. Bythe end of the decade, a symphonic metal variant of gothic metal had been developed by Tristania and WithinTemptation.In the 21st century, gothic metal has moved towards the mainstream in Europe, particularly in Finland where groupssuch as Entwine, HIM, Lullacry and Poisonblack have released hit singles or chart-topping albums. In the US,however, only a few bands such as HIM,[2] Lacuna Coil,[3] Evanescence[4] and Cradle of Filth[5] have foundcommercial success.

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Vibeke Stene, soprano vocals of Tristania

Etymology

The term gothic entered heavy metal music with the release of ParadiseLost's Gothic album in 1991. Since then, fans have often been at oddswith one another as to "which bands are, or most definitely are not,authentically Goth".[6] Some musicians have disputed the gothic labelassociated with their bands, including Rozz Williams of ChristianDeath and Andrew Eldritch of The Sisters of Mercy.[7] In the gothicmetal subgenre, members from such groups as After Forever,[8] HIM[9]

and Nightwish[10] have similarly downplayed or dismissed the gothiclabel from their music.

Characteristics

Music

The music of gothic metal is generally characterised by its darkatmospheres.[11] The adjective "dark" is commonly used to describegothic music in general while other terms that are less frequently usedinclude deep, romantic, passionate and intense.[12] Gothic metal hasalso sometimes been viewed as "a combination of the darkness andmelancholy of goth rock with heavy metal".[] Allmusic defines the genre as a fusion of "the bleak, icy atmosphericsof goth rock with the loud guitars and aggression of heavy metal" and further notes that "true goth metal is alwaysdirectly influenced by goth rock - ethereal synths and spooky textures are just as important as guitar riffs, if not moreso".[]

Gothic metal is a varied genre with bands pursuing many different directions, from "slow and crushing variations" to"orchestral and bombastic". The doom metal background of early pioneers like Anathema,[13] Paradise Lost and MyDying Bride has been taken up by groups like Artrosis,[14] Ava Inferi[15] and Draconian.[16] The black metalapproach of Cradle of Filth, Theatres des Vampires and early Moonspell can be found in such subsequent bands asGraveworm,[17] Drastique and Samsas Traum[18] while the symphonic metal approach of Tristania and WithinTemptation can be found in other groups like Epica, Sirenia and After Forever. Other variations include the deathmetal of Trail of Tears, the folk metal of Midnattsol, the industrial metal of Deathstars, Gothminister and NeonSynthesis and the alternative metal of Katatonia, Lacuna Coil, and Evanescence

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Vocals

Lead female vocalists are a common presence inthe gothic metal genre. One of the earliest was

Anneke van Giersbergen of The Gathering,depicted above.

There is also a diverse range of vocal styles in gothic metal. Malesingers in the genre range from the guttural growls and black metalshrieks of Dani Filth[19] and Morten Veland[] to the clean baritonevocals of Østen Bergøy[] and the bass range of Peter Steele.[] For thefemale singers, the different vocal styles includes the screams andgrowls of Cadaveria, the "poppy" vocals of Tanja Lainio fromLullacry[20] and the operatic soprano style of Vibeke Stene fromTristania.[] There are more female singers in gothic metal than thereare in any other heavy metal subgenres but female vocals are neithernecessary nor synonymous with the genre. Liv Kristine of Theatre ofTragedy and Leaves' Eyes notes that the gothic tag is oftenmisinterpreted and points out that "not every band with female vocalsis a gothic band".[] The genre is also known to attract more female fans relative to other subgenres of heavy metalmusic.[21]

LyricsThe lyrics of gothic metal are known to be melodramatic, fantasized, romantic, dark or sometimes gloomy.[22][23]

For the three English bands that helped to pioneer the genre, their gloomy lyrics reflect their background in doommetal while the dark or melodramatic lyrics sometimes inspired by stuff like horror fiction draws influence fromgothic rock.[24][25] The music of My Dying Bride has been noted as "dripping with treachery and pain" from a"lyrical fascination with deceit and transgressions of every variety".[26] Lyrics that focus on suicide and themeaninglessness of life can be found in Anathema[] while Paradise Lost too has "never lost their depressiveedge".[27]

The Italian gothic black metal band Theatres desVampires manifests a deep interest in the vampire

myth, a common staple of gothic horrorfiction.[28]

Gothic fiction, a literary genre that blends horror and romance, hasbeen a source of inspiration for the lyrics of many gothic metal bandslike Cadaveria,[29] Cradle of Filth,[30] Moonspell,[31] Theatres desVampires[32] and Xandria.[33] Critic Eduardo Rivadavia of Allmusicidentifies drama and mournful beauty as requisite elements of thegenre.[] For My Dying Bride, the subjects of "death and misery andlost love and romance" has been approached repeatedly from differentangles.[34] The common gothic theme of lost love[35] is a subject thathas been tackled by such gothic metal bands as Theatre ofTragedy,[36]The Wounded and Leaves' Eyes.[37]

Lyrics based on personal experiences is another common feature ofmany gothic metal bands such as Anathema,[38] Elis,[39] Tiamat,[40]

Midnattsol[] and The Old Dead Tree.[41] Graveworm moved away fromfantasy stories in favor of personal lyrics after finding them more suitable for their style of music.[42] The lyrics offellow Italians Lacuna Coil also do not feature any "fantasy stuff or something that you cannot find in reality" astheir co-vocalist Cristina Scabbia finds it desirable that people can relate themselves to her band's lyrics.[43]

Similarly, the band Lullacry features lyrics on the subjects of "love, hate, passion and pain" because a person "caneasily connect to a song" with lyrics "about human relationships".[44]

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History

Precursors

Heavy metal

Heavy metal music is perceived by many members of the goth subculture as the "crass, crude macho antithesis ofeverything that their music represents".[45] In contrast to the "softer" and "more feminine" character of gothic music,the heavy metal genre is typically associated with aggression, sexism and masculinity.[46] Despite this difference, "afew bold souls have identified Black Sabbath’s eponymous 1970 debut album as the first ever 'Goth-rock' record".[45]

The author Gavin Baddeley notes that the title track of the album "describes a satanic rite, complete with driving-rainand tolling bell sound effects, while the cover focuses on a black-cloaked, spectral-looking girl in a graveyard, shotthrough a sickly pale ochre filter".[45] Other commentators have described Black Sabbath as the "absolute prototypegothic heavies"[47] and observed that by separating the band's music "from their heavy metallic connotations", one"could cull a killer Goth album from their first five LP's, with every future reference point and requirementintact".[48]

The "vaguely medieval, minor-key sounds" of Rainbow, Dio and Judas Priest has also been described as "gothic"prior to "the emergence of goth rock as a post-punk genre".[] The bands Blue Öyster Cult and Iron Maiden havefeatured some gothic lyrics in their music on songs such as "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" and "Phantom of theOpera".[49] Deep Purple's song "Stormbringer" has been called a "goth metal treasure".[50] The Danish metal bandMercyful Fate had also demonstrated "a Gothic obsession with evil and the occult".[51] Frontman King Diamondcontinued exploring his interest in gothic storytelling after establishing a solo career under his own moniker,[52]

issuing "a series of concept albums which told Gothic horror tales with sound effects and song".[53] During the1980s, the former Misfits frontman Glenn Danzig also "occupied the no man's land between Goth and heavymetal".[53] With the dissolution of his second band Samhain in 1988 and the creation of his own eponymous act,Danzig went on to combine heavy metal riffs with "a heavily romanticized, brooding, gothic sensibility".[54]

The Swiss group Celtic Frost was another precursor to gothic metal, translating the influence they drew from gothicrock acts Bauhaus and Siouxsie and the Banshees into their own albums.[55] The band's "radical fusion of violentblack metal and elements of classical music" was dubbed "avant-garde" and had a huge impact "on the evolution ofEuropean heavy metal".[56] Christofer Johnsson of the Therion cites Celtic Frost's 1987 album Into thePandemonium in particular for playing a key role in the development of the "gothic and symphonic wave of bands"in the 1990s, noting further that neither his group Therion nor Paradise Lost "would have sounded the way we didwithout Celtic Frost".[57]

Gothic rock

Gothic rock had emerged as an offshoot of post-punk in the 1980s but by the end of that decade, the genre hadsplintered into different directions with bands such as The Cure, Mission U.K. and Siouxsie and the Bansheesincorporating "more pop and alternative elements" while The Sisters of Mercy, Fields of the Nephilim and ChristianDeath took on a "heavier, sometimes metal-influenced approach".[58] The Sisters of Mercy was one of the leadinggoth bands of the 1980s, playing "a slow, gloomy, ponderous hybrid of metal and psychedelia, often incorporatingdance beats".[59] The band only released three full length albums with the debut First and Last and Always releasedin 1985. Their last album Vision Thing arrived in 1990 as one of the earliest attempts to mix gothic music with heavymetal.[60] Fields of the Nephilim had also released only three studio albums before their initial dissolution in1991.[61] They have since reformed, released more albums and been recognized for their influence on the "glut ofmetal bands" in the early 21st century "that incorporated obvious elements of goth into their sound - especiallydetected in their appreciation of symphonic and keyboard sounds (as well as their fashion sense)".[62]

According to Allmusic, "goth metal first emerged during the early to mid-'80s, centered around Los Angeles' so-called 'death-rock' scene headed by Christian Death".[] Acclaimed as the "founding fathers of American goth

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rock", Christian Death went through a major personnel change in 1985 with the departure of the band's leader andfounder Rozz Williams.[] Guitarist Valor Kand took over the reins and under his leadership, Christian Deathsubsequently pursued a more metal-oriented direction.[][63] In particular, their 1988 album Sex and Drugs and JesusChrist has been described by critic Steve Huey as "heavy goth-rock bordering on metal".[64]

Origins

The Peaceville Three

Nick Holmes is the vocalist of the pioneeringParadise Lost. The group is known to haveinfluenced many subsequent bands in the

genre.[65]

As a musical style, gothic metal "truly began in the early 1990s in thenorth of England" with the three bands Paradise Lost, My Dying Brideand Anathema representing "the core of the movement".[66] They areall also three of the bands that pioneered the death/doom sub-genre,showing why gothic metal originated from death/doom. All threebands were signed to Peaceville Records during the early 1990s andhave since been known as the "Peaceville Three".[] They had roots in"frenetically abrasive death metal, but they were also influenced bywhat Paradise Lost vocalist, Nick Holmes, described as the 'reallybleak, dark sound' of Dead Can Dance".[67]

Paradise Lost was the first to form in 1988 in Halifax, England.[68]

Their debut album Lost Paradise was released in 1990 and "helpeddefine the rules of doom/death metal: grinding, de-tuned anthems ofwoe topped with death metal-style guttural vocals" whiledemonstrating that the band was "already reaching for realms unknownto their then-amateurish abilities and latent promise".[] The band was"evolving at a fast clip" and in the following year, their second "aptlytitled album" Gothic came as "something of a departure for the band'searliest fans".[] With a "less deliberate, more energetic arrangements",the album featured a "slightly cleaner approach to guitar crunch" and"cautious use of keyboards and even female vocals, which togetheradded atmospheric nuances to the group's ultra-depressive power chords".[] Gothic was a chart success acrossEurope, particularly in Germany,[] and has since been acclaimed as "one of the most influential albums" in heavymetal music for creating the gothic metal genre. Their 1992 album Shades of God continued the transition[69] whilethe follow-up 1993 album Icon represented "a turning point" for the band with the experimental use of synthesizedstrings, timpani, piano and angelic female vocals.[70] By the time of 1995's Draconian Times album, Paradise Lost'smusic firmly stood "between stark, oppressive goth rock and crunching heavy metal".[71] With these five albums, theband had created "a bold collection of songs that sounded like Black-era Metallica played by a group who loved theSisters Of Mercy".[] They have since been recognized as the band that "originally laid the gothic seed that otherbands have been nicking and reaping in recent years".

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Aaron Stainthorpe of My Dying Bride creditsDead Can Dance, Swans and Nick Cave and the

Bad Seeds as inspirations.[72]

From Bradford, My Dying Bride was formed in 1990. An EPSymphonaire Infernus et Spera Empyrium "sparked a lot of interest"upon its release in 1991.[73] Their first full-length release As TheFlower Withers followed shortly after in the same year. The album wascritically acclaimed by the press and "turned the Doom genre on itshead".[] They added a violinist to their line-up for their 1993sophomore effort Turn Loose the Swans. On this "groundbreaking"album,[] the group introduced a "much greater element of darkromanticism to their doomy music".[] Vocalist Aaron Stainthorpeexplains the band's pursuit of this direction:

“We knew that when Celtic Frost disappeared and turned into a glam rock band, we knew there was a market there for this sort of over-the-topavant-garde band, someone who were doing something a bit weird and unusual. Paradise Lost were doing similar-ish kind of things, but I don'tthink they had this more romantic edge. We definitely worked for that gothic appeal, and I'm not really sure why.[] ”

Their 1995 album The Angel and the Dark River "marked a shift in the band's strategy, for the first time dropping thedeath growl of Stainthorpe in favour of a 'clean' vocal delivery".[] The rest of the group "followed suit, setting asideany death metal influences, carefully using violins and keyboards to enhance the group's brooding excursions" into"fauna-wilting gothic doom metal".[74] While the album was more experimental, the music was still dark andatmospheric.[]

Paradise Lost's "Gothic" (1991)

Doom/death metal meets gothic music on this title track of Paradise Lost's second album Gothic.

My Dying Bride's "From Darkest Skies" (1995)

Clean, melancholic vocals can be heard in this sample from My Dying Bride's third album The Angel and the Dark River.

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Also forming in 1990, the Liverpool based band Anathema released a "highly acclaimed" EP The Crestfallen in 1992.[] The "crushing emotional doom/death" of this EP remained on their 1993 debut full-length Serenades,[75] "the most traditional doom-styled album in their catalog".[] Their juxtaposition of the fragile and ferocious "fostered a keen fan base".[] Pentecost III was recorded in 1994 as another EP "that nonetheless ended up long enough to have qualified as a full-length".[] The year 1995 saw the release of this EP as well as the departure of Darren White. Guitarist Vincent Cavanagh took over vocal duties for their subsequent album The Silent Enigma released later in the same year. The album "marked an important turning point in the band's sound" with critics drawing upon comparisons to Pink Floyd, "bringing new appreciation from a more mainstream band of listeners but also causing a withdrawal of support from hardened Doom fanatics".[] Like My Dying Bride, this transition involved leaving behind their traditional death metal sound.[] They continued experimenting with their 1996 album Eternity,[]

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"stretching its songs into sorrowful, orchestrated epics" that "quickly proved to be their most original work to date".[]

While Anathema's music has "changed a lot", their "main features remained a heart-rending melancholy andintensity".[76]

Other pioneers

Type O Negative, performing at theColumbiahalle in Berlin, Germany, was one of

the earliest gothic metal bands.

In North America, Peter Steele had formed Type O Negative in 1990out of the remnants of his former thrash metal band Carnivore.[] Withtheir debut album Slow, Deep and Hard in 1991, the New York basedoutfit pursued a "melodramatic goth rock style" that "encompasseslong songs built on simple riffs, theatrical shouting vocals,churchy-sounding organ and vocal-harmony passages, and the oddmechanical noise".[77] The Origin of the Feces followed in 1992 but itwas their third album Bloody Kisses in 1993 that became theirbreakthrough album[] with a "twistedly affectionate send-up of gothrock conventions" and lyrics that "gleefully wallow in goth clichés -sex, death, Christianity, vampires, more sex, and death".[78] The albumhas since sold nearly a million copies in the United States,[] a surprise

success that "obliged Goths to take notice" of the group.[79] The trademarks of Type O Negative's music include theuse of "downtuned, fuzzy guitars"[80] and a "deep baritone croon"[] from Peter Steele, an "intimidatingly large,sarcastically self-deprecating original, whose dry, dirty one-liners and morbid machismo challenge those who insistthe archetypal Goth is a po-faced androgyne".[81] Type O Negative has since been recognized as a pioneer of thegenre. In a review of their 2007 album Dead Again, critic Greg Prato of Allmusic declared that "before Type ONegative, there was really no such thing as goth metal".[82]

Type O Negative's "Paranoid" (1994)

A gothic interpretation of Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" with a reduced tempo, ambient keyboards and crooning baritonevocals can be found on the 1994 reissue of Type O Negative's second album The Origin of the Feces.

Tiamat's "Whatever That Hurts" (1994)

Gentle whispered vocals are alternated with death metal grunts in this 30 second sample from Tiamat's fourth albumWildhoney.

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The year 1988 saw not only the formation of Paradise Lost but another early gothic metal pioneer, the Swedish bandTiamat. Their debut album Sumerian Cry arrived in 1990 and featured "slightly above average death metal".[83]

Their third album Clouds was released in 1993 as the band's first turning-point, "starkly reducing speed andheaviness for melody and atmosphere".[84] The album made an impact on the European metal community for itsatmospheric doom metal approach "enhanced with keyboards which are never out of place or over-used".[85] Thenext album Wildhoney was unveiled in 1994 as an "artistic and commercial breakthrough, fully realizing the soundhinted at on previous releases and eliciting effusive praise in metal circles for its brooding, Gothic atmospherics".[]

The album featured an interplay of contrasts between delicate acoustic guitar, gentle whispering vocals and angelicchoruses on the one hand and massive riffs, industrial grind and death metal grunting on the other.[86] On subsequentreleases, Tiamat moved further into gothic territory with Johan Edlund "dropping the metal growling in favor of anunearthly croon".[87] The result has seen critics comparing Edlund's vocals to the Sisters of Mercy's Andrew Eldritch,"alongside musical comparisons to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds".[88] The band has been recognized for producingsome of the most "overtly Gothic material" from Scandinavia.[88]

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As far back as 1985, Celtic Frost had used female vocals for some songs on their To Mega Therion album.[89]

Paradise Lost began making similar use of female vocals from their very first album Lost Paradise in 1990.[]

Inspired by the use of female vocals on Paradise Lost's second album Gothic, The Gathering released their debutalbum Always... in 1992 with growling vocalist Bart Smits supported by female singer Marike Groot.[90] The musicon the album was "firmly rooted in the dark, midtempo style of gothic and doom metal".[] Their second albumAlmost a Dance arrived in the following year with new vocalist Niels Duffhues, "a strange choice for the band".[]

Duffhues' "punk-ish" and "alt-rock" style of singing was widely seen as out of place with the music,[][] a perceptionthat was shared by the band themselves,[91] and the album was "largely written off as a result."[] The Gatheringdecided to drop the use of male vocals altogether and instead brought in a lead female vocalist Anneke vanGiersbergen for their third full length Mandylion, an album that "saw the band adventurously breaking away fromthe Gothic Doom fare of previous works".[] The result was considered a "groundbreaking achievement" upon itsrelease in 1995[92] with critics lavishly describing it as "the perfect pinnacle of gothic metal".[93] The Gathering's"introspective atmosphere owed a creative debt to Dead Can Dance, and established them as a leading band in theirnative Holland".[88]

Development

Beauty and the beast

Liv Kristine helped to pioneer the beauty and thebeast approach.

The term "beauty and the beast" refers to an aesthetic contrasting"angelic" female vocals with male growls or aggressive singing.[]

Paradise Lost and The Gathering had already made use of thistechnique on some songs from their earlier albums but it was theNorwegian Theatre of Tragedy that first released an entire albumdevoted to this approach with their self-titled debut in 1995. A secondalbum Velvet Darkness They Fear arrived in the following year.[94]

Theatre of Tragedy's third album Aégis in 1998 saw the band"venturing into fresh musical territory".[94] The piano was replaced byelectronic keyboards while Raymond Rohonyi opted to discard hisdeath growls in favor of a "soft, spoken, sometimes whisperingvoice".[] The music was more clean and soft,[] "stripped of guitar

harshness" but with a "near flawless execution" that "prompted many European critics to award Aégis perfect reviewscores".[94]

Theatre of Tragedy's "A Hamlet for a Slothful Vassal" (1995)

A simultaneous duet between soprano and death vocals can be heard in this 24 second sample from Theatre of Tragedy'sself-titled debut album.

Tristania's "Angina" (1999)

This 30 second sample from Tristania's second album Beyond the Veil feature three distinct vocal styles with a black metalshriek followed by soprano and baritone vocals.

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Other bands that contrast aggressive male vocals and clean female vocals continued to emerge in the late 1990s. Trail of Tears had formed in 1994[95] while Tristania and The Sins of Thy Beloved were formed in 1996.[96][97] All three Norwegian groups released their debut albums in 1998. Tristania stood apart from the others with their use of three distinct vocal styles in the "operatic soprano Vibeke Stene, clean-singing counter-tenor Østen Bergøy, and harsh, black metal-style shrieker Morten Veland".[] Their second album Beyond the Veil in 1999 made use of a ten members choir and featured violin passages from Pete Johansen of The Sins of Thy Beloved,[98] earning "rave

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reviews" across Europe.[] By then, the band had risen to "the top of the goth metal heap"[99] with their "lush,symphonically enhanced" approach.[] They were "dealt a potentially crippling blow" when singer, guitarist andprincipal composer Veland left the group to form Sirenia.[] Tristania has continued to prosper with subsequentreleases[] and has since been "regarded as one of the world's premiere goth metal bands".[]

For over a decade, this beauty and the beast aesthetic has flourished with many representatives across the Europeancontinent.[] Cradle of Filth has also been known to make use of this approach through guest female vocalists such asLiv Kristine and Sarah Jezebel Deva.[] A few critics have since lamented that the approach has been "done to deathby countless bands"[100] to the point that it has become something of a cliché in the genre.Grave Flower is particular in that their frontwoman uses both growls and operatic singing.[101]

Symphonic gothic metal

Sharon den Adel of Within Temptation

Tristania was not the only gothic metal band that brought a symphonicedge to their music. Influenced by the Peaceville trio of Paradise Lost,Anathema and My Dying Bride, the Dutch band Within Temptationwas founded in 1996.[102] A debut album Enter was unveiled in thefollowing year, followed shortly by an EP The Dance.[] Both releasesmade use of the beauty and beast approach delivered by vocalistsSharon den Adel and Robert Westerholt. Their second full lengthMother Earth was released in 2000 and dispensed entirely with thedeath metal vocals, instead "relying solely on den Adel's majestic vocalability".[] The album was a commercial success with their lead single"Ice Queen" topping the charts in Belgium and their nativeNetherlands.[103] Their third album The Silent Force arrived in 2004 asan "ambitious project featuring a full orchestra and 80-voice choiraccompanying the band".[] The result was another commercial successacross Europe[] and introduced "the world of heavy guitars and femalevocals" to "a mainstream audience".[104]

Within Temptation's brand of gothic metal combines "the guitar-drivenforce of hard rock with the sweep and grandeur of symphonic music".[]

The critic Chad Bowar of About.com describes their style as "the optimum balance" between "the melody and hooksof mainstream rock, the depth and complexity of classical music and the dark edge of gothic metal".[105] Thecommercial success of Within Temptation has since resulted in the emergence of a large number of otherfemale-fronted gothic metal bands, particularly in the Netherlands.[106]

Within Temptation's "Mother Earth" (2000)

Rapid orchestral strings move to the forefront on the chorus of this title track from Within Temptation's second albumMother Earth.

Epica's "Façade of Reality" (2003)

Orchestral strings underline this beauty and the beast exchange from Epica's debut album The Phantom Agony.

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Another Dutch band in the symphonic gothic metal strain is After Forever. Their debut album Prison of Desire in 2000 was "a courageous, albeit flawed first study into an admittedly daunting undertaking: to wed heavy metal with progressive rock arrangements and classical music orchestration - then top it all of with equal parts gruesome cookie-monster vocals and a fully qualified opera singer".[107] A second album Decipher followed in 2001 with music that was described by guitarist Sander Gommans as being in the style of Within Temptation.[108] Founding

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member, guitarist and vocalist Mark Jansen departed After Forever only a few months after the release of thisalbum.[109] Jansen would go on to form Epica, another band that performs a blend of gothic and symphonic metal. Adebut album The Phantom Agony emerged in 2003 with music that combines Jansen's death grunts with the "angelictones of a classically trained mezzo-soprano named Simone Simons, over a lush foundation of symphonic powermetal".[110] The music of Epica has been described as combination of "a dark, haunting gothic atmosphere withbombastic and symphonic music".[111] Like Within Temptation and After Forever,[112] Epica has been known tomake use of an orchestra.[] Their 2007 album The Divine Conspiracy was a chart success in their home country.[113]

This blend of symphonic and gothic metal has also been arrived at from the opposite direction. The band Nightwishfrom Finland began as a symphonic power metal act[114] before introducing gothic elements on their 2004 albumOnce,[115] particularly on the single "Wish I Had an Angel".[116] They continued to mix their style of "bombastic,symphonic and cinematic" metal with a gothic atmosphere on their next albums Dark Passion Play in 2007 andImaginaerum in 2011.[117] In the book Rough Guide to Heavy Metal, Essi Berelian describes Nightwish as "gothicfilm score metal".[118] The Swedish group Therion also introduced gothic elements to their brand of symphonicmetal on their 2007 album Gothic Kabbalah.[119][120]

Commercial success

Paradise Lost

With the release of their sixth album One Second in 1997, Paradise Lost brought a more commercial andpop-oriented direction to the genre they had helped created but the success of Draconian Times has not beenovercome.[121] Praised by Eduardo Rivadavia of Allmusic as a "radical but impressive departure", the album drewcomparisons to Depeche Mode with nothing remaining "of their early death/doom metal origins".[122] Subsequentalbums "progressively experimented with electronics and pop elements, with the guitars gradually getting pushedfurther into the background".[] The result was "an accessible sound and a strong emphasis on catchy choruses".[123]

Despite attaining "a huge reputation in Europe, where all of their albums have sold strongly",[] the group's status as"the progenitors of gothic metal" has been "constantly overlooked, both in their homeland and the US, possiblybecause of their determination to never make the same record twice".[]

Cradle of Filth

In contrast, Cradle of Filth has become "one of the very biggest names" in their black metal genre with impressivealbums sales[] and mainstream appearances on MTV,[124] a level of success that has attracted accusations of "sellingout" by the "black metal faithful".[19]

Moonspell and Within Temptation

Moonspell too has "lost a lot of fans who couldn't keep up with the changes" to their music.[] In the opinion ofvocalist Fernando Ribeiro, fans of the early 1990s were "less cynical and more open-minded in their hearts andminds" than they are in 2007.[125] Nonetheless, the band has continued to experience success with their 2006 albumMemorial debuting at number 1 on their native Portuguese charts.[] They were rewarded with the "Best PortugueseAct" award at the 2006 MTV European Music Awards,[126] a feat matched by Within Temptation in the followingyear with the "Best Dutch & Belgian Act" award.[127] Within Temptation further received recognition as theircountry's best selling artist at the 2007 World Music Awards.[128]

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Lacuna Coil

Cristina Scabbia fronts the acclaimed and commerciallysuccessful Lacuna Coil.

The Italian band Lacuna Coil has also become a "premiereact" of the gothic metal genre.[] The group employs both afemale vocalist in Cristina Scabbia and a male vocalist inAndrea Ferro, although the group uses less of a 'beauty andthe beast' style, with Ferro primarily using clean vocals.Formed in Milan in 1994, they released a demo tape in 1996strongly influenced by Paradise Lost and Type ONegative.[129] The band "turned a lot of heads in Italy'sambient/goth scene" with their self-titled EP in 1998.[] Theirdebut album In a Reverie was released in 1999 with a stylethat bore "some similarities to contemporaries like theGathering and Moonspell".[130] Lacuna Coil's music wasalso "more accessible than many of their peers".[131] Asecond album Unleashed Memories arrived in 2001 but itwas their third full length Comalies that became theirbreakthrough album, "highly praised by the metal worldafter its release in October 2002".[] On the strength ofComalies, Lacuna Coil became the most successful artist inthe history of their label Century Media Records as well asthe highest selling rock act in their home country Italy.[]

The band has also achieved the distinction of being the firstand, as of late 2007, the only European gothic metal band tosuccessfully break into the United States market with radioairplay[] and impressive album sales.[] Their highly anticipated[132] fourth album Karmacode was even moresuccessful, debuting at number 28 on the Billboard charts, and also debuting on many European music charts.[] TheComalies and Karmacode albums "reportedly sold nearly 1 million units combined worldwide, a good chunk of thatin the States".[] The band has also performed on the main stage of the American heavy metal festival Ozzfest.[133]

Their last two albums Shallow Life and Dark Adrenaline debuted at number 16[134] and number 15,[] respectively, onthe Billboard charts.

Gothic metal 12

Evanescence

Amy Lee of Evanescence at Maquinária Festival, 2009.

In 2003, the rock group Evanescence from Arkansas,United States also found commercial success with therelease of their debut album Fallen.[135] Their stylerepresents a blend of gothic and alternative metal[136] withcritics drawing comparisons to other alternative metal actslike P.O.D.[137] and Linkin Park.[138] Further comparisonshave since been drawn between Evanescence and gothicmetal groups like Within Temptation and Lacuna Coil.[]

Critic Adrien Begrand of PopMatters wryly notes that whileLacuna Coil "had been tirelessly building a fanbase inEurope since the late 1990s with their listener-friendlybrand of goth metal", they had been overshadowed by "abunch of corn-fed kids from Arkansas with a big publicitymachine behind them [taking] the very sound the Italiansextet had helped pioneer, and present it to the Americansuburban goth kids in a much more pop-oriented, dumbeddown variation".[139] Cammila Albertson of Allmusicsimilarly locates Evanescence as one step further fromgothic metal, offering the description of the band as "a popversion of an already diluted brand of metal".[] WhileFernando Ribeiro of Moonspell contends that Evanescenceis not a metal band,[140] publications such as the New YorkTimes, Rough Guides, Rolling Stone and Blender have

nonetheless identified Evanescence as a gothic metal act.[141][142][143][144] Adrian Jackson, former bassist My DyingBride feels the American group is doing something similar to My Dying Bride music, only in a more commercialdirection.[] Gregor Mackintosh of Paradise Lost notes a generation gap between his group and Evanescence,suggesting that Paradise Lost has only influenced Evanescence indirectly through other acts like Lacuna Coil.[145]

The success of Evanescence has been recognized for opening "new grounds" for gothic metal bands to "explore andconquer".[146]

Gothic metal 13

Ville Valo of HIM cites Type O Negative and thePeaceville Three as some of his influences.[147]

HIM

Another act that has attracted both commercial success and controversyis the band HIM. The group has "not only dominated the charts in theirnative Finland but also across Europe and in particular Germany".[]

Their debut album arrived in 1997 as Greatest Lovesongs, Vol. 666with music that "combines metal with '80s rock and some gothinfluences".[148] HIM began moving towards a more "polished pop"direction on their next album Razorblade Romance in 2000.[] The banddescribes their "Sabbath-meets-Depeche Mode sound" as LoveMetal,[149] the title of their fourth album in 2003. Their subsequentrelease two years later Dark Light was their breakthrough album in theUnited States with a debut at number 18 on the Billboard charts,[150] afeat exceeded when their next album Venus Doom in 2007 made adebut at number 12.[][151] Critic Lance Teegarden of PopMatters notesthat HIM is "not the sort of act that conjures up a lukewarm response[as] people either like them or discredit them outright".[152]

Finnish scene

In the 21st century, gothic metal has enjoyed a strong mainstream presence in Finland with many representativesenjoying commercial success. In addition to the aforementioned HIM,[153] the bands Charon,[154] Entwine,[155] ForMy Pain...,[156] Lullacry,[157] Poisonblack,[158] Sentenced,[159] and To/Die/For[160] have all found their singles oralbums hitting the top ten of the Finnish charts. Of these bands, Sentenced notably formed as far back as 1989[161]

with their early albums in the melodic and blackened death metal vein. For My Pain... was formed as a supergroupwith members from other prominent bands in Finland including Nightwish, Embraze, Eternal Tears of Sorrow andReflexion.[162]

References• Baddeley, Gavin (2002). Gothic Chic: A Connoisseur's Guide to Dark Culture. London: Plexus Publishing

Limited. ISBN 0-85965-308-0.• Berelian, Essi (2005). The Rough Guide to Heavy Metal. London: Rough Guides. ISBN 1-84353-415-0.• Buckley, Peter; Buckley, Jonathan (2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. London: Rough Guides.

ISBN 1-84353-105-4.• Day, Peter (2006). Vampires: Myths and Metaphors of Enduring Evil. New York: Rodopi. ISBN 90-420-1669-8.• Gunn, Joshua (2007). "Dark Admissions: Gothic Subculture and the Ambivalence of Misogyny and Resistance".

In Goodlad, Lauren M. E.; Bibby, Michael. Goth: Undead Subculture (Durham: Duke University Press): 41–65.ISBN 0-8223-3921-8.

• Kavka, Misha (2007). "The Gothic on Screen". In Hogle, Jerrold E. The Cambridge Companion to Gothic Fiction(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press): 209–228. ISBN 0-521-79466-8.

• Kilpatrick, Nancy (2004). The Goth Bible: A Compendium for the Darkly Inclined. New York: St. Martin'sGriffin. ISBN 0-312-30696-2.

• Hoskyns, Barney (2004). Into the Void: Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath. London: Omnibus Press.ISBN 1-84449-150-1.

• Kahn-Harris, Keith (2007). Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge. Oxford: Berg Publishers.ISBN 1-84520-399-2.

Gothic metal 14

• Leguay, Stephane; Glenadel, Mario (2006). Carnets noirs: musiques, attitudes, cultures gothiques, électroniques& industrielles Acte 1 La scène internationale. Paris: E-dite. ISBN 2-84608-176-X.

• Punter, David; Byron, Glennis (2004). The Gothic. Malden: Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 0-631-22063-1.• Sharpe-Young, Garry (2007). Metal: The Definitive Guide. London: Jawbone Press. ISBN 978-1-906002-01-5.• Thompson, Dave; Greene, Jo-Ann (November 1994). "Undead Undead Undead" [163]. Alternative Press.

Notes

External links• Goth metal (http:/ / www. allmusic. com/ explore/ style/ d11955) at Allmusic

Article Sources and Contributors 15

Article Sources and ContributorsGothic metal  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=570657630  Contributors: A Man In Black, Aaron Brenneman, Aaron Schulz, Ad Nauseam, Ada Kataki, Adadas, Alansohn,Allinduetime, Alpha Ursae Minoris, Andreteix, Andrew777, Angelicame, Anger22, AnkarayaSamura, Anobo, Apoc2400, Arm, Asarlaí, AtticusX, Avador, BDD, Bardin, Barticus88, Baskilainen,BatlordCarcas, Bcorr, Beadrx, BeastmasterGeneral, Bezo999, Bgold4, Binary TSO, BlackDoggie, Blackmetalbaz, Blue bear sd, Bryan, Caesura, CaptainSpaulding1978, Captainfranz, Caw89,Chadwicklive, Chairman S., Cheeseus, Chris the speller, CircafuciX, Circeus, Closetoeuphoria, Cloudy, Cmdrjameson, Coiler fan, Cold103, Cparker, Crescentia, Cronodevir, Crusheer,Crystalcrusader, Cursarion, CyberVyrus, D0c, Daddy Kindsoul, Damieng, DanMS, Dannyf591, Danteferno, Darkwind, David Gerard, DeadLeafEcho, DeanBaetz, Dear cobain, Deathtrix666,Deb, Deltabeignet, Dexter prog, Dishandspoon2008, Djh101, Dom Kaos, Drake144, Drastisch, Dude101.2, Dwnsjane2, Editorxd, EinzelGaengerin, Ejrrjs, Epbr123, Epica124, Esradekan,Eternalembrace, FMAFan1990, Fair Deal, Favonian, Filiandismal, FireCrystal, Fishnet37222, Fixer88, Florian Blaschke, FordPrefect42, Fraggle81, Fratrep, Fred Bauder, Fred138, Friginator,Frostie Jack, Funeraldoom, G Rose, Gaff, Gargaj, Garret Beaumain, Gauss, Gerbrant, Gizmonicgamer, GoingBatty, Gorguts, Gothbag, Gothic Hero, Grice, Gtrmp, Gunmetal Angel, Gurch,Halloween burns, Halsteadk, Harryboyles, Hebrides, Hooperbloob, Hqb, Hwasungmars, ITshnik, IainP, Ian Pitchford, IbLeo, Idont Havaname, ImaginaryVoncroy, In Flames, Indopug, Inhumer,Iopq, Ireneo.e, Isnow, Ivan Bajlo, J Milburn, JanderVK, Jeff G., Jevansen, Jitse Niesen, Jmartinsson, Jogers, Johan Rachmaninov, John, John Lennon Boy, John of Reading, Johnleemk, Joost,Jotsko, Kameejl, Kamikaze1213, Kate, Kbdank71, KeithB, Ketiltrout, Kingturtle, KnightRider, Knowledgehouse, KoRnFreak87, Krash, Kungfuadam, KyleSvoboda, Kylotan, La Pizza11,Leyasu, Leyasu1, Li-sung, LiDaobing, Light077, Logical Defense, Logixoul, Lothar von Richthofen, Lugia2453, Lygophile, M.nelson, MBisanz, MER-C, METALGOD42088, MPF, MacintoshUser, Mad2Physicist, Mahanga, Marcorox, Mark Arsten, Marnues, Martin Wisse, MathKnight, MatthewCox, Mav, Mayaxxx, Mcg182m, Mdwh, MegX, Melkahb, MelkorNL, Menorrhea,Merqurial, Message From Jim Wales, MetalsMainLady, Mezmerizer, Michael Hardy, Michaelas10, Midnightdreary, Mike Rosoft, Misslynx, Moe Epsilon, Mrendo, Mushroom, Mwidunn,Mwtoews, MyTemple, Myxomatosis57, N3X15, NGPriest, NailPuppy, Nakon, Necromancer, Nightquest, Nikai, Nite-Sirk, Noah Salzman, Norms360, Nova Weaver, ONEder Boy,Omgomgomg888, PK2, Parasti, Pasajero, Paul foord, Peter Fleet, Phil Sandifer, Philippe, Pino72, Politepunk, Pony1987, Prolog, Prophaniti, Pwnage8, Qwerty Binary, RJN, Rabidgirlscout, RayDassen, Richard BB, Rink, Rjwilmsi, Rlevse, Robchurch, Rockgenre, RomikQ, Ryouga, SMC, SWAdair, Sabrebd, Sam Spade, Sammyo56, Samuel Blanning, SandyGeorgia, Sardanaphalus,Sbgrant, Sceptre, Schmloof, Seegoon, Segway, Seth Ilys, Seth66, ShadowMark-182, ShakingSpirit, ShelfSkewed, Sheridan, Shyoru, Signalhead, Silverkey, Simon Beavis, Sir.phreak, Skullord,Slugguitar, Solino, Soulfood2go, Spearhead, Squizz48, St.HocusPocus, Stargazer eternal, Steeev, Steenhuys, Stormie, Strappingthesource, Sun Creator, Sunak, Supersonic^, Sysy, TON90TON,TUF-KAT, Tassedethe, Tearlach, Techtonik, Template namespace initialisation script, The Haunted Angel, The Random Editor, The WilD ChilD, TheDarknessVisible, TheRyk, Thrashrabbit,Thrissel, Tony Sidaway, Turemetalfan, U.Steele, UnholyDiver, Unreal7, V111P, VandalismCorrecter, Vanished user vjhsduheuiui4t5hjri, Vanquisher.UA, Velvetone Fusion, Visor, Vvven, Vziel,Wackymacs, Webclient101, WesleyDodds, Wiki alf, Wiki libs, Wildnox, Wisdom89, Wolf Feroz, Wolfborn, Woohookitty, XKrozz, Xr 1, Yaakov Pinus, Zanny77, Zazaban, Zoicon5, 1022anonymous edits

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