With so much of underground and alternative music in the 1990s being so drenched in angst and disenchantment with everyday life, it only makes sense that metal would be a main player in this collective loathing somnambulation. "Gothic" is a term that has existed to mean many things over the course of centuries. Originating as an ethnonym for a group of East Germanic tribes in the third century AD, 'goth' has come to represent anything from architecture to literature to a subculture of middle schoolers. As so many bands and genres did before it, gothic metal relies heavily on the proto-doom metal of Black Sabbath with its plodding tempos and harrowing subject matter. Gothic metal combines this with gothic rock, which was an offshoot of post-punk that rose to prominence in the mid- to late-1980s with bands such as The Cure, Bauhaus, and Siouxsie and the Banshees. Combining romantic and dreamy content of the goth rock bands with the ever-depressive doom metal sound and aesthetic, early gothic metal bands took their first steps.
Gothic metal found itself culminating in northern England with the "Peaceville Three" credited for creating death doom metal: Paradise Lost, Anathema and My Dying Bride. All of these bands showed significant input to the developing gothic metal genre, with their romantic, poetic lyricism and direct references to many gothic art forms prior to the metal offshoot. Not all bands were rooted in death metal though, as bands like Type O Negative, Tiamat, and Saviour Machine reared their heads towards the middle of the decade, drawing influence anywhere from progressive metal to heavy metal to alternative metal and even ethereal wave. Gothic black metal also saw a potential future with bands like Moonspell also arriving onto the scene.
Towards the end of the '90s, gothic metal began to solidify itself into something different than from what it had initially been raised. Bands like the Gathering, the Sins of Thy Beloved, Tristania, Lacrimosa, and many others began to incorporate what is now known as the "Beauty and the Beast" vocal style, which often showcases an operatic female lead vocalist juxtaposed against a more gruff male backing vocalist. This became a trademark aspect of gothic and symphonic metal to the point of where it's the genre's main stereotype.
Recommended '90s gothic metal listening:
1. Type O Negative - Bloody Kisses (1993)
2. Tiamat - Wildhoney (1994)
3. Moonspell - Wolfheart (1995)
4. Paradise Lost - Draconian Times (1995)
5. The Gathering - Mandylion (1995)
There were points in the 2000s where gothic metal's symphonic, operatic side became more and more angled towards the mainstream, taking in more and more influence from alternative metal until bands like Within Temptation, Lacuna Coil, and even Evanescence were being associated with the genre, despite the former two bands drifting away from gothic metal fairly early in their careers, and the latter having nearly nothing to do with the genre aside from some aspects of imagery. The doom metal-oriented sound, however, took flight in a most spectacular of ways. New releases from bands like My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost and Moonspell continued to be wonderful, as well as bands such as Draconian, Virgin Black, Novembre, and Sentenced making their names heard. That's not to say that the symphonic metal style was failing in terms of artistic value however, as bands like Sirenia and After Forever released landmark albums in the genre in this time frame as well.
Recommended '00s gothic metal listening:
1. My Dying Bride - The Dreadful Hours (2001)
2. Sentenced - The Cold White Light (2002)
3. Sirenia - At Sixes and Sevens (2002)
4. Draconian - Arcane Rain Fell (2005)
5. Virgin Black - Requiem: Mezzo Forte (2007)
In the 2010s, gothic metal mostly remained in the hands of the classics; Paradise Lost, Moonspell, Draconian, Swallow the Sun, and Novembre held the genre up with their dreary cloaks opened to the night. Newcomers like Tribulation (which initially began as an experimental death metal group), Woods of Ypres, Idle Hands, Lethian Dreams, Pantheist, the Foreshadowing, Before the Dawn (an interesting case combining gothic metal with melodic death metal), Ava Inferi, and the Vision Bleak would all submit major contributions to the genre's history in the 2010s too, however.
Recommended '10s gothic metal listening:
1. Woods of Ypres - Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light (2012)
2. Tribulation - The Children of the Night (2015)
3. Paradise Lost - The Plague Within (2015)
4. Swallow the Sun - Songs from the North I, II & III (2015)
5. Idle Hands - Mana (2019)
Though album releases from gothic metal bands rarely make waves in the way that more prominent genres may, it is nevertheless essential to look to gothic metal as a guiding light to underrated and underappreciated masterpieces. I once heard this genre referred to as "doom metal for theater kids," and in some ways that's a fairly accurate description. Always full of flair and oft-rivaling power metal in grandiosity, gothic metal remains a powerful and inspirational niche in the metal family tree.
Note: Hey guys! Sorry for not posting an entry last week, I was away for the weekend. I saw Periphery (with Plini and Arch Echo) on Friday and Thrice (with mewithoutYou, Drug Church and Holy Fawn) on Saturday. Both shows were phenomenal and every band gave their all. Tomorrow I'll also be going up to the Apollo Theater in New York City to see the one and only Opeth (with support from Graveyard), so I'm super stoked on that. Thanks for reading!
Friday, February 21, 2020
Friday, February 7, 2020
Avant-Garde Metal
In honor of the newly-reunited Mr. Bungle playing their first shows in 20 years, I felt it was only necessary to pay homage to one of my personal favorite subgenres of metal music: avant-garde metal. Originating from the French word for 'vanguard,' what makes avant-garde metal (and experimental music in general) is how undefinable it can be. Hell, the very terminology for the genre implies less of a unified sound, but rather just 'these bands don't go in any other category. Lump all the weirdos together.' In doing so, metal's wackiest, zaniest, and most experimental genre came to be.
Some styles of music are considered experimental or avant-garde when they first rear their heads in the scene, but will eventually become more standardized and commonplace as the trend catches on, thus rendering their application of the avant-garde term obsolete. This happens a lot, particularly in such a forward-thinking genre as metal, so the degree to which something I discuss here is considered 'avant-garde' may be variable. Take that into consideration when reading.
Avant-garde metal took its first steps in the late 1980s with a trifecta of bands who were doing things differently: Warning, Celtic Frost, and Old (then-stylized as O.L.D.). Old was an odd bunch of folks playing industrial metal-tinged grindcore with a healthy dash of experimental rock. Celtic Frost was a legendary thrash metal band that decided to take a turn for the weirder with their 1987 opus Into the Pandemonium. Warning was arguably the first band to be classified as avant-garde metal, with a very odd blend of progressive electronic music and doom metal. Also in the 1980s was the creation of the legendary Mr. Bungle. Though the collective only released a handful of demos and EPs that were in much more of a conventional thrash metal/death metal style, Mr. Bungle would soon become one of the most prominent figures in the entire genre.
As humanity entered the 1990s, avant-garde metal really got the opportunity to spread its wings. Collaborations of unconventional sounds, structures, and instrumentation began to pop up in seemingly every facet of the metal community in spurts of vanguard weirdness. Black metal and symphonic metal bands like Ved Buens Ende, Arcturus, Sigh, and Graal began to flourish. Avant-garde death metal such as Gorguts, Pan.Thy.Monium, and Pestilence began to arrive based out of more boundary-pushing offshoots of technical death metal. Bands like Naked City and PainKiller delved into dark ambient and avant-garde jazz territory in their works. Even stranger still was the introduction of funk rock and alternative metal into the fray, most notably showcased on Mr. Bungle's self-titled debut record.
Most prominent within the scene was the overlap with progressive metal. Progressive metal, being a genre focused similarly around pushing the envelope and watching it bend, tends to overlap with a lot of avant-garde metal. However, I find that the key distinguishing feature between the two can be summed up with 'weirdness.' Progressive metal bands like Dream Theater, Between the Buried and Me, and Opeth all take the metal formula and push it beyond its established limits to create something more forward-focused, as do experimental metal bands. However, say where a progressive metal band would tend to use elements of Western classical music to add textures or layers, an avant-metal band would potentially incorporate purely chamber music-based instrumentals underneath harsh death or doom metal vocals and lyricism. Where progressive music focuses on technicality, musicality, and virtuosity of its players, experimental music relies far more on how far they can take the music in any one direction at a time. Key bands from the '90s that showcased this overlap include maudlin of the Well, In the Woods..., Solefald, and Thought Industry.
Recommended '90s avant-garde metal listening (plus one '80s album):
1. Celtic Frost - Into the Pandemonium (1987)
2. Mr. Bungle - Mr. Bungle (1991)
3. Ved Buens Ende - Written in Waters (1995)
4. Arcturus - La masquerade infernale (1997)
5. Gorguts - Obscura (1998)
Once the 2000s hit, avant-metal began to really boom. Major players began to take shape, such as the monumental 2001 releases Bath and Leaving Your Body Map from maudlin of the Well, Toby Driver's subsequent act Kayo Dot, noisecore-forerunners Today is the Day, Mike Patton of Mr. Bungle's new project Fantômas, Dir en Grey, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Thy Catafalque, Dog Fashion Disco, Ephel Duath, Diablo Swing Orchestra, Stolen Babies, Unexpect, and phenomenal new works from established acts such as Arcturus, Solefald, and Sigh. New waves of zany, chaotic avant-garde metal known more specifically as 'circus metal' started to take form, which has inadvertently caused many folks nowadays to label any metal with circus sounds, vibes or themes as avant-garde.
Recommended '00s avant-garde metal listening:
1. Fantômas - The Director's Cut (2001)
2. Sigh - Imaginary Sonicscape (2001)
3. maudlin of the Well - Bath / Leaving Your Body Map (2001)
4. Arcturus - The Sham Mirrors (2002)
5. Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - Of Natural History (2004)
In the 2010s, some progressive metal acts began to incorporate more and more avant-garde elements into their sound, as seen primarily in some works by the great Devin Townsend. Other fusions between the two were carried by the Norwegian band Shining, Ex Eye, and the usual releases from Thy Catafalque, Dir en Grey, Kayo Dot (which now dabbles mostly in art rock and avant-prog), and Diablo Swing Orchestra. Avant-garde black metal still burns strong, with newcomers to the genre coming out of the atmospheric black metal woodworks like Blut aus Nord, A Forest of Stars, Liturgy, Imperial Triumphant, Hail Spirit Noir (combining avant-black metal with psychedelic rock), Schammasch, and Howls of Ebb. Multi-instrumentalist Igorrr has led a recent surge in breakcore-inspired metal music. Odder still is the relative mainstream success of Zeal & Ardor, a band which combines avant-garde black metal with slave spirituals.
Recommended '10s avant-garde metal listening:
1. Devin Townsend Project - Deconstruction (2011)
2. Thy Catafalque - Rengeteg (2011)
3. Diablo Swing Orchestra - Pandora's Piñata (2012)
4. Blut aus Nord - 777: Cosmosophy (2012)
5. Kayo Dot - Hubardo (2013)
If there were ever to be a metal genre that had an inexhaustible pool of creativity, it would have to be avant-garde metal. Simply by nature, avant-garde metal cannot move forward if it conforms. Individual bands may get snippets of recognition or (in very rare cases) even airplay, but things will never stay stagnant for long, lest the bands be swept into a more grounded genre and lose what made them experimental, artful, and so avant-garde in the first place. A genre term built purely around incomprehensible genre tagging, genre hopping, and genre defying artists... it's pretty much an oxymoron. And a glorious one, at that.
Some styles of music are considered experimental or avant-garde when they first rear their heads in the scene, but will eventually become more standardized and commonplace as the trend catches on, thus rendering their application of the avant-garde term obsolete. This happens a lot, particularly in such a forward-thinking genre as metal, so the degree to which something I discuss here is considered 'avant-garde' may be variable. Take that into consideration when reading.
Avant-garde metal took its first steps in the late 1980s with a trifecta of bands who were doing things differently: Warning, Celtic Frost, and Old (then-stylized as O.L.D.). Old was an odd bunch of folks playing industrial metal-tinged grindcore with a healthy dash of experimental rock. Celtic Frost was a legendary thrash metal band that decided to take a turn for the weirder with their 1987 opus Into the Pandemonium. Warning was arguably the first band to be classified as avant-garde metal, with a very odd blend of progressive electronic music and doom metal. Also in the 1980s was the creation of the legendary Mr. Bungle. Though the collective only released a handful of demos and EPs that were in much more of a conventional thrash metal/death metal style, Mr. Bungle would soon become one of the most prominent figures in the entire genre.
As humanity entered the 1990s, avant-garde metal really got the opportunity to spread its wings. Collaborations of unconventional sounds, structures, and instrumentation began to pop up in seemingly every facet of the metal community in spurts of vanguard weirdness. Black metal and symphonic metal bands like Ved Buens Ende, Arcturus, Sigh, and Graal began to flourish. Avant-garde death metal such as Gorguts, Pan.Thy.Monium, and Pestilence began to arrive based out of more boundary-pushing offshoots of technical death metal. Bands like Naked City and PainKiller delved into dark ambient and avant-garde jazz territory in their works. Even stranger still was the introduction of funk rock and alternative metal into the fray, most notably showcased on Mr. Bungle's self-titled debut record.
Most prominent within the scene was the overlap with progressive metal. Progressive metal, being a genre focused similarly around pushing the envelope and watching it bend, tends to overlap with a lot of avant-garde metal. However, I find that the key distinguishing feature between the two can be summed up with 'weirdness.' Progressive metal bands like Dream Theater, Between the Buried and Me, and Opeth all take the metal formula and push it beyond its established limits to create something more forward-focused, as do experimental metal bands. However, say where a progressive metal band would tend to use elements of Western classical music to add textures or layers, an avant-metal band would potentially incorporate purely chamber music-based instrumentals underneath harsh death or doom metal vocals and lyricism. Where progressive music focuses on technicality, musicality, and virtuosity of its players, experimental music relies far more on how far they can take the music in any one direction at a time. Key bands from the '90s that showcased this overlap include maudlin of the Well, In the Woods..., Solefald, and Thought Industry.
Recommended '90s avant-garde metal listening (plus one '80s album):
1. Celtic Frost - Into the Pandemonium (1987)
2. Mr. Bungle - Mr. Bungle (1991)
3. Ved Buens Ende - Written in Waters (1995)
4. Arcturus - La masquerade infernale (1997)
5. Gorguts - Obscura (1998)
Once the 2000s hit, avant-metal began to really boom. Major players began to take shape, such as the monumental 2001 releases Bath and Leaving Your Body Map from maudlin of the Well, Toby Driver's subsequent act Kayo Dot, noisecore-forerunners Today is the Day, Mike Patton of Mr. Bungle's new project Fantômas, Dir en Grey, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Thy Catafalque, Dog Fashion Disco, Ephel Duath, Diablo Swing Orchestra, Stolen Babies, Unexpect, and phenomenal new works from established acts such as Arcturus, Solefald, and Sigh. New waves of zany, chaotic avant-garde metal known more specifically as 'circus metal' started to take form, which has inadvertently caused many folks nowadays to label any metal with circus sounds, vibes or themes as avant-garde.
Recommended '00s avant-garde metal listening:
1. Fantômas - The Director's Cut (2001)
2. Sigh - Imaginary Sonicscape (2001)
3. maudlin of the Well - Bath / Leaving Your Body Map (2001)
4. Arcturus - The Sham Mirrors (2002)
5. Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - Of Natural History (2004)
In the 2010s, some progressive metal acts began to incorporate more and more avant-garde elements into their sound, as seen primarily in some works by the great Devin Townsend. Other fusions between the two were carried by the Norwegian band Shining, Ex Eye, and the usual releases from Thy Catafalque, Dir en Grey, Kayo Dot (which now dabbles mostly in art rock and avant-prog), and Diablo Swing Orchestra. Avant-garde black metal still burns strong, with newcomers to the genre coming out of the atmospheric black metal woodworks like Blut aus Nord, A Forest of Stars, Liturgy, Imperial Triumphant, Hail Spirit Noir (combining avant-black metal with psychedelic rock), Schammasch, and Howls of Ebb. Multi-instrumentalist Igorrr has led a recent surge in breakcore-inspired metal music. Odder still is the relative mainstream success of Zeal & Ardor, a band which combines avant-garde black metal with slave spirituals.
Recommended '10s avant-garde metal listening:
1. Devin Townsend Project - Deconstruction (2011)
2. Thy Catafalque - Rengeteg (2011)
3. Diablo Swing Orchestra - Pandora's Piñata (2012)
4. Blut aus Nord - 777: Cosmosophy (2012)
5. Kayo Dot - Hubardo (2013)
If there were ever to be a metal genre that had an inexhaustible pool of creativity, it would have to be avant-garde metal. Simply by nature, avant-garde metal cannot move forward if it conforms. Individual bands may get snippets of recognition or (in very rare cases) even airplay, but things will never stay stagnant for long, lest the bands be swept into a more grounded genre and lose what made them experimental, artful, and so avant-garde in the first place. A genre term built purely around incomprehensible genre tagging, genre hopping, and genre defying artists... it's pretty much an oxymoron. And a glorious one, at that.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)