Gothic metal (or goth metal) is a mix of genres that combines the intense energy of heavy metal with the dark and mysterious feelings of gothic rock. The music of gothic metal varies, as bands use the gothic style in different heavy metal forms. This genre began in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom, growing from death-doom, which is a mix of death metal and doom metal. Lyrics are often dark and focused on personal thoughts, drawing inspiration from gothic fiction and individual experiences.
Early pioneers of gothic metal include Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride, and Anathema, all from northern England. Other early pioneers from the first half of the 1990s include Type O Negative from the United States, Lake of Tears, Tiamat, and Katatonia from Sweden, and the Gathering from the Netherlands. A Norwegian band called Theatre of Tragedy helped develop the "beauty and the beast" style, which combines aggressive male vocals with clean female vocals. This contrast had been used before, but it became a regular feature in gothic metal. During the mid-1990s, bands like Moonspell, Theatres des Vampires, Rotting Christ, and Cradle of Filth brought the gothic style to black metal. By the end of the decade, a symphonic metal version of gothic metal was created by Tristania and Within Temptation. Nightwish also added gothic metal elements to their mix of symphonic metal and power metal.
In the 2000s, gothic metal became more popular in Europe, especially in Finland, where groups such as Entwine, Charon, HIM, Lullacry, the 69 Eyes, and Poisonblack released hit songs or top-selling albums. In the United States, only a few bands, such as Type O Negative and Evanescence, achieved some level of commercial success.
Etymology
Some musicians have argued against being called gothic, including Rozz Williams of Christian Death and Andrew Eldritch of the Sisters of Mercy. In the gothic metal music style, members of groups like After Forever and Nightwish have also said it wasn't important or didn't want to be called gothic.
Characteristics
The music of gothic metal is usually described by its dark and mysterious mood. The word "dark" is often used to explain gothic music, while other less common terms include deep, romantic, passionate, and intense. Gothic metal is sometimes seen as "a mix of the sadness and loneliness of goth rock with the loud, heavy sound of metal." Allmusic describes the genre as combining "the cold, icy feelings of goth rock with the loud guitars and strong energy of heavy metal." It also says that true goth metal is always influenced by goth rock, with soft, magical sounds and spooky textures being just as important as guitar riffs.
Gothic metal is a diverse genre with bands exploring many different styles, from "slow and heavy music" to "grand and powerful sounds." Bands like Anathema, Paradise Lost, and My Dying Bride, who started the genre, often used a style called doom metal. Later bands, such as Artrosis, Ava Inferi, and Draconian, also used this style. Other bands, like Cradle of Filth, Theatres des Vampires, and early Moonspell, used a style called black metal, which later influenced groups like Graveworm and Samsas Traum.
Gothic metal has many different ways people sing. Male singers range from deep, growling voices and loud, sharp sounds, like those of Dani Filth and Morten Veland, to smooth, deep voices like Østen Bergøy and the low tones of Peter Steele. Female singers include those who scream or growl, like Cadaveria, those with soft, pop-style voices like Tanja Lainio from Lullacry, and those who sing like opera singers, like Vibeke Stene from Tristania. More female singers are found in gothic metal than in any other metal subgenre, but female voices are not required to define the genre. Liv Kristine of Theatre of Tragedy and Leaves' Eyes says the word "gothic" is sometimes misunderstood, and not all bands with female singers are gothic. Gothic metal also has more female fans compared to other metal genres.
The lyrics in gothic metal are often dramatic, imaginative, romantic, dark, or sad. The three English bands that helped start the genre used gloomy lyrics because of their connection to doom metal, while their darker or more dramatic lyrics were influenced by goth rock. The music of My Dying Bride is known for lyrics that focus on betrayal and pain. Anathema's songs often talk about suicide and the emptiness of life, and Paradise Lost has always had a sad, heavy tone in their music.
Gothic fiction, a type of writing that mixes horror and romance, has inspired many gothic metal bands, including Cadaveria, Cradle of Filth, Moonspell, Theatres des Vampires, and Xandria. Critic Eduardo Rivadavia of Allmusic says drama and sad beauty are important parts of the genre. My Dying Bride often writes about death, sadness, lost love, and romance. The theme of lost love is common in gothic metal, as seen in bands like Theatre of Tragedy and Leaves' Eyes.
Many gothic metal bands write lyrics based on personal experiences, such as Anathema, Elis, Evanescence, Tiamat, Midnattsol, and the Old Dead Tree. Graveworm chose to write about personal stories instead of fantasy after finding them more fitting for their music. Italian band Lacuna Coil also avoids fantasy themes, as their co-vocalist Cristina Scabbia believes people should be able to connect with their lyrics. Similarly, Lullacry writes about love, hate, passion, and pain because people can relate to songs about human relationships. Some bands, like Saviour Machine and Virgin Black, write about Christian religious themes and personal faith.
History
Heavy metal music is often seen by members of the goth subculture as the opposite of what their music represents. Unlike gothic music, which is usually described as softer and more feminine, heavy metal is typically linked to aggression and masculinity. However, some people believe that Black Sabbath's 1970 self-titled debut album was the first "Goth-rock" record. Gavin Baddeley notes that the album's title track includes descriptions of a satanic rite with sounds of rain and bells, and the album cover shows a pale, ghost-like girl in a graveyard. Other writers have called Black Sabbath the "absolute prototype gothic heavies" and suggested that removing the heavy metal elements from their first five albums could create a strong goth album with all the key features of the genre.
The music of bands like Rainbow, Dio, and Judas Priest, with their medieval and minor-key sounds, has also been described as gothic before goth rock became a post-punk genre. Bands such as Blue Öyster Cult and Iron Maiden included gothic themes in songs like "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" and "Phantom of the Opera." Deep Purple's "Stormbringer" has been called a "goth metal treasure." The Danish band Mercyful Fate showed a strong interest in gothic themes, such as evil and the occult. King Diamond, the band's frontman, continued exploring gothic storytelling in his solo career with concept albums that used sound effects and songs to tell horror stories. In the 1980s, Glenn Danzig of the Misfits blended heavy metal with gothic elements. After his band Samhain ended in 1988, Danzig created his own band and combined heavy metal riffs with a romanticized, brooding gothic style.
The Swiss band Celtic Frost was also an early influence on gothic metal. They took inspiration from goth rock bands like Bauhaus and Siouxsie and the Banshees and combined violent black metal with classical music elements. This mix was called "avant-garde" and had a major impact on European heavy metal. Christofer Johnsson of the band Therion said that Celtic Frost's 1987 album Into the Pandemonium played a key role in the development of gothic and symphonic metal in the 1990s. He added that bands like Therion and Paradise Lost would not have sounded the same without Celtic Frost's influence.
Gothic rock began as a part of post-punk in the 1980s. By the late 1980s, the genre split into different directions. Some bands, like the Cure and Siouxsie and the Banshees, added more pop and alternative elements, while others, such as the Sisters of Mercy, Fields of the Nephilim, and Christian Death, took a heavier, more metal-influenced approach. The Sisters of Mercy were a leading goth band in the 1980s, blending metal and psychedelia with slow, gloomy rhythms and dance beats. They released three full-length albums, with their debut First and Last and Always in 1985 and their final album Vision Thing in 1990, which was one of the first attempts to mix gothic music with heavy metal. Fields of the Nephilim released three studio albums before dissolving in 1991 but later reunited and influenced many metal bands in the early 2000s with their use of symphonic and keyboard sounds.
According to AllMusic, goth metal began in the early to mid-1980s in Los Angeles with the "death-rock" scene led by the band Christian Death. Recognized as the "founding fathers of American goth rock," Christian Death changed leaders in 1985 when their founder, Rozz Williams, left. Under the new guitarist Valor Kand, the band shifted toward a more metal style. Their 1988 album Sex and Drugs and Jesus Christ was described by critic Steve Huey as "heavy goth-rock bordering on metal."
As a musical style, gothic metal truly began in the early 1990s in northern England. The bands Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride, and Anathema were central to the movement and are considered pioneers of the death/doom subgenre, which gothic metal evolved from. These bands were signed to Peaceville Records in the early 1990s and are known as the "Peaceville Three." They were influenced by both aggressive death metal and the bleak, dark sound of the band Dead Can Dance.
Paradise Lost formed in 1988 in Halifax, England. Their 1990 debut album Lost Paradise helped define doom/death metal with heavy, distorted guitar riffs and guttural vocals. The band quickly evolved, and their 1991 album Gothic marked a shift in style with cleaner guitar sounds and the use of keyboards and female vocals. Gothic became a hit in Europe, especially Germany, and is now seen as one of the most influential albums in heavy metal for creating the gothic metal genre. Their 1992 album Shades of God continued this evolution, and their 1993 album Icon used synthesizers, timpani, and female vocals to create a more experimental sound. By 1995, their album Draconian Times blended gothic rock with heavy metal. These five albums are now considered foundational to the genre, with Paradise Lost often credited as the band that started the gothic metal movement.
My Dying Bride formed in 1990 in Bradford. Their 1991 EP Symphonaire Infernus et Spera Empyrium gained attention, followed by their 1991 debut album As the Flower Withers, which was praised for transforming the doom genre. They added a violinist for their 1993 album Turn Loose the Swans, which introduced more romantic and dark elements. Their 1995 album The Angel and the Dark River marked a shift to using clean vocals instead of death growls, and the band focused on using violins and keyboards to create a more atmospheric sound.