Gothic metal or
goth metal is a subgenre of
heavy metal music. Sometimes gothic metal combines the aggression of heavy metal with the dark melancholy of
gothic rock. The genre originated during the early 1990s in Europe as an outgrowth of
death/doom, a fusion of
death metal and
doom metal. The music of gothic metal is diverse with bands known to adopt the gothic approach to different styles of heavy metal music. Lyrics are generally melodramatic and mournful with inspiration from
gothic fiction as well as personal experiences.
Pioneers 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 1990s include 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 male vocals with clean female vocals, a contrast that has since been adopted by many gothic metal groups. During the mid-1990s, Moonspell, Theatres des Vampires and Cradle of Filth brought the gothic approach to black metal. By the end of the decade, a symphonic metal variant of gothic metal had been developed by Tristania and Within Temptation.
In the 21st century, gothic metal has moved towards the mainstream in Europe, particularly in Finland where groups such as The 69 Eyes, Entwine, HIM, Lullacry, Poisonblack and Sentenced have released hit singles or chart-topping albums. In the US, however, only a few bands such as Lacuna Coil have found commercial success.
Gothic is a term that is "difficult to pin down".[1] Some commentators have suggested that there is an underlying Goth ideology, mindset or a set of common values but there is "little agreement about precisely what this might involve".[2] The author Gavin Baddeley describes the gothic aesthetic in the following way.
