Gothic metal

Gothic metal (also called Goth metal) is a crossover between heavy metal music and gothic music itself; although the term 'metal' is debated by those who say it is mainly gothic music. It developed in the early 1990s in Europe and the United States. Gothic 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.

Beginnings (1983-1990)

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The earliest stage of gothic metal could be traced to bands

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in the 1980s who utilized goth rock aesthetics with metallic

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songwriting. Although Glenn Danzig's Samhain made some attribution of this, Christian Death are regarded as the most influential to the founding 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.

Related Topics:
Samhain - Christian Death - Rozz Williams - Celtic Frost - Black metal

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