Rockpedia

Compare

Two genres, side by side. The ratings are editorial judgements on a ten-point scale, not measurements. Where they come out level, the difference is in the prose underneath them.

First genre

Symphonic black metal1994

Second genre

Gothic metal1991

Head to headSymphonic black metal vs Gothic metal
Symphonic black metal: heaviness 8, melody 7, speed 8. Gothic metal: heaviness 7, melody 9, speed 3.Heaviness8 / 7Melody7 / 9Speed8 / 3
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, by ear

Shares the theatrical streak and the beauty-and-beast vocals, at doom's tempo rather than black metal's.

Gothic metal is part sung, part screamed where symphonic black metal is growled or screamed, and much slower: 70 to 110 bpm against 160 to 240. To hear the difference, play Emperor next to Paradise Lost. They share a root in heavy metal, and gothic metal came first, by three years. Norway appears in the origins of both.

Put together from each genre's vocals, tempo, song length, key acts and place in the tree.

In figures

Heaviness
Symphonic black metal8
Gothic metal7
−1
Speed
Symphonic black metal8
Gothic metal3
−5
Melody
Symphonic black metal7
Gothic metal9
+2

Symphonic black metal

1994 · Norway

Where it sits

Heavy metal › Black metal › Symphonic black metal

In short

Keyboards and choirs over black metal structures. Grand, theatrical and by far the most saleable of the subgenres.

How it sounds

  • Keyboards and choirs treated as a lead instrument rather than as background.
  • Broad orchestration, occasionally with a real orchestra, and large studio production.
  • Epic structures with recurring themes and film-score dynamics.

Key acts

  • Emperor
  • Dimmu Borgir
  • Cradle of Filth

Start here

The pickEmperor - In the Nightside Eclipse. Recorded by teenagers, and it sounds monumental.

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Gothic metal

1991 · UK / Norway

Where it sits

Heavy metal › Doom metal › Gothic metal

In short

Death-doom that adds keyboards, romance and female vocals. It popularised the beauty-and-the-beast formula.

How it sounds

  • Keyboards and strings over slow, heavy riffing.
  • Vocal contrast: lyrical female voice alongside a male growl - 'beauty and the beast'.
  • Broad production, romantic and funereal atmosphere.

Key acts

  • Paradise Lost
  • Type O Negative
  • Theatre of Tragedy
  • Lacuna Coil

Start here

The pickType O Negative - Bloody Kisses. Bleak and funny at once, which is rare.

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