Goth metal (also called Gothic metal) is a crossover between heavy metal music and goth music itself; although the term 'metal' is debated by those who say it is mainly goth music. It developed in the early 1990s in Europe and the United States. Goth metal has proven somewhat difficult to categorise. Some fans and musicians have a firm concept of genre and subgenre, but others reject such categorisation as limiting or useless. There is often significant crossover from one category to another, and often the influence of non-metal music. Heavy metal is a form of music characterised by aggressive, driving rhythms and highly amplified distorted guitars, generally with grandiose lyrics and virtuosic instrumentation. ... Psychedelic music draws its inspiration from the experience of mind-altering drugs such as cannabis, psilocybin, mescaline, ecstasy and especially LSD. Characteristic features of the style include modal melodies, lengthy instrumental solos, esoteric lyrics and trippy special effects such as reversed, distorted, delayed and/or phased sounds. ... Classical music is a broad, somewhat imprecise term, referring to music produced in, or rooted in the traditions of, European art, ecclesiastical and concert music, particularly between 1000 and 1900. ... The British blues is a type of blues music that originated in the late 1950s. ... The 1960s, or The Sixties, in its most obvious sense refers to the decade between 1960 and 1969, but the expression has taken on a wider meaning over the past twenty years. ... A musical instrument is a device that has been constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... The classical guitar typically has 3 nylon and 3 nickel-wound strings. ... Fender Precision Bass Bass Guitar is a popular term that refers to electric and acoustic basses - stringed instruments similar in design to the guitar, but with longer scale and tuned lower in pitch. ... For other kinds of drums, see drum (disambiguation). ... A number of overlapping heavy metal genres have developed since the emergence of heavy metal music in the late 1960s. ... Avant garde metal, sometimes called experimental, is a subgenre of heavy metal characterized by large amounts of experimentation and by non-standard sounds, instruments, and song structures. ... Black metal is a musical genre related to styles of heavy metal such as death metal. ... Celtic metal is a sub-genre of black metal. ... Christian metal is a form of heavy metal music with explicitly Christian lyrics and themes. ... Classic metal is a genre of heavy metal music which is characterized by thumping fast basslines, fast, but less heavy riffs, extended lead guitar solos, high pitched vocals and anthemic choruses. ... Death metal is a type of heavy metal music with thrash metal influences which emerged in the United States (especially Florida and California), Europe (especially the United Kingdom and Sweden) and Canada in the late 1980s and early 1990s. ... Doom metal is a form of heavy metal that emerged as a recognised subgenre in the mid-1980s. ... Folk metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal that incorporates elements of folk music. ... Funk metal is a type of music that incorporates hard-driving heavy metal guitar riffs and the pounding bass rhythms characteristic of funk. ... Groove metal, half-thrash, or post-thrash is a subgenre of thrash metal which took its current form during the early 1990s. ... Hair metal is a type of heavy metal music that arose in the late 1970s, in the United States, and was a strong force in popular music throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. ... Melodic death metal is generally considered an offshoot of death metal. ... Neo-classical metal is a subgenre of the heavy metal music heavily influenced by classical music. ... National Socialist black metal, commonly known as Nazi black metal or NSBM, is a subgenre of black metal music concerned with ideas of racial separatism and the Aryan race. ... Oriental metal is a crossover between death metal and doom metal, influenced by ancient Jewish traditions and the oriental culture. ... Power metal is a style of heavy metal music. ... Progressive metal (shortened to prog, or prog metal when differentiating from progressive rock) is a heavy brand of progressive rock which is characterized by the use of complex compositional structures, odd time signatures, and other features. ... Speed metal is a genre of heavy metal that is often mistaken for thrash metal but tends to be more melodic and less punk-oriented. ... Tech metal is a subgenre of heavy metal / Death metal. ... Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music. ... Vampiric Black Metal is a relatively unknown subspecies of Black Metal. ... Vedic metal is a form of Heavy metal music popularized in South Asia and South East Asia. ... Viking metal is a sub-genre of black metal music. ... Alternative metal is a branch of heavy metal music, characterized by some heavy metal trappings, but usually a pronounced experimental edge, including unconventional lyrics, odd tempo, unusual musical instruments or extended techniques. ... Grindcore is an extreme form of Heavy Metal related to Death Metal, but historically formed by combining elements of early Thrash Metal (which predated the advent of Death Metal) and Hardcore Punk. ... Sometimes seen as distinct from grunge itself, although combining elements of both grunge and metal. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Metalcore is a musical genre consisting of a mix between heavy metal and hardcore. ... Nu metal (or aggro metal) is a subgenre of heavy metal music. ... Stoner Metal and Sludge Metal are often used interchangeably, but some fans make distinctions: Sludge metal has more similarities with grindcore and hardcore punk. ... Rap metal is a musical genre that takes influence from both rap music and heavy metal music. ... Thrashcore, or thrash, is a combination of thrash metal and hardcore punk music. ... Scandinavian death metal concerns the death metal bands of Scandinavian origin. ... The New Wave of American Heavy Metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music whose name comes from the late 70s New Wave of British Heavy Metal. ... The New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) emerged in the late 1970s, in part a reaction to the decline (or over-popularity, and therefore untouchable status) of traditional heavy metal bands such as Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath. ... Possessed press photo, circa 1987 Bay Area thrash metal, or Bay Area Thrash, referred to a steady following of heavy metal bands in the 1980s who formed and gained international status in the San Francisco Bay Area, California. ... Black metal is a musical genre, related to styles of heavy metal, such as death metal. ... Heavy metal fashion is the style of dress, body modification, make-up, hairstyle, and so on, affected by many fans of heavy metal, or, as they are often called, metalheads. ... This is a timeline of heavy metal or hard rock, from its beginnings in the late 60s to the present time. ... // Alternative metal Faith No More Fantômas The Melvins Mr. ... Avant-Garde metal Arcturus Corrosion Of Conformity Crotchduster Darth Vegas Dog Fashion Disco Fantômas Headkase Kayo Dot Maudlin of the Well Mr. ... The graphic designer added the umlaut to the cover of Motörheads first album for æsthetic reasons. ... Heavy metal is a form of music characterised by aggressive, driving rhythms and highly amplified distorted guitars, generally with grandiose lyrics and virtuosic instrumentation. ... This article is about notable bands within the goth scene. ... World map showing location of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ...

Beginnings (1983-1990)

The earliest stage of goth metal could be traced to bands in the 1980s who utilized goth rock aesthetics with metallic songwriting. Although Glenn Danzig's Samhain made some attribution of this, Christian Death are regarded as the first and most influential of the genre. 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 early role for their "gothic-sounding" atmospherics. This article is about notable bands within the goth scene. ... Samhain was a band formed by Glenn Danzig after he disbanded The Misfits. ... // Christian Death is a band name that originally applied to a Los Angeles death rock group during the post punk era in the early 1980s, but after some major line up changes (which resulted at one point, during the mid 1990s, in two bands with the name Christian... Rozz Williams Rozz Williams (November 6, 1963 - April 1, 1998) was the lead singer and founder of Christian Death. ... Celtic Frost was a European black metal band. ... Black metal is a musical genre related to styles of heavy metal such as death metal. ...

Forward (1990-present)

In the 1990s, a group of young bands in Northern England borrowed from the early goth metal sound of the 1980s and incorporated it with the slow, downtuned guitar dirges of Black Sabbath. 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 Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride, and Anathema. Clockwise starting from the left, Bill Ward, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Ozzy Osbourne This article is about the British heavy metal band. ... Paradise Lost (undated band photo) Paradise Lost are a heavy metal band formed in 1988 in Halifax, UK. Along with countrymates Anathema and My Dying Bride, they are credited for creating the subgenre known as Doom/Death. Ironically, the band are almost unknown in their home country, but in mainland... My Dying Bride are a British Death metal/Goth metal/Doom metal hybrid. ... Anathema Anathema is an English band from the city of Liverpool, which together with Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride developed the doom metal genre. ...

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 metal styles - Tiamat, Theatre of Tragedy, and Lake of Tears being a few examples. Although Paradise Lost, Anathema used some female vocals in their music, Norway's Theatre of Tragedy was the first goth metal with a leading female singer, Liv Kristine Espenaes-Krull Death metal is a type of heavy metal music with thrash metal influences which emerged in the United States (especially Florida and California), Europe (especially the United Kingdom and Sweden) and Canada in the late 1980s and early 1990s. ... Black metal is a musical genre related to styles of heavy metal such as death metal. ... Tiamat is a Swedish gothic metal band. ... The band Theatre of Tragedy Theatre of Tragedy is a Norwegian band from Stavanger, originally assembled in 1993 and best known for their earlier albums, which were to a great extent the basis for the development of Scandinavian goth metal. ... Lake of Tears is a Swedish metal band. ... Paradise Lost (undated band photo) Paradise Lost are a heavy metal band formed in 1988 in Halifax, UK. Along with countrymates Anathema and My Dying Bride, they are credited for creating the subgenre known as Doom/Death. Ironically, the band are almost unknown in their home country, but in mainland... Anathema Anathema is an English band from the city of Liverpool, which together with Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride developed the doom metal genre. ... The band Theatre of Tragedy Theatre of Tragedy is a Norwegian band from Stavanger, originally assembled in 1993 and best known for their earlier albums, which were to a great extent the basis for the development of Scandinavian goth metal. ... Liv Kristine Espenaes Krull (born February 14, 1976 in Stavanger, Norway), commonly known as Liv Kristine, is a singer who had her first success with the band Theatre of Tragedy, which she left in 2003. ...

Similarly, New York City's Type O Negative had some connections to death metal and thrash metal with lead singer/bassist's Peter Steele's earlier group, Carnivore. 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. Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the United States, and is at the center of international finance, politics, entertainment, and culture. ... This article is about a band. ... Death metal is a type of heavy metal music with thrash metal influences which emerged in the United States (especially Florida and California), Europe (especially the United Kingdom and Sweden) and Canada in the late 1980s and early 1990s. ... Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music. ... Carnivore was a band formed by 6 foot 6 inch tall, former sanitation worker, Peter Steele (later of Type O Negative fame), and was formed out of the ruins of the Brooklyn hard rock group Fallout. ...

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 doom metal elements and male death vocals significantly. These bands include The Gathering (Netherlands), Within Temptation (Netherlands), Lacuna Coil (Italy) and Lacrimosa (Germany). Some of these bands also combined electronic sounds and mainstream rock music with the traditional Gothic metal sound to create a lighter and more accessible form of the genre. Doom metal is a form of heavy metal that emerged as a recognised subgenre in the mid-1980s. ... The Gathering The Gathering is a Dutch metal band which came to fame in the second half of 1990s with its unique blend of atmospheric, almost ambient sound and the compelling vocals of the passionate Anneke van Giersbergen. ... Within Temptation is a symphonic metal band from the Netherlands, formed by guitarist Robert Westerholt in 1996. ... Lacuna Coil is an Italian goth metal band formed in Milan, Italy, in 1996. ... Lacrimosa is a section of the Requiem mass. ... Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ...

The Gothic metal scene is currently very developed in Northern Europe, especially Norway. World map showing location of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ...

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 goth metal genre.

When widespread news events surrounded Marilyn Manson, 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 of such. The growing popularity of industrial music 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 subculture. Marilyn Manson, Circa Holy Wood Marilyn Manson is a band based in Hollywood, California that can be described as shock rock, neo-glam rock, and arguably industrial metal. The lead singer of the band, Brian Warner, also performs under the name Marilyn Manson. ... Industrial music is a loose term for a number of different styles of electronic and experimental music. ... This article may be too technical for most readers to understand. ...

Although gothic metal - like most metal subgenres - is difficult to classify, some main attributes have remained fairly consistent:

• lyrics focus on a variety of subjects: religion and God, heaven and hell, romance, (gothic) horror, depression, bereavement, emptiness, and death. Typically, the subjects are set in a pre-20th

century environment. The term God (capitalized in English language as a proper noun) is often used to refer to a Supreme Being. ...

• vocals are either sung by a male vocalist, female vocalist, or both. The male vocals are either in a deep tenor, or death grunt. 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 doom metal. 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 power metal and symphonic metal. In music, a tenor is a male singer with a high voice (although not as high as a countertenor). ... Death grunt - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Doom metal is a form of heavy metal that emerged as a recognised subgenre in the mid-1980s. ... Power metal is a style of heavy metal music. ... Symphonic Metal is a subclass of the genre of metal music in general. ...

List of Gothic metal bands

• Aesma Daeva (USA) - Official Band web site
• After Forever (Netherlands)
• AraPacis (Canada)
• Ashes You Leave (Croatia)
• Charon (Finland)
• Dreams of Sanity (Austria) - BNR summary
• Darkwell (Austria) [1]
• Edenbridge (Austria)
• Elis (Liechtenstein)
• Entwine (Finland)
• Epica (Netherlands)
• Haggard (Germany) - BNR summary
• Killing Miranda (UK)
• Lacrimas Profundere
• Lacrimosa (Germany)
• Lacuna Coil (Italy) - BNR summary
• Lake of Tears (Sweden)
• Leicohtica (Australia) - [2]
• the missing: (USA) - Official Band web site
• Moi Dix Mois (Japan)
• Moonspell (Portugal)
• More (Italy)
• My Dying Bride (UK)
• Myriads (Norway)
• Paradise Lost (UK)
• Poema Arcanus (Chile)
• Rotting Christ (Greece) - BNR summary
• Saviour Machine (USA) - Official Band Website
• Septic Flesh (Greece)
• Seraphim (Taiwan)
• Sirenia (Norway) - BNR summary
• Theatre of Tragedy (Norway) - BNR Summary
• The Gathering (Netherlands)
• The Sins Of Thy Beloved (Norway)
• Tiamat (Germany) (formerly Sweden)
• Trail of Tears (Norway) - BNR summary
• Tristania (Norway) - BNR summary
• Type O Negative (USA)
• Xandria (Germany)
• Within Temptation (Netherlands)
• Without Face (Hungary)
• Velvetcut (Finland)

Aesma Daeva is a goth band from Minneapolis Minnesota USA ... Floor Jansen After Forever is a goth metal band from the Netherlands, which relies on the use of both soprano vocals and death grunts. ... Canadian hard rock/prog metal/goth metal band, formed in 2003 by former Miranie Morissette guitarist Jerry Fielden. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... Despite their death metal beginnings, the Finnish band Charon play goth_rock_influenced metal nowadays, and rely on a combination of melody and atmosphere to deliver their own melancholic brand of music. ... Dreams of Sanity was a symphonic metal band from Austria. ... Edenbridge can refer to either of the following: Edenbridge - a town in the Weald of Kent, England. ... Elis, or Eleia (Greek, Modern: Ήλιδα Ilida, Ancient/Katharevousa: Ήλις, also Ilis, Doric: Άλις) is an ancient district within the modern prefecture of Ilia. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The band Epica Epica is a Dutch goth metal band which puts emphasis on the use of operatic elements, also employing death grunts and song passages in the Latin language. ... Haggard is a German Gothic Metal Band founded in 1991. ... Killing Miranda are a British goth metal band comprising Rikky (vocals), Irish Dave (bass), Alien Dave (guitar) and Belle (drums). ... Lacrimas Profundere is a goth metal band from Germany formed in the year of 1993. ... Lacrimosa is a section of the Requiem mass. ... Lacuna Coil is an Italian goth metal band formed in Milan, Italy, in 1996. ... Lake of Tears is a Swedish metal band. ... Leicohtica A two-piece goth metal band from wagga wagga australia, with only one EP released to date. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Moonspell is a goth metal band from Portugal, initially formed in 1989 as Morbid God by Fernando Ribeiro (drums) and Ares (vocals) and two others as a black metal band. ... MOREGothic Metal band from Italy. ... My Dying Bride are a British Death metal/Goth metal/Doom metal hybrid. ... Paradise Lost (undated band photo) Paradise Lost are a heavy metal band formed in 1988 in Halifax, UK. Along with countrymates Anathema and My Dying Bride, they are credited for creating the subgenre known as Doom/Death. Ironically, the band are almost unknown in their home country, but in mainland... Rotting Christ is an Athens, Greece-based black metal/death metal band formed in 1987. ... Saviour Machine is a gothic metal band from the USA. // Pre-Legend The band emerged in the summer of 1989 and recorded and released their first demos in 1990. ... Septic Flesh were a gothic-influenced death metal band from Athens, Greece with dark and macabre synth atmospherics very similar to famed countrymates Rotting Christ. ... Sirenia is a Gothic Metal band from Stavanger, Norway. ... The band Theatre of Tragedy Theatre of Tragedy is a Norwegian band from Stavanger, originally assembled in 1993 and best known for their earlier albums, which were to a great extent the basis for the development of Scandinavian goth metal. ... The Gathering The Gathering is a Dutch metal band which came to fame in the second half of 1990s with its unique blend of atmospheric, almost ambient sound and the compelling vocals of the passionate Anneke van Giersbergen. ... Sins of Thy Beloved is a gothic metal band from Norway. ... Tiamat is a Swedish gothic metal band. ... Tristania Tristania is a goth metal band from Norway, formed in the end of 1996 by Morten Veland, Einar Moen and Kenneth Olsson. ... This article is about a band. ... Within Temptation is a symphonic metal band from the Netherlands, formed by guitarist Robert Westerholt in 1996. ... Without Face Without Face is a Hungarian progressive metal band formed in Veszprém, Hungary in 1997. ...

See also

• Goth
• Gothic Rock

A goth girl as seen on the satirical cartoon, South Park. ... Gothic rock evolved out of post punk during the late 1970s. ...

External links

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:

• Goth Metal World - band reviews, band database, radio, forums.

Official websites of Goth Metal bands:

• 69 Eyes
• After Forever
• AraPacis
• Ashes You Leave
• Asrai
• Charon
• Dreams of Sanity
• Entwine
• Epica
• Haggard
• Killing Miranda
• Lacrimas Profundere
• Lacrimosa
• Lacuna Coil
• Lake of Tears
• Moonspell
• More
• Octavia Sperati
• Paradise Lost
• Poema Arcanus
• Rotting Christ
• Sirenia
• Theatre of Tragedy
• Therion
• Tiamat
• The Gathering
• The Sins of Thy Beloved
• Trail of Tears
• Tristania
• Type O Negative
• Xandria
• Within Temptation
• Velvetcut