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A game-changer,for sure!
The album "goes" into the opposite direction as their contemporaries, so to speak, in terms of speed, mood and the overall melodic delivery.
An experimental album trying to add and encapsulate the Gothic-Rock atmosphere into their traditional Death Metal roots.
According to Gregor Mackintosh the album's producer statement at hearing was :
" - You will never go anywhere with this one! It doesn't fit any category!"
Also, Paradise Lost are responsible for creating the Doom / Death Metal style and introducing the "beauty and the beast" vocal duality, just one album earlier, on "Lost Paradise - 1990" with the song "Breeding Fear" being the first attempt in this category.
Prior to that, the idea of Gothic-Rock came from the Punk-Gothic band The Damned who's vocalist Dave Vanian used to dress like Dracula during their live performancies.
Later on, acts known as New-Wave, Gothic-Rock, Synth-Pop or Death-Rock well known heroes like Joy Division , Siouxsie and the Banshees , Bauhaus , Killing Joke , The Cure , The Sisters of Mercy , Fields of the Nephilim , Christian Death or the very avantgardistic Dead Can Dance took the challenge and started to experimence with a more dark, bleak touch, somehow, inspired and paved the way for the most of the Gothic Metal bands, with their melodic, and or melancholic song structures, dark attitude and the specific baritonal vocal output.
On the other hand, another big influence for this new genre was 1987 Celtic Frost's "Into The Pandemonium" release.
This LP was a very controversial one at that time, as well, as they left their traditional Black/Thrash/Death roots for a more experimental approach.
The result was a rejection by some fans, but it was fully embraced by others.
It is an album full of new ,fresh and innovative ideas combining industrial tunes with dark melancholic moments, almost a prophetic act if we see how Gothic Metal developed in years to come.
Actually, it cannot be drawn a strict line between the Death / Doom Metal and Gothic Metal, as the genres are quite closely intertwined from the very beginning.
The same goes for the lyrical content, as for the both styles includes mostly kind of the same content : philosophical or spiritual subjects, moody description of nature, personal drama ,religious issues here and there or sentimental issues, but rarely social troubles, per say.
Moving back to the inventors of the genre, the absolutely memorable "As I Die" the last track taken from the "Shades of God" album was an instant blow, sending massive waves through the extreme metal community and being the track that managed to polarize and amaze with its powerful feeling, originality and spontaneity.
Later on, the song was an inspiration for them,, as well, in terms of song writing for their next "Icon" output released in 1993.
Their next albums as above mentioned "Shades Of God - 1992" ; "Icon - 1993"
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"Turn Loose The Swans - 1993" is a classic and a very representative album. Their following LP's as: "The Angel And The Dark River - 1995" ; "Like Gods Of The Sun - 1996" and "34.788%... Complete - 1998" put the band on the top of metal listeners.
Anathema surely being the third and the one to complete the-so-called "Peaceville Three" bands
putting, again, British Metal in the top of the well known innovative movement in the general rock/metal picture.
Their slow and crushing, yet very atmospheric metal was a breath of fresh air in the emerging extreme metal scene.
The first two full-lenghts and two EP's are an important reference in that respect.
Another British band that promised a lot with its first album was Enchantment.
"Dance of the Marble Nacked - 1994" will please any Paradise Lost listener with their melancholic heaviness.
Sadly, despite the fact that they had a 6 records deal with Century Media, Enchantment disbanded after their much appreciated first full-length album.
On the other side of the ocean, an important pioneering band from the first half of the '90s include Type O Negative from New York.
Their musical core consists in a very Sabbath-ish riffage mixed with The Sisters of Mercy dark-voice singing.
Some Hardcore-punk reprises can be heard here and there, reminiscent of Peter Steele's (R.I.P.)
songwriting for Agnostic Front or hanging out in C.B.G.B's-club area.
Sadly, the only one band alike to be remembered from the States, but their "Bloody Kisses - 1993" is a memorable and classic LP to get into.
In Europe the idea wasn't much expected to be explored and it was embraced soon, as the second wave of Death Metal of mid '90's started to change or to fade away.
The Gathering must be the next to mention, especially with their first albums, being recommended for a best musical trip, rich in romantic and gothic atmospheres.
Their later works started to incorporate more and more atmospheric elements, probably due to admiration for Pink Floyd of the main composers, there, and the general sound moved away from the strictly "Goth" musical identity.
However, they are mostly described as Doom-Death, early and Atmospheric Metal with Prog and Alternative influences added within, on their last albums.
Norway provided with bands like Theatre of Tragedy , Tristania and Mortal Love to the general map, whose full discographies are totally recommended in order to achieve the absolutely dramatic, dreamy and the melancholic experience northern Gothic Metal has to offer.
The Gothic Metal scene was enriched by Germany with the, veteran by now, band Crematory with his much melodic and romantic Death Metal accompanied by powerful keyboards.
Their music has that typical German "exactness" in terms of execution, but powerful, straight to the point and with such melancholic substance.
From "Transmigration - 1993" to "...Just Dreaming - 1994" and the much appreciated "Illusions - 1995" they built a strong and distinctive style not to be forgotten by fans and the metal music history in general.
Their following catalog continued mostly on the same musical formulas adding, also industrial influences on some releases, or more or less riff content intensity.
Atrocity is a German band who started to incorporate Gothic Metal tunes as they left Death Metal present on their first two albums.
LP's like "Calling the Rain - 1995" Featuring vocalist Alex Krull's sister, Yasmin Krull ; "Die Liebe - 1995 (in collaboration with the Gothic Rock band Das Ich)" ; "Willenskraft - 1996" are the works to turned the tides on goth and metal waves letting the fans of their first two original albums scratching their heads in confusion.
The German band Evereve, also is about to be mentioned with albums like "Seasons - 1997" ; "Stormbirds - 1998" and "Regret - 1999" combining heaviness with powerful melodramatic lines.
The same goes for the band Dark, who contributed with three albums, much appreciated at that time, starting from 1994.
Pyogenesis will be remembered with "Ignis Creatio - 1992 EP","Underneath - 1992 EP" ; "Waves of Erotasia - 1994 EP" and "Sweet X-Rated Nothings - 1994 LP"...sadly the next records moved their music towards alternative-pop music leaving the goth-metal legions in confusion.
Another band who plays on the quality music specter is Secret Discovery hanging between Metal and Rock,their songs are pretty much memorable Gothic tunes, in this regard!
One of the most important German acts are Darkseed,as they also begin their adventure with Death Metal rawness,then moving towards Gothic Metal through "Midnight Solemnly Dance - 1996" landing on fertile Gothic Metal ground with "Spellcraft - 1997" ; "Romantic Tales - Re-issued 1998" and "Give Me Light - 1999". On the last albums Darkseed combines metal with electronica and Dark Wave inherited from the well known german tradition.
The Austrian band Visceral Evisceration made a significant standpoint on their "Incessant Desire for Palatable Flesh" back in 1994.
Heavily influenced by the "Gothic" album, but very much appreciated by the underground fan base of those times.
At the lyrical section, the band chose to focus around gory dark humor, which can be easily guessed by the way their song titles are named, unlike the contemporaries within this genre.
Lacrimosa the Swiss duo led by Tilo Wolff and Anne Nurmi mixes Gothic Rock with Heavy Metal accompanied by classical instruments and electronica. Originally,on their first album it was more on the Dark Wave style,but as the music evolved metal and classical elements were added gradually to the concept. Their third "Inferno - 1995" album gained international success despite the German language mostly used in their lyrics.
On the next albums Lacrimosa added more and more classical instrumentation in partnership with London a Symphony Orchestra,the Rosenberg Ensemble and the Hamburg State Opera, moving their style to Symphonic Gothic Metal collage.
In the mid '90s from the dark side of Portugal came Moonspell with a quite Black Metal-ish debut "Wolfheart - 1995" that includes, also substantial Gothic vibes and seriously fantastic songwriting, this album is an instant success! The second incarnation as beeing "Irreligious - 1996" totally they totally jumped in the goth-metal wagon delivering a strong ,powerful and representative product.
In years to come metal community was somehow disappointed by their appetite for experimentation, but their last LP's demonstrates that Moonspell is an undeniable force, able to reinvent themselves and to rise again from the ashes, bringing great albums and keeping Gothic Metal fans around their scene.
The second portugese Gothic Metal act, in terms of popularity should be the band Heavenwood.
Their music "goes" more into the Cemetary, Lake of Tears direction, this time.
The band contributed with "Diva" - 1996 ; "Swallow" - 1998 before splitting up, but managed to reform back in 2008 and, since then they brought to the attention albums like : "Redemption" - 2008 ; "Abyss Masterpiece" and "The Tarot of the Bohemians" - 2016
To be continued here...
https://theravenviewblog.blogspot.com/2015/06/gothic-metal.html
