Gothic Metal: Music, Lyric and Vocal

Gothic metal or goth metal is one of the subgenre of heavy metal music. This type of music is a combination of the aggression of heavy metal with the dark melancholy of gothic rock.The band of this genre is adopted the gothic approach and make it into the different style in the heavy metal music. They using the melodramatic lyric with the inspiration of gothic art and poetry.
The music of gothic metal is diverse with bands known to adopt the gothic approach to different styles of heavy metal music.In the mid 1990s, there's is a groups such like Theathres des Vampires, Moonspell and Cradle of Filth brought the gothic approach to black metal. Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride adapted the doom metal background to the music.By the end of the decade, a symphonic metal variant of gothic metal had been developed by Tristania and Within Temptation. In this era, there are many gothic metal band moved towards mainstream for example groups such as Entwine, Lacuna Coil, My Dying Bride,Anathema and Poisonblack and they have succeeded in their music.The music of gothic metal is generally related to the dark images. The meaning of dark here is this kind of music are always describe the depressing, deep, romantic and intense.Gothic metal has also been described as "a combination of the darkness and melancholy of goth rock with heavy metal.Allmusic defines the genre as a fusion of "the bleak, icy atmospherics of goth rock with the loud guitars and aggression of heavy metal" and further notes that "true goth metal is always directly influenced by goth rock - ethereal synths and spooky textures are just as important as guitar riffs, if not moreso". Gothic music is varied with the band pursuing many different directions from slow to harder type of music. You are pleased with the music by the group H.I.M but you aren't feel the same way when you're listen to Cradle of Filth. There is many diverse range of vocal styles in gothic metal.Male singers in the genre range from the guttural growls and black metal shrieks of Dani Filth and Morten Veland to the clean counter-tenor vocals of Osten Bergoy and the bass range of Peter Steele. Female singers also have the different styles in includes saprano styles of Annett Olzon from Nightwish, screams and growl of Cadaveria and Tanja Lainio from Lullacry. There are more female singers in the gothic metal compared to the male singers The lyrics of gothic metal are known to be "epic and melodramatic".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".Lyrics that focus on suicide and the meaningless of life can be found in Anathema while Paradise Lost too has "never lost their depressive edge.Gothic fiction, a literary genre that blends horror and romance, has been a source of inspiration for the lyrics of many gothic metal bands like Cadaveria, Cradle of Filth,Moonspell, Theatres des Vampiresand Xandria. For My Dying Bride, the subjects of "death and misery and lost love and romance" has been approached repeatedly from different angles. The common gothic theme of lost love is a subject that has been tackled by such gothic metal bands as Theatre of Tragedyand Leaves' Eyes.Lyrics based on personal experiences is another common feature of many gothic metal bands such as Anathema, Elis, Tiamat, Midnattsol and The Old Dead Tree. Graveworm moved away from fantasy stories in favor of personal lyrics after finding them more suitable for their style of music. The lyrics of fellow Italians Lacuna Coil also do not feature any "fantasy stuff or something that you cannot find in reality" as their co-vocalist Cristina Scabbia finds it desirable that people can relate themselves to her band's lyrics. Similarly, the band Lullacry features lyrics on the subjects of "love, hate, passion and pain" because a person "can easily connect to a song" with lyrics "about human relationships".