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black-arcana · 28 days ago

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"We had already split up and still had to do a tour." How Within Temptation became one of symphonic metal's biggest success stories

From helping shape symphonic metal in the 90s to the romantic split that almost destroyed the band in the 2000s, this is the history of Within Temptation

Sharon den Adel laughs a lot as she speaks. She makes for entertaining company and seems to exude both a calm, confident air and an overwhelmingly positive attitude. She looks to be on the verge of tears, however, as she recalls the UK tour that was her worst ever moment in Within Temptation, the band she co-founded with her high school sweetheart, husband-to-be, songwriting partner and guitarist Robert Westerholt.

The pair had been the beating heart of the band since its inception in 1996, but the pressures of burgeoning success and combining a simultaneous romantic and working relationship had simply become too much. It was 2007, and their fourth album, The Heart Of Everything, had propelled them to worldwide success. It debuted at No.1 in the Netherlands, making it their second album to top the charts in their homeland, but they had also broken into the US Billboard charts for the first time.

The record was widely seen as a pinnacle of symphonic metal, and it paved the way for a major world tour. Behind the scenes, though, things had reached an impasse.

“We had America done, and then a European tour, and it was terrible,” Sharon recalls. “The tour wasn’t terrible, we had a lot of success, but [Robert and I] were not in a good place together. Eventually we broke up and we still had to go through England. And that was the worst tour ever, because we had already split up and still had to do it. It was agony, but I think the audience loved it, because I never had so much passion as at that time. I was just screaming it all out!”

The period nearly saw the end of Within Temptation, but the pair decided there was a lot worth salvaging, in both musical and personal terms. They set about redefining how they could work and live together, and the band continued to cement their ongoing position as one of Europe’s most successful metal bands.

Worldwide arena tours and chart-topping albums seemed a long way away when the members of Within Temptation first got together in the small town of Waddinxveen in South Holland. Sharon was a grunge kid who was singing in a band project in school. Schoolmate Robert Westerholt, meanwhile, had a series of ‘proper’ bands, and Sharon was happy to jump in when the singer of one of them skipped one too many sessions.

After morphing through a few more versions, Within Temptation were born, and they quickly began work on their 1997 debut album, Enter. As well as Sharon’s soaring vocals, the album made use of Robert’s gruff death metal growls and heavy doom riffs. The symphonic elements were yet to crystalise, but there was a darkly lustrous sweep that owed more than a little to the arch goth-metal of Paradise Lost’s aptly titled Gothic. The band embarked on a brief tour of the Netherlands, and their fifth ever gig was at Dynamo Open Air, which at the time was one of Europe’s biggest festivals.

“It was the most amazing moment at that point in my life, but it was also the most scary, because I had no clue how anything worked. We were still figuring things out and we were playing for 10,000 people in a tent,” Sharon recalls today. “Our record label was great at promoting us, and when we came to the festival there wasn’t a wall that didn’t have my face on it. It’s like, ‘Oh my God, I see myself a thousand times. But there were 10,000 people going, ‘Who the heck are this band and why is everybody talking about them?’”

Even so, playing in a metal band in the Netherlands in the late 90s was more a calling than a career plan. The likes of Pestilence and The Gathering had enjoyed limited international success, but it did not look like a fast track to fame and fortune, and in the band’s early days Sharon also worked at a fashion company. As a child she had dreamed of being a designer, but practicalities funnelled her into the management side – until Within Temptation gave her the chance to combine two of her greatest passions.

“When we started with this very epic sound, I felt like, ‘This is my chance.’ I always felt like it fit the music. If you make epic-sounding music, you need an epic dress as well,” Sharon says. She remains heavily involved in the band’s strong visual presentation to this day, even if she had to nudge her bandmates at certain points along the way. “We started in pirate blouses,” she says. “And one of them I made myself for Robert. Actually, it was one of the pieces that I had to deliver to get my degree.”

Their second album, 2000’s Mother Earth, was a watershed moment for Within Temptation and the nascent symphonic metal scene in general. The sweeping Ice Queen single became a surprise hit, and the band found themselves rising stars in Europe.

2004 follow-up The Silent Force continued the band’s ascent as they further explored grandiose elements. Over in Finland, Nightwish were doing something not too dissimilar, but Sharon insists there was no rivalry between the two bands.

“It was in the minds of journalists and it was rivalry that they created,” she shrugs. Sharon would later duet with original Nightwish vocalist Tarja Turunen on Within Temptation track Paradise (What About Us?), and Tarja joined the Dutch band as a special guest on parts of last year’s Bleed Out tour.

“Our paths didn’t cross for a long while, which is strange, because there were so few women in metal back then,” Sharon says. “It would have been nice to have someone like her to confide in. It is sometimes tough to be on the road with only men.”

A notable tour that didn’t feature men only was the band’s first trip to the US, where they played alongside Lacuna Coil, The Gathering, In This Moment, Stolen Babies and Kylesa on a tour dubbed The Hottest Chicks In Metal Tour 2007.

“I didn’t know it was the Hottest Chicks tour until I was on the airplane going over to America,” Sharon says. “I found it hilarious. It’s just a way to sell the tour, of course, and I understand where it comes from, but there would never be The Hottest Men In Metal Tour.”

That tour was in support of 2007’s The Heart Of Everything, which saw the band hit the pinnacle of their pure symphonic metal era. The US leg saw them playing small clubs, but their profile was growing, and in Europe they were selling out theatres and appearing at major festivals such as France’s Hellfest, Austria’s Nova Rock and Download in the UK. They were now major stars, but they were never really a band for rock star shenanigans.

“We had the occasional private jet moment,” says Sharon with a laugh. “I remember playing the Desert Rock festival in Dubai, and all the bands were picked up in these huge Hummers in different colours. We were treated like royalty. You can enjoy it, but you have to realise it’s not real life. It will ruin you in the end if you buy into it.”

Despite the growing success, they avoided many of the temptations of the road. Where some bands have drug dealers on speed dial, Within Temptation would travel with their racquets and would occasionally employ a professional tennis coach to come out to them. The fact that Sharon and Robert had welcomed their first child together also helped keep them grounded, but added to the pressures on the couple, which came to a head on the tour for Heart Of Everything and their subsequent, if ultimately temporary, split.

“It was something that was bound to happen, I guess, because we’ve been school sweethearts since we were 18. You grow up and you’re in a different place, a different person,” Sharon sighs. “We just grew apart because you do everything together. You write together, you perform together, you have a family together. And I do not suggest anyone does that. You need to have space on your own to develop, but also to have something different to talk about with your partner.”

There followed several months of soul-searching that Sharon describes as “the heaviest and the darkest period of us being together”. The song In And Out of Love that Sharon recorded with Dutch DJ Armin van Buuren was a reflection on the process, and her first real inkling that she might want to do something outside Within Temptation.

Eventually though, Sharon and Robert got back together and looked at new ways of working within the band. “He said, ‘I can’t be in the band anymore if you want to have a relationship’, and I said, ‘I think that’s a good thing, because we’re like two captains on the boat and we are killing each other in front of everyone else,’” Sharon recalls. “We had an Eastern European tour and we went without him. I said, ‘You have to take care of Luna, our baby, and I’m going to go on tour and we’ll figure it out when I come back.”

When Sharon returned, they spent a few months figuring out how to make their relationship work. “We were actually dating again a little bit, going out together again,” she says. “That was a starting point.”

The long-term solution involved Robert stepping back from touring completely to look after their expanding family, while remaining a pivotal songwriter. “He does one-off things with us, but he doesn’t miss really being on tour with us,” says Sharon. “He’s more the composer and he enjoys enjoying the show from afar.”

Having taken the symphonic elements as far as they could on The Heart Of Everything, and the spectacular orchestra-accompanied Black Symphony show and live album, Within Temptation entered a more experimental phase. 2011’s The Unforgiving was a concept album with related short films and comic books that embraced their 80s musical influences.

2014’s Hydra was a many-headed beast packed with musical twists and guest appearances, the most surprising of which was And We Run featuring rapper Xzibit.

“I think we were testing ourselves through this whole time,” Sharon nods. “It was that whole arc of wanting to try different things and to move on as a band. Just struggling to find our new identity a little bit. The Xzibit song drew some negativity but we loved it, and I still think it’s a great song. I’ve always also liked the combination of rock and rap together, right from Aerosmith with Run DMC.”

The cycle spun on, and at the end of another world tour supporting Hydra, the whole band found themselves burned out. The singer in particular found it difficult to return to Within Temptation and experienced crippling writer’s block.

“I didn’t feel it anymore, perhaps also because of things that were happening in my personal life,” she says. “My dad was diagnosed with cancer and I felt the need to be at home a lot. At the same time, I needed to make a different kind of music, because I was in a different kind of emotional world.”

The outcome was a solo project dubbed My Indigo, which resulted in an album of the same name. It was released, Sharon says, on the day of her dad’s funeral. It was a more vulnerable and introspective work that also helped to unblock the creative channels, ultimately leading to new Within Temptation music in 2019’s industrial-tinged Resist and their most recent album, 2023’s Bleed Out. The latter could be seen as the band’s most political release yet, written against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the title track dealing with the death of Mahsa Amini, who had been detained by Iran’s ‘morality’ police.

Sharon also travelled to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, to film a video for standalone single A Fool’s Parade featuring Ukrainian artist Alex Yarmak. “I felt it was pretty safe,” she recalls. “We had a few air alerts while there, and I did get a bit of a scare, because it was a MiG apparently, and I was told they can have supersonic bombs that can destroy a specific area in a few seconds. So, OK, we’re going down to the metro station now [to shelter].”

For Sharon it was a profound experience, and another notable chapter in what has been an extraordinary career – and one that’s certainly not over yet. “Next year we’ll have been in existence for 30 years,” she muses. “I don’t know how or even if we’ll celebrate it, because mostly we never look back. We want to do a new album with new ideas again. That’s the drug that we need, and it’s all about looking forwards.”

Within Temptation play Download and Wacken festivals this summer.

#sharon den adel #within temptation #interview

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mayamidnightmelody · 1 year ago

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The 1990s was a pivotal decade for geek culture, solidifying many of the trends and franchises that continue to influence pop culture today. Here's an exploration of the various facets of geekdom in the 90s:

Video Games

The 1990s were a golden era for video games, seeing the rise of iconic franchises and gaming consoles.

Consoles and Games:

Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) and Sega Genesis were at the forefront of the early 90s gaming scene. Classics like "The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past," "Super Mario World," and "Sonic the Hedgehog" became household names.

The mid-90s introduced the Sony PlayStation and the Nintendo 64. Games like "Final Fantasy VII," "Metal Gear Solid," "Super Mario 64," and "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" revolutionized the industry with their storytelling and 3D graphics.

PC Gaming:

The rise of PC gaming brought titles like "Doom," "Quake," "Warcraft," and "Starcraft," which laid the groundwork for modern first-person shooters and real-time strategy games.

The introduction of the CD-ROM allowed for more complex and graphically intense games, expanding the possibilities of game design.

Comic Books and Graphic Novels

The 90s was a transformative period for comics, marked by a combination of innovation and market upheavals.

Marvel and DC Comics:

Marvel experienced a surge in popularity with the introduction of new characters like Deadpool and the significant events like the "X-Men's Age of Apocalypse" and "Spider-Man's Clone Saga."

DC Comics shook the world with storylines such as "The Death of Superman" and "Batman: Knightfall."

Independent Publishers:

The formation of Image Comics by former Marvel artists brought a wave of creator-owned series like "Spawn," "The Savage Dragon," and "WildC.A.T.s."

Vertigo, an imprint of DC, produced critically acclaimed titles such as "Sandman" by Neil Gaiman and "Preacher" by Garth Ennis, pushing the boundaries of mature storytelling in comics.

Science Fiction and Fantasy

The 90s were a golden age for science fiction and fantasy, both in literature and on screen.

Television:

"Star Trek" had a strong presence with "The Next Generation" continuing its success, followed by "Deep Space Nine" and "Voyager."

"The X-Files" became a cultural phenomenon, blending science fiction with horror and conspiracy theories.

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" redefined the fantasy genre on television, combining teenage drama with supernatural elements.

Movies:

Blockbuster franchises like "Jurassic Park," "The Matrix," and "Men in Black" showcased cutting-edge special effects and imaginative storytelling.

The re-release of the original "Star Wars" trilogy in special editions prepared the groundwork for the much-anticipated prequel trilogy.

Anime and Manga

The 90s saw the global explosion of anime and manga, making Japanese pop culture a mainstream phenomenon.

Anime:

Series like "Dragon Ball Z," "Sailor Moon," and "Pokémon" became immensely popular worldwide, introducing many to the world of anime.

Films by Studio Ghibli, such as "Princess Mononoke" and "My Neighbor Totoro," received critical acclaim and international recognition.

Manga:

Manga series like "Naruto," "One Piece," and "Berserk" began their runs, setting the stage for long-lasting popularity.

The publication of "Shonen Jump" in English brought many of these series to Western audiences.

Role-Playing Games (RPGs)

The 90s were a significant decade for tabletop RPGs, with many classic games being developed and popularized.

Dungeons & Dragons:

The release of the second edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) in 1989 carried through the 90s, with campaigns like "Planescape" and "Dark Sun" becoming fan favorites.

Other RPGs:

"Vampire: The Masquerade" by White Wolf Publishing introduced the World of Darkness, a setting that offered a dark, gothic-punk alternative to traditional fantasy RPGs.

The cyberpunk genre was well represented by games like "Shadowrun" and "Cyberpunk 2020," capturing the gritty, high-tech, low-life aesthetic.

Collectibles and Trading Card Games

The 90s witnessed the birth and explosion of collectible card games (CCGs), with "Magic: The Gathering" leading the charge.

Magic: The Gathering:

Created by Richard Garfield and released by Wizards of the Coast in 1993, "Magic: The Gathering" became a groundbreaking and immensely popular game, sparking a new industry of collectible card games.

Pokémon:

The Pokémon Trading Card Game, released in 1996, quickly became a massive hit alongside the video games and TV series, contributing to the global Pokémon craze.

Internet and Technology

The rise of the internet in the 90s played a crucial role in shaping geek culture.

Early Internet Communities:

Bulletin board systems (BBS), forums, and newsgroups like Usenet allowed geeks to connect and share their interests in ways that were never before possible.

The creation of fan sites and the use of IRC (Internet Relay Chat) facilitated the growth of online communities dedicated to various fandoms.

Technology:

The proliferation of personal computers and the advent of the World Wide Web democratized access to information and entertainment, allowing geek culture to flourish and expand globally.

In conclusion, the 1990s were a transformative decade for geek culture, characterized by the rise of influential media, the advent of groundbreaking technology, and the growth of vibrant communities. The era laid the foundation for many of the trends and franchises that continue to shape geekdom today.

#90s tv shows #90s aesthetic #90s fashion #90s anime #90s music #90s nostalgia #1990s #vhs #nineties #90s movies

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hunter-sylvester · 1 year ago

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Hi, you recommended me some music a while back. I finally got through it all (finding time to just listen to music was a bitch) but I loved most of it (by most I mean I only disliked one song. *Alestorm by Alestorm*) but I absolutely loved the rest. Especially Skraeckoedlan and Spaceslug, and was curious if you had any more possible recommendations? Anyway, I hope you have a good day. Thanks again for those recommendations, I really liked listening to them!

Hey ^-^

I'm really glad you liked most of it! I tried to drop a bit of variety so only one miss is honestly a better outcome than I expected. Big on Alestorm personally but I understand that pirate metal is not going to be for everyone lmaooo

And I can absolutely drop some more recs 🤘

Sidenote that I love that you listed Spaceslug as one of the bands you particularly enjoyed. The first type of metal I truly fell in love with was psychedelic doom (Spaceslug being one of the bands) and it really got me through the tail-end of my teens.

Music below the cut 🎵🎶

Honestly, if you haven't already, my first rec would be to check out Spaceslug's entire discography. While Time Travel Dilemma is my favorite album from them, everything they've put out is phenomenal imo.

(The above lowkey goes for most bands I listed before, except Candlemass. Candlemass has a bit of vocalist fuckery and I've not enjoyed their newer albums at all. While you might, I can't say I recommend them. )

I listed some full albums again below but I also took the liberty of just making a fucking playlist. I tried to get it to have a cohesive flow at first but that proved a bit impossible to achieve after a while 💀 so it's just a clusterfuck of stuff. I threw in some songs by bands mentioned before, some I hadn't mentioned but that fit the profile and a few "wildcards"

Full Albums:

Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats: Psychedelic Rock/Doom Metal Seen these guys live. They just straight up fuck. They're so good.

Celtic Frost: Thrash/Death/Black Metal (early); Gothic/Doom Metal (later) Personally, I love the almost goth sound in Celtic Frosts' Monotheist as well as their album To Mega Therion

Katatonia: [Doom/Death Metal (early); Gothic/Alternative/Progressive Rock/Metal (later)] Softer, sad boy music, but still metal (fun fact: Movie!Hunter approves)

Purple Hill Witch: Doom Metal Just some good heavy doom.

Honorable non-metal mentions (shock horror ik, but they're good) All Them Witches - Lightning At The Door (desert rock) Witchcraft - Witchcraft (desert rock, early) Somali Yacht Club - The Sun (stoner rock)

#tysm for asking dude #hope some of it is to your liking again #also idk why I called the playlist that #it was the first thing that came to mind #my post #answered ask #songs #song recs #hunters asks #hunterposts

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abookishdreamer · 8 months ago

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Character Intro: Ascalaphus (Kingdom of Ichor)

Nicknames- My boy by Acheron

Darling by Orphne

Age- 17 (immortal)

Location- The Underworld

Personality- He's a broody yet eccentric young god who loves intellectual pursuits, gothic aesthetics, & a deep appreciation for classic literature and art. He's currently single.

He has the standard abilities of a god. His other powers/abilities include limited chlorokinesis (as it pertains to plants & flowers native to the Underworld), limited necromancy, being able to communicate with/shapeshift into a screech owl, limited umbrakinesis (shadow manipulation), and limited hydrokinesis (as it pertains to the waters of his father's river).

Ascalaphus is the only child of his parents- Acheron (Titan god of pain) & Orphne, a lampade.

He lives with his parents at their mansion in the Underworld. Ascalaphus' room is on the third floor. The bedroom door is built out of blackwood & there's also a terrace where he can overlook his father's river. The flooring is black marble while the walls are brimstone- covered in posters of his favorite bands, singers, movies, and deities. Instead of a laptop, there's an antique typewriter. In his room there's a simple trundle bed covered in dark blue satin pillows & black quilts, white onyx shelves for his book collection, as well as his blue-black iCHOR Tech wireless speaker that's automatically connected to Musify.

Ascalaphus is his father's twin with their olive skin, brown-black eyes, and facial features with the only difference being their frames. Acheron has a lean muscular build while his son has a bit more muscle. He feels like his mother feels left out because she doesn't look like them with her brilliant dark blue eyes, dark obsidian skin, and thick curly hair.

He's fluent in Latin.

He keeps his ink black hair short & shaggy.

Ascalaphus has a few tattoos- large owl wings on his back, a pair of dark blue eyes (dedicated to his mom) on the inside of his left wrist, a skull surrounded by black dahlias on his right arm, and the quote "What nourishes me destroys me" written in latin on his left pec. His good friend Achlys (goddess of the death mist, poison, misery, & sadness) did the tattoos.

A go-to drink for him is beer. He also likes red wine, pomegranate brandy, his dad's jallab, his mom's homemade blackberry iced tea, ginger ale, hot chocolate, black tea, mineral water, and cola.

Ascalaphus primarily writes in cursive.

For breakfast he'll typically go to a corner store to get a sausage, egg, & cheese on a hero on toasted rye bread. If he's gonna be on time for school, he'll have a bowl of steel cut oats topped with dark chocolate chips and maple syrup, a bowl of Earthly Harvest raisin crunch cereal, or his mom's omelette- added with black olives, mushrooms, & ghost peppers.

Ascalaphus loves listening to classical, synth pop, folk, rock, heavy metal, rap, and death metal music. His favorite musical artists to listen to are Moros (god of doom), O, & the death metal rap band Death Theater- comprising of Hades, Charon (Ferryman of the Underworld), his friend Hypnos (god of sleep), and Thanatos (god of death). He also thinks that Pale Blu isn't too bad either.

He's currently a freshman at Polydegmon University, the most prestigious college in the Underworld. Ascalaphus has a full ride- a four year scholarship, thanks in part to his father as well as the king. He doesn't live on campus, an agreed compromise with his parents. Even though it's too early to declare a major, Ascalaphus is thinking about majoring in botany or art history.

Thus far his favorite class has been his gothic literature class taught by his professor- a lampade named Ms. Whiteveil. The sound of her velvet smooth voice while she reads poems and short passages automatically calms him.

He loves snacking on ash plum flavored gummy spiders. He also likes spicy mushroom flavored kettle cooked potato chips & black anise licorice twists.

Ascalaphus has a job of sorts. He tends to the garden of the king of the Underworld, Hades (god of the dead). The orchard is primarily filled with black dahlias, frost orchids, black thorned roses, and shadow blossoms. He actually likes working in the garden. It's one of the few moments where Ascalaphus is alone with his thoughts for self-reflection. He also doesn't mind the company of the king. Hades will bring him a small cup of dark roast coffee or will lend Ascalaphus a book from his extensive library.

He also earns extra money by picking up groceries for Geras (god of old age) & by dog-sitting Cerberus sometimes.

There's a small restaurant downtown in Plouton Square that makes the best jjajangmyeon (noodles & diced pork in black bean sauce). It's a frequent takeout order for him.

All though Ascalaphus loves his parents, he feels like they're keeping him on a tight leash, especially his father. They didn't even want him to live on campus in a dorm and they especially don't want him to leave or travel out of the Underworld to any of the other realms- Olympius in particular. The Realm of Darkness is all he ever knows and Ascalaphus just wants the chance to experience something new, something different.

At school his social circle consists of cyclopes named Osric, Sybil, & Quintessa (Tessa for short), a harpy named Xerxes, a lampade named Azura (a botany major), as well as mortals named Caspian (a art history major), Rosalind (a forensic science major), and Venetia (a forensic anthropology major).

Ascalaphus in undecided about whether or not to join the University's fraternity. Osric is a member.

Outside of school he's real good friends with Theodon (god of reality, uncertainty, & fate). They hang out together all the time. They smoke weed sometimes (through use of a Stygian Iron bong) & Ascalaphus will invite Theo to play basketball with him, Osric, Xerxes, and Caspian every weekend at Shadowstone Park. Theodon even tagged along to Ascalaphus' first college party!

He really liked going to the film premier of Blooddancer with Theodon. Ascalaphus even got to briefly meet the director of the film Keres (goddess of violent death). The photo of them meeting is framed & on his dresser. He also saved the ticket stubs!

In the pantheon he's also friends with Despoina (goddess of the arcadian mysteries, frost, winter, & shadows).

Also in the pantheon Ascalaphus respects and admires Nyx (goddess of the night) Erebus (god of darkness), as well as his "honorary" aunts & uncles, the other Underworld river deities- Phlegethon (Titan god of fire), Lethe (Titaness of forgetfulness, oblivion, & concealment), Styx (Titaness of hatred), and his godfather Cocytus (Titan god of wailing & lamentation).

He also admires Favian (god of philosophy) & is a fan of his steampunk historical fantasy book series The Machinery of Alchemists.

The iCHOR Tech soundproof headphones are great when Ascalaphus is working on an assignment or blocking out the sounds of his parents' lovemaking.

Sometimes (without his parents knowing), Ascalaphus will travel out-of-realm to Olympius to pick up Theodon from school. He pretends not to care as Theo drones on and on about a fellow schoolmate Heimarmene (Marnie) (goddess of shared fate). One day while Ascalaphus was waiting for Theo where he noticed him walking down the school's steps with Marnie and another girl. He thought she looked like winter's light with her flawless pale skin and shimmery silver eyeshadow on her eyelids. Her smile was just as bright as she tucked away strands of her short bouncy golden light brown hair behind her hair. When Ascalaphus asked Theo about her when he got in the car, he said that she was Marnie's best friend Eiresione (Ren) (goddess of offerings).

His favorite frozen treat is dark chocolate ice cream topped with pomegranate syrup, dark chocolate chips, and whipped cream.

Aside from wanting to freely travel to Olympius, Ascalaphus also wants to check out the Electric Wonderland music festival after looking it up online.

His favorite dessert is his mom's black rum cake. She makes it every year for his birthday and on the Winter Solstice.

Ascalaphus is not ashamed about the fact that he's still a virgin. He wants to wait until he's emotionally connected with someone to have sex. He did make out with an empousa named Elidi at the college party.

His all time favorite meal is his dad's hearty lamb stew with saffron rice and his mom's scorched chicken.

In his free time Ascalaphus enjoys playing video games, reading, skateboarding, writing, snowboarding, gardening, skiing, ice hockey, cooking (with his parents), ink painting, going to museums, chess, listening to music, and going to the cinema. He's also been getting into photography.

"Owls inspire us to see beyond the darkness and find our own light."

#my oc #my character #oc character #my oc character #oc intro #character intro #oc introduction #character introduction #modern greek gods #modern greek mythology #greek myth retellings #greek gods #greek myths #greek pantheon #greek mythology

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spiritusnocturnus · 9 months ago

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A close representation of me changing and evolving in musical choices.

Enter The Era Of Spiritus Nocturnus

Musical Journey

Breaking guitars or casting them aside in favor of Synthesizers and Electronic Music. -Spiritus Nocturnus

My roots were always of a darker nature although I've switched somewhere in the late 2010's to a new futuristic vison. I was always into Gothic Rock/Post-Punk Music but then the Metal phase crept in and I see it as just that a phase because I always was attracted to the more obscure and classical anyways, not to what the average alternative person was into passing me by on the street asking me what is my favorite band in hopes that I could relate their favorite mainstream band. Not to say that I did like a few of them I must say but however my vibe was just different from the rest that seem to come in droves and I mostly steered away from what most people like and pave and follow my own road.

You see, I was always of a different breed even within the Alternative community. In the alternative side of things I started off more on the Punk/Trad Goth side of things with and somewhere around that part I started to learn about the difference between that form of music and Metal. As Metal seemed more polished, lively and for commercial radio and mostly none of the music I listened to sounded like it was for airplay, lively, or polished. The music I listened to sounds dark brooding, mysterious, tribal etc.

I checked out different types all the way to the fan radio friendly Alternative Metal that I used to listen to being played on Senton Hall New Jersey radio , To the Black Metal where it sound like Cats are being cooked alive screaming for dear life, to the Death Metal where it's brutal and others in between like Thrash Metal Venom, Pentagram etc. I mostly enjoyed the soothing side of Gothic Metal and I enjoyed the Slow Funeral Doom type and early Prog Occult Metal. However I was still with more of a Punk and Goth- type of mentality , Not really a Metalhead and never really was. Though no longer did guitars and certain genres like Metal was of an interest to me. The loud abrasive yelling and screaming in most Metal music became almost unbearable and was not the the right feel for me.

Truly I believe at this point I seen myself in a dark gloomy club or room psychedelia setting and it worked perfectly because my room at the time was fitting just right for that formation to occur. That was one thing then something that deeply impacted me around this time changed me altogether in my life I soon I started getting more into Darkwave and other forms of Electronic -Synth music and that sealed the deal from there. No longer were guitars, Metal etc..... were appealing to me as an Artist but I still love Post-Punk and the gloomy feel that usually brings.

Overall in my mind, I felt that Metal Is Dead so it started to get to me when people would see me on the street or if I bump into another alternative or Goth person, and yes "supposedly Goth not Metalhead" asking me about what bands am I into. Almost expecting me to say Ozzy or some other famous band etc, Didn't happen before and in this new era definitely not because half of the people I listen to is far ,far in the underground or either in the hereafter. Though anyways Synthwave in particular matched my vibe and futurist vision especially in 2017-2018 leading up to the Apocalypse of 2020 when I created my full first feature length album entitled Spiritus Nocturnus . This is around the time I started to evolve , not only as an Artist but spiritually and this the road that was meant for me when the transition from the classical Goth Spiritus Leach into the new cyberpunk/cybergoth Spiritus Nocturnus.

Yes in general it's ok and is possible to like both and all types (as I still do at times and I also love Smooth Jazz and Baroque/Dark Classical) and still prefer to be assimilated within a certain subculture, as that may be more of your preference and to me my preference is now Electronic music nowadays in a particular that of 80's vibe and in this new Cyberpunk and Spiritus Nocturnus Era I find myself more among those who are into Cyberpunk, Cybergoth, Rivetheads

- Spiritus Nocturnus

#Spiritus Nocturnus #Spiritus Leach #Synthwave #Dark Synthwave #Retrowave #Vaporwave #Electronic Music #Music #Music Prodcution #Art #80s #Retro #Vintage #Neon #Native Goth #Black Goth #Native American Goth #Cyberpunk #Cybergoth

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spiritusleach · 9 months ago

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A close representation of me changing and evolving in musical choices.

Enter The Era Of Spiritus Nocturnus

Musical Journey

Breaking guitars or casting them aside in favor of Synthesizers and Electronic Music. -Spiritus Nocturnus

Overall in my mind, I felt that Metal Is Dead so it started to get to me when people would see me on the street or if I bump into another alternative or Goth person, and yes "supposedly Goth not Metalhead" asking me about what bands am I into. Almost expecting me to say Ozzy or some other famous band etc, Didn't happen before and in this new era definitely not because half of the people I listen to is far ,far in the underground or either in the hereafter. Though anyways Synthwave in particular matched my vibe and futurist vision especially in 2017-2018 leading up to the Apocalypse of 2020 when I created my full first feature length album entitled Spiritus Nocturnus . This is around the time I started to evolve , not only as n Artist but spiritually and this the road that was meant for me when the transition from the classical Goth Spiritus Leach into the new cyberpunk/cybergoth Spiritus Nocturnus. Overnight it seems as that I was no longer known to Alternative community who may have seemed Goth to a degree but was more of dark Metalheads in musical tastes truly. Most could not relate because it lacked having a guitar and other bare essentials that seemed like the Baby Bats dream of being Goth.

- Spiritus Nocturnus

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vinylspinning · 2 years ago

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Pillorian: Obsidian Arc (2017)

VinylSpinning is clearing the decks of some clear vinyl this week, and today we'll literally take a spin with the first and final album from Oregonian black metal ensemble Pillorian, 2017's Obsidian Arc.

Formed by erstwhile Agalloch vocalist, guitarist, and all-around leader John Haughm following their dissolution in 2016 (looks like they just reconvened -- huzzah!), Pillorian was completed by guitarist/bassist Stephen Parker and drummer Trevor Matthews.

Their moniker apparently means "of or relating to scorn and condemnation," and though I couldn't find this in a dictionary, I can say that those sentiments certainly describe Obsidian Arc's misanthropic, nihilistic, and esoteric lyric themes.

As for Pillorian's music, which is dense, mysterious, and reliably heavy, of course the big question was whether Haughm would be able to escape his previous band's very tall shadow, and, more importantly, would he want to?

Well, while these tunes do differ from Agalloch's past exploits in ways I'll soon explain, most knowledgeable fans would likely agree that Pillorian's first album could have been credited as Agalloch's sixth, and few would have batted an eyelid.

Three songs in particular, and they happen to be the album's grandest epics, "By the Light of a Black Sun," "The Vestige of Thorns" and "Dark Is the River of Man," partake of Haughm's considerable songwriting range with their fusion of black metal, post-metal and doom, darkwave and gothic metal, clean and harsh vocals.

The folksy acoustic guitars that once drove Agalloch's sound down pagan pathways are all but absent here, but this was also the case with the band's final works, so it's hardly surprising to see them riding shotgun here as intros, outros, and change-of-mood interludes like "The Sentient Arcanum."

And they take a back seat to an unprecedented dose of traditional black metal elements, namely furious howls, buzzsaw guitars, and blast-beats galore on relentless onslaughts like "Archaen Divinity," "Forged Iron Crucible," and the excellent "A Stygian Pyre."

With all this evidence in hand, Pillorian's future after the release of Obsidian Arc looked, if not certain (nothing in art, love, and war ever is), then definitely promising ... until it didn't.

Because in early 2019, while commenting on the death of Swiss actor Bruno Ganzon, Haughm made controversial statements deemed as anti-Semitic, including by fellow Pillorians Matthews and Parker, who announced their resignation, effective immediately.

Haughm quickly apologized, admitting his comments were "insensitive, juvenile, reprehensible, and thoughtless to say the least," but the damage was done, and he soon confirmed Pillorian's break-up and wisely retreated from public view for a time.

Now, some four years later, it seems that his former Agalloch bandmates have decided to give Haughm another chance (I've yet to make up my mind), so we'll have to see if this year's sporadic concert activity leads to new music.

Related: Agalloch's Pale Folklore, The Mantle, Ashes Against the Grain, The White EP, The Serpent & The Sphere.

#agalloch #pillorian #black metal #post-metal #darkwave #gothic metal #vinyl #ulver

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schnuron · 4 months ago

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Metal #1

The metal music was the one I grew up playing some racing games like the first Carmageddon, Test Drive 5, Twisted Metal 4 and Road Rash 3D as a little kid. Then in 2000s, the metal music was already introduced to Need for Speed games that I didn't know back then. Then I watched plenty of music videos of metal bands (Korn, Alient Ant Farm, Avenged Sevenfold, Bullet For My Valentine, Disturbed, DragonForce, Fuel, Metallica, Meshuggah, Ministry, Papa Roach, Rob Zombie, Slipknot, Static-X, System of a Down, etc.) playing their instruments on MTV or MuchMusic.

In June 2010, I ended up choosing Brütal Legend over Midnight Club: LA Complete Edition at Best Buy. I was so into that game and I couldn't help it with the great metal selection music at the time.

In Summer/Fall 2010, that's where some aspects of metal got me fully, even grindcore. I didn't have one particular metal genre I love. That was my big fault on it and just went to listen to a shitload of different metal music.

That is until early 2013, the crazy metal has started to fade as months went by. There was no curiosity going on with the death metal/black metal stuff.

In Fall 2013, it's the moment I decided to toss metal to the window and try to find another particular genre and be obsessed with.

Synthwave was my next obsession back May 2016-2022. I thank Hotline Miami 1 and 2 for that. (Perturbator and Gunship)

In November 2020, I gave Insect Ark - The Vanishing a listen and I didn't have no strong opinions of it. I moved on with 80s music and Synthwave then.

In 2021, I was unconsciously really liked Hangman's Chair - Banlieue Triste and it sparked my small taste of doom metal music, shout-out to Perturbator. Same goes for Emma Ruth Rundle with Thou making Doom Metal music and King Woman - Celestial Blues.

2022, Hangman's Chair released their newest album called A Loner. I thought it was nice, but not enough to pique my interest of doom metal.

2023, I managed to listen to Holy Fawn - Dimensional Bleed. It was pretty great, though not obsessed.

What about 2024? Hmm, I can't recall being enthused about that genre with The Body's music or Thou - Umbilical.

Hangman's Chair - Saddiction was released in February 14th this year and I was sorta excited to listen to it.

…it clicked me.

You just have to listen to it for yourself, if that's your thing.

As much as my current obsessions of music are Darkwave and Ambient, I dig Gothic Doom Metal music. I'm pretty picky atm and I'm not going back.

No wonder I love Type O Negative - October Rust (1996).

I don't know how long I'll be obsessed with doomgaze music after Saddiction.

Baby, life is what you make it. Can't escape it Baby, yesterday's favourite Don't you hate it? -Talk Talk, Life's What You Make It (1986)

---

Electronic music (2005-present) 80s music (2004-present) Ambient (Late 2008-present) Darkwave (February 2023-present) Gothic Doom Metal/Doomgaze (February 2025-present)

===

My past music preferences: Punk (2003-2006) yet I hated my first taste of music looking back to it. Indie Rock (2004-2010; 2014-2020) Post-Hardcore (Late 2005-2011) Metalcore (Late 2005-2012) Extreme Metal Death Metal and Black Metal (August 2010-Mid 2013) Grindcore (2011)

Late 2013-2016 Identity crisis of my current music preference I grew tired of metal… I remember I didn't like EBM Dubstep by Skrillex. Nor the mumble rap or trap music.

Synthwave (May 2016-2022) Dark Jazz (2016; 2020; 2023-March 2024) Spotify Link

#2025 #2025 music #doomgaze #doom metal #gothic metal #gothic doom metal #type o negative #hangman's chair #saddiction #2025 metal #metal #heavy metal #random thought #random take #talk talk #life's what you make it

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gargarismo-blog1 · 1 year ago

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ORPHANAGE - Oblivious To Time 3-CD Boxset

Limited to 500 copies Worldwide, the digi-CD's are not available seperately, features the albums "Oblivion"and "By Time Alone" and both demos on a seperate digi-CD entitled "Morph / Druid".

3 beautiful digi-CD's in a boxed set, fully restored and remastered, with poster,

Innovative Gregorian Doom Death Metal classic remastered and re-packaged for an ultimate listening experience!

After a year of hard work Hammerheart Records will finally release the Orphanage re-issue project!

This fine release will feature the first two Orphanage albums “Oblivion” and “By Time Alone” and the demo-compilation “Morph/Druid” in a 3-CD boxset, both albums on vinyl and a very limited edition vinyl bundle including both albums and exclusive the demos on vinyl as extra!

Orphanage was a band that exploded on the Dutch scene by 1994 and became a big household name in the years 1995 to 2004.

They played all big stages in Europe and were praised for their unique, innovative style of Death Metal (with melody and gothic influences being added).

Orphanage made their songs heavy, with emphasis on bombasm and atmosphere.

The mix of Gothic and Doom Metal would not totally miss the point with Orphanage, but then you got the brutal/heavy elements as well.

The feel of the music has it’s connection to the atmosphere of gloomy castles, and perhaps even some fantasy-elements.

Everything has been painstakingly re-mastered by Toneshedo and artwork rebuild from almost scratch with full back up of the band themselves.

• Orphanage was a unique band from the unique early 90’s Dutch Death Metal scene

• ”Oblivion” and “By Time Alone” were originally released on the legendary Dutch label DSFA Records

• Mastered from the original DAT tapes by Erwin Hermsen at Toneshed Recording Studio (Dead Head, Legion of the Damned, Siege of Power, Trouble)

• Artwork rebuild from scratch by Wouter Wagemans

• Featuring (ex)members of bands as Within Temptation, Delain, The Gathering

• Partly recorded, produced and engineered by Oscar Holleman (RS29)

#horphanage #hammerheart records #melodic death metal #gothic metal

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cuntess-carmilla · 3 years ago

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Goth music for Evanescence fans

Are you an Evanescence fan (casual or avid) interested in finding actual goth music?

Well, here's a playlist full of like 98% female-fronted goth songs that are mostly Rock-based with dark emotional themes, dramatic riffs, creepy yet beautiful atmospheres, the occasional symphonic element or classic piano, and haunting vocals. The few songs with male vocalists tend to match the particular dark and miserable vibe of Fallen + pre-Fallen Evanescence.

What qualifies me to make such recommendations? I may be an Evanescence hater now (sorry), but they were the band that introduced me to dark alt music when I was 14 in 2006, and were my absolute favorite band for two years before that (special interest level obsession) until I discovered real goth music in early 2007.

Disclaimer: Before ANY goth comes at me for having included Theatre of Tragedy songs in a goth playlist, you cannot convince me that Aégis specifically ISN'T a Gothic Rock album plain and simple. It sounds NOTHING like their Gothic Metal. You can patently hear the Sisters of Mercy influences in songs like Poppæa or even of The Banshees in Samantha. Some songs in that album are even more Ethereal Wave than Gothic Rock such as Siren, Angélique or Cassandra.

Evanescence fans should try out everything between Theatre of Tragedy's debut and Aégis tbh, even if only Aégis is goth. They were SO good and Liv Kristine's vocals are both angelical and technically pristine. She sounds even better live.

Bands I particularly recommend to Evanescence fans interested in goth music:

Die Laughing: I fell in love with them in 2009 because I instantly thought "This is how Evanescence would sound if they were actual Gothic Rock". Beautiful soft mezzo-soprano vocals, full melancholy, epic compositions.

youtube

(old) Dead Souls Rising: Darkwave with hints of classical composition (the vocalist is also a violinist), haunting mezzo-soprano vocals and a persistent preocupation with romanticized death.

youtube

Diva Destruction: Extremely brooding Darkwave by a pianist and dramatic alto singer. Intense atmospheres, good balance between synths and Gothic Rock guitars. Songs about heartbreak and betrayal.

youtube

Virgine Dramatica: Gothic Rock and Darkwave with delicate and emotional soprano vocals. PURE romantic doom with beautiful keyboard arrangements and highly melancholic atmospheres.

[WARNING FOR FLASHING LIGHTS IN THE VIDEO]

youtube

This Ascension: Between Gothic Rock and Ethereal Wave. Gorgeous, sometimes nearly operatic mezzo-soprano vocals, can go almost neo-classical or downright so in some tracks. Poetic, dark romantic, masterful musicianship.

youtube

The Shroud: Started out as Gothic Rock with hints of Deathrock, ended up Ethereal Wave. Delicate mezzo-soprano vocals, poetic, gloomy and brooding lyrics, a fixation with literature and all things antique and romantic.

youtube

Autumn: Gothic Rock with guitars a bit heavier than most of the genre. Lyrics about despair, dramatic alto vocals, intensity and darkness. I think they represent even more what Evanescence would sound like if they were actually goth than Die Laughing does.

youtube

Requiem in White: Legitimately operatic soprano vocals. Shredding Deathrock guitars with Ethereal Wave influences. Brooding, extremely romantic and atmospheric.

youtube

#Spotify #Youtube #evanescence #goth #gothic

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rottingwaysofmisery · 2 years ago

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Non-Goth Music that Goths might enjoy

Along with what the title says, I will be elaborating on each. It’s mostly going to be metal because that’s my current interest but there will be non-metal recommendations, such as industrial rock or electronic music.

Epicus Doomicus Metallus - Candlemass

Not my personal favorite Candlemass album, that would be Nightfall, but it’s what I think would be most interesting to a Goth looking into other genres. To elaborate on why I think that, it’s the use of the vocals, subject matter, guitarwork, and keyboards. The vocals do an incredible job at communicating both storytelling and extreme emotions like anguish. The subject matter covers things like witchcraft, sorcerers, and wanting to die alone. The guitarwork and tone doesn’t sound anything like post-punk but it’s the way it complements the feelings of doom and anguish that might make it interesting to someone looking into other kinds of dark music.

TL;DR They’re slow, heavy, and dramatic.

I would like to highlight “Solitude” as my best recommendation to a Goth Rock fan, and “Under the Oak” as my personal favorite track.

Ministry

Not recommending any specific album, but specific songs from them. Hell, you might even consider some of Ministry’s work borderline Goth, but the overall genre is Industrial Rock/Metal, at least since they stopped making synthpop.

The tracks I’m recommending are as follows: “Every Day is Halloween” (single), “Golden Dawn” (from their album Land of Rape and Honey, which despite the name is actually referring to a plant and not the reprehensible act), “Cannibal Song” and “Dream Song” (both from The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste).

The first song is already kind of a goth music staple but I thought to include it anyways because I love that song.

DAF (Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft)

This one might be a little hard to justify just because of how all over the place they are, but personally I think they really have that post-punk attitude when it comes to their music. They’re basically this really experimental electronic band, hell their early stuff even has noise rock elements. If you’re into the more industrial experimental stuff and don’t need conciseness or melody then this might be an interesting band to look at.

I would like to highlight the tracks “Kebab Träume”, “Ein Bisschen Krieg”, and “Muskel”

King Diamond

I’m going to be blunt, you’re not gonna like this one if you don’t like traditional heavy metal. Along with that, you might not like King Diamond’s vocals. Yes, the band is named after the singer. Anyways, if you like Gothic Rock for the “spooky” Halloween-esque aesthetic, you might just fall in love with King Diamond. He’s an acquired taste for most, due to the unusual falsetto he displays all across his career.

Personally, I fucking love King Diamond. I think instead of recommending any specific song I’d rather recommend whole albums due to the storytelling aspect that King Diamond weaves into most of his discography. To paint you a picture, most of King Diamond’s discography is concept albums that tell horror stories, cleverly using vocals to switch characters, and using keyboards to really give that cheesy but lovable Halloween Horror feel, along with some of the coolest guitarwork in metal, done by the likes of heavy metal legend Andy LaRocque.

Onto highlights, I would like to highlight Fatal Portrait, notably one of the few albums not to be a fully concept album, particularly the tracks “The Candle” and “Haunted”, and Them, a concept album with my personal favorite story, and Conspiracy, the sequel to Them story-wise, which is my personal favorite album.

Celtic Frost

This one might be an odd recommendation if you’re only familiar with their popular stuff, but I’d like to highlight a few tracks that may be of interest.

“Mesmerized” (from their album Into the Pandemonium)

Recommending this one mainly because the vocals are very reminiscent of Rozz Williams from Christian Death, at least in my opinion.

“Os Abysmi Vel Daath” (from their album Monotheist)

This is kind of a risky recommendation, since this song and the album in general is just experimental extreme metal. It’s mainly the vocal performance here makes me want to recommend it, though it might be a bit of a stretch. I love this song but I know it might not be for everyone, though if it gives at least one person a new song to listen to then I’ll be happy.

Zoon - The Nefilim

Industrial Extreme Metal, by the same people behind Fields of the Nephilim. This one is a bit of an oddball in the discography of the people who made it, but personally it’s the only album I like by them anyways. Unfortunately, this was the only album they did in this style and under this name. They do, however, still occasionally perform songs from this album as Fields of the Nephilim. My personal favorite track being “Shine”, which is honestly a bit of a power ballad.

The Downward Spiral - Nine Inch Nails

C’mon. You knew this one was coming. It’s an industrial rock album, and if you haven’t listen to them already you’re most likely going to LOVE “Closer”.

Sacrificed - Edge of Sanity (from The Spectral Sorrows)

It’s a straight up Sisters of Mercy-esque Goth Rock track that’s towards the end of a Death Metal album. The vocalist would go on to start a Goth Rock band, Nightingale.

I’m Going Slightly Mad - Queen (from Innuendo)

You may be confused. That Queen? Yes, same one that made “We Will Rock You” and “Bohemian Rhapsody”. This song is called Gothic Rock on wikipedia, but I’m including it anyways because Queen is not a Goth band.

Surprise - The Garden (Single)

This one might confuse you if you’re familiar with this band. From the instrumentation, to the vocals, to the subject matter, it just screamed to me “put me next to Goth music”. Listen to it for yourself and tell me if you get it. For some strange reason it was taken off streaming platforms unfortunately.

Deinonychus

This one is a black metal band with doom metal influences. Another riskier recommendation, what gives me the impression that a Goth might love this is a mix of the use of keyboards, the anguished harsh vocals, and the deep clean vocals. The best example I want to give is “The Weeping of a Thousand Years”, it’s like a bearded vampire speaks the clean vocals and someone tortured in the dungeon of a castle screams the harsh vocals.

Call from the Grave - Bathory (from Under the Sign of the Black Mark)

Another Black Metal band, this one even harder to justify. Bear with me, listen to the song and pretend that a zombie is the one singing. The song starts with this spooky ambience and then goes into this evil groove and later on has a solo that sounds like a funeral dirge, it’s awesome. I have no idea if anyone’s going to get why I’m putting this here along with the others, but if someone does that’ll be awesome.

Give Me Your Soul - Countess (from The Book of the Heretic)

Another Black Metal one, yes, but hear me out. This song is literally goofy spooky Halloween music, and it’s literally from the perspective of a demon who kidnapped someone. I fucking love this song, I just think if you kept an open mind you might love it as much as I do.

Floods - Pantera (from The Great Southern Trendkill)

Okay okay, hear me out again. This is literally borderline Southern Gothic, at least thematically, and topic aside it’s one of the best power ballads out of all of metal with one of the coolest solos literally ever.

Buried Alive - Venom (from Black Metal)

This song is hard to describe, it’s not quite a power ballad, but it’s definitely some sort of ballad. It’s catchy, it’s got a dramatic build up and it’s got groove (it has one of my personal favorite solos ever). Tell me what you think!

Black Sabbath

I find it a little funny that Black Sabbath had a literal “Living in a Box” moment by naming their first song on their first album after themselves. Anyways, this song, “Black Sabbath”, is dramatic and evil. It’s basically the first heavy metal song, and yet it has more doom in it than a lot of modern doom metal bands. Side note, Type O Negative has a fantastic rendition of this song, I could not more HIGHLY recommend giving it a listen.

I also recommend “After All (The Dead)” off of their album Dehumanizer. It’s got the doom and gloom but with that heavy metal oomph to it, so I hope you appreciate this song as much as I do.

Black Mummy - Death SS (from In Death of Steve Sylvester)

I must clarify again, the “SS” part of the name has nothing to do with the Nazis and is short for the singer Steve Sylvester. Anyways, this song has a more traditional heavy metal sound but in a bit of a spooky horror approach. You might ask if it’s anything like King Diamond, I can assure you it’s not.

Scream of the Butterfly - Acid Bath (from When the Kite String Pops)

This one is a bit of a ballad in an otherwise Sludge/Doom Metal album. Unrelated, but if you’re into metal with interesting textures I would definitely recommend this album.

Ghosts - Japan (from Tin Drum)

It feels like cheating to put a New Wave artist on here, but they’re still technically not Goth so I’m putting them anyways.

Filth - Swans

Noise Rock, it’s extreme music that isn’t metal. I’m including this one for a similar reason with DAF, because despite its genre it definitely has a bit of a post-punk attitude to things.

L’Eau Rouge/Red Water - The Young Gods

Industrial Rock with Dark Cabaret elements, oh my god this album is my baby I fucking love it so much. The fact more people don’t know about it feels like a crime.

Gloomy Sunday - Billie Holiday

This is technically not her original song but I enjoy her version a lot. Thematically it’s very dark, so if you are into darker music I would definitely recommend this.

The Devil is an Englishman - Thomas Dolby (Single)

Again it feels like cheating to include a New Wave artist but there’s no way in hell anyone considers Thomas Dolby “Goth”. Though I will say this song was composed for a movie called “Gothic”. Regardless, I would definitely recommend this, it’s dark synthpop.

Auburn and Ivory - Beach House (from Beach House)

Feels like cheating to include dreampop, but why not. I have this song on a playlist with music that makes me feel like a French mime, if that helps give you an idea of the kind of song it is.

Kate Bush

That’s all.

Anna - K.U.K.L. (from The Eye)

This is from one of the bands Björk was in before. Very experimental rock, I would personally recommend the music video version that’s up on youtube instead of the Spotify version.

Einzelhaft - Falco

This album is mostly known for “Der Kommissar”, but I find that there’s other good songs on this album, particularly “Ganz Wien” and “Auf der Flucht”.

An Angel of Great and Terrible Light - Uboa (from The Origin of My Depression)

I’m gonna warn you, this song along with the album this is from may be a very emotionally heavy album for some. However, I’m built different. Anyways I fucking love this particular song from the album.

End of Recommendations

That’s all I have for now, if anyone has any suggestions I’d love to hear them! I hope this helps someone find new music to love!

#goth #gothic rock #goth music #goth music recommendations #gothic metal #industrial rock #falco #thomas dolby #new wave #noise rock #heavy metal #doom metal #king diamond

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anotherghoul666 · 2 years ago

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Under Our Black Cult tour primer

@battiestbelfry as promised my dear! Now, I don’t have info on Gaerea yet because I don’t know them yet, Imma deep dive in the next few days. But the other 3 bands on the bill I know well, so here we go!

Under the read more: primers and my personal opinions on the bands Uada, Carach Angren and Rotting Christ. Song and album recommendations to start off. And the mask kink thing, with pics. 3/4 of the bands on this bill are or can be confidered masked bands, you know I gotta touch on the mask kink in there!

UADA

Uada, which means “haunted”, are a melodic black metal band from the United States. They are based in Portland, Oregon and have been active since 2014. They are currently signed to Eisenwald records, an independent music label from Germany. In this house we love and support independent labels! They are specialized in black metal and have a very fun roster.

Uada have 3 releases out so far, all full length albums. They don’t do singles, they don’t do demos, they don’t do splits, they don’t do EPs. They make full albums and drop them on a roughly 2 years cycle, though with the pandemic we are at 3 years since the last record, so these mysterious hooded figures are ripe for new material! Their debut album Devoid of Light in 2016 was well received by the metal world as a promising debut, albeit very classic black metal that didn’t surprise much. 2018’s Cult of a Dying Sun seems to be their album with the most acclaim. The sound quality difference between these two is astounding. The tracks tend to be longer, which helps some songs and doesn’t help others. 2020’s Djinn is their latest release and the reception’s been this: Djinn is way more niche, as in, you have to be down for 14 minutes atmospheric black metal songs to like it, but if that’s your vibe? It’s fucking good. Quality up, marketability down. They still don’t do anything super different, but it’s good black metal. It feels like European black metal despite being American, which is what I love, because I’m intensely biased towards the EU scene. US bands have to be either 1)extremely fucking special or 2) European-sounding to get in my good graces XD

The guys are “masked”, in the sense that they play with hoods over their faces with the aim of not being seen, for atmospheric purposes:

They also do “the hand thing” when taking pictures.

But they’re ok being approached in public by fans, as long as you don't pressure them to take a pic with their faces showing. They are not anonymous, their names are out there if you wanna know.

As far as recs go, I would rec all of the albums honestly cause it’s less than 3 hours of music and there’s nothing truly bad in there. My favorite album personally is Djinn but that’s because I fucking love atmospheric albums that make me lose track of time. I’m aware that’s not everyone’s cup of tea xD So, to my previous recs of Devoid of Light, Black Autumn White Spring and Cult of a Dying Sun, I’d add all of Djinn, but specifically the title track and In The Absence of Matter as a first contact.

CARACH ANGREN

Carach Angren are a symphonic black metal band from the Limburg province of the Netherlands. They’ve been active since 2003 and they’re currently signed to French label Seasons of Mist, one of the few major metal labels I feel positively about! The Seasons of Mist roster is INSANE. They specialize in the darker genres of metal, black, death, gothic, doom and some prog. Many of my favorite bands have been on them through the years.

So. Listen. Carach are one of my absolute darlings in the black metal world. When I began my exploration into black metal in the early 2010s, their first three records have been instrumental in making this genre my favorite. I would not be where I am today without them. I will forever have a very special in my heart for these guys. I hung out with them several times, I’m attached, ok? But. And there’s a huge But. Dear fucking god did these guys fall off. I’m still reeling from how perfect their music used to be, and how fucking atrocious the output has been since 2015. In my opinion. These primers are only my personal opinions and ramblings ok XD They’re doing fine, their latest albums did get decent reviews which I? Don’t understand? But you do you, boo? XD They’re one of the big names in black metal right now, they’re headlining tours, they’re doing good on the new material ok. But I can’t fucking stand it hahaha.

The main problem for me was the vibe shift. Carach Angren’s themes are horror stories. They recount fantastic tales of horror, fright and gore, psychological horror, body horror, historical horror, the like. The storytelling in their first three albums is stunning. There was always a sense of realism there, of horror being grounded in reality. It’s classy, it’s tasteful, it’s striking and horrifying but it’s never cheap and nothing is played for shock. 2008’s Lammendam is about “true stories” in a 1700s an 1800s backdrop, a historical version of our “I heard from a friend of a friend that…”, tales from the crypt and all that. Ghost stories that we’ve heard before, la Dame Blanche for example, but set to music. 2010’s Death Came Through a Phantom Ship is about nautical horror. Historical stories of phantom ships, captain-less ships, mutinies and their disastrous bloody consequences. It’s so grounded. Their masterpiece, 2012’s Where the Corpses Sink Forever, is about the horrors of war. We follow soldiers in trenches, feel their desperation, their fear of death yet longing for it. The heart-wrenching beauty to be found on battlefields because they are so human, yet the absolute bone-chilling reality of it. It’s so fucking real. This album, no joke, is one of the best albums I have ever heard in my life. It’s a 10/10 record for me, and I do not give out 10/10 easily. I’m rather critical. I have less than 20 albums that I’ve ever rated as perfect in my life, and this album is unanimously recognized as the pillar of this band, and one of the pillars of symphonic black metal altogether. This is one of the albums that made black metal click for me. It changed everything.

And then, there was a tonal shift. I suspect, coming off from such a resounding success, the band didn’t know how the fuck they could live up to it, and they crumbled under the pressure. 2015’s This is no Fairytale is, as the title suggests, bases in the Grimm fairytales. It’s a weird modern retelling of Hansel and Gretel and like. Yeah. It started to get cheap. The language used in the lyrics shifted. There’s a ton of unnecessary cursing all over this album, graphic depictions of SA, p*dophilia, incest, drugs abuse and overdose, and like, yes, Hansel and Gretel is a tale about child abuse, of course, but there’s a way to approach those topics you know? With feeling, with emotion, with realness, and here it just feels cheap. Ghastly “twists” are constantly played out for shock value, it’s surface, it’s plastic-y. The stage show changed from refined hustorical costumes and atmospheres to, like, female-bodied mannequins being dragged around and getting their throats cut on stage with copious amounts of fake blood, and for what? It’s just, tasteless now. The band lost its delicacy. That’s where it started to feel cheap, and it only went downhill from there. 2017’s Dance and Laugh Amongst the Rotten is a joke. Legit, this album sounds like a joke. The songs are boring, uninspired, structure-less. The lyrics are so cheap. It’s like we went from a museum quality horror painting that moves and inspires, to a cheap clown trying to be scary at a kid’s birthday party. 2020’s Franckensteina Strataemontanus was very “meh” to me. Less offensive than the previous two, and the story is inspired by classic horror literature like Mary Shelley and the strange scientists that inspired her Frankenstein. There’s potential, but the magic is dead for me. Bad taste in my mouth. I can’t do it anymore, but maybe a fresh pair of ear that doesn’t have the baggage I have with this band will like it? You let me know.

In this context, you’ll understand why my recommendations will only be from the first three albums. If you want to go for it, just listen to all three. There are no duds in any of them. But for specific songs, from Lammendam: Haunting Echoes from the Seventeenth Century, The Carriage Wheel Murder, Heretic Poltergeist Phenomena and my absolute favorite La Malédiction de la Dame Blanche. From Phantom Ship: The Sighting Is a Portent of Doom and Bloodstains on the Captain's Log. From Corpses? Listen to the whole thing man. For real. It’s a concept album, so grab the whole thing, sit down, close the lights, get the lyrics out, and follow along. Prepare to be sobbing by the end. I could recommend every single song, but they hit so much more powerfully within the context of the story.

In terms of aesthetic, there guys are “masked” in the way that they have a very unique look of corpse paint (the face paint typical to black metal).

They coined this look, not corpse paint as a whole, but their style of it. It’s been copied a million times since (like by Cradle of Filth notably, though they'll argue to the ends of the world it wasn't copied. It looks the exact same, it's a bit ridiculous), but it was Carach who did it like this first. The band members have character names, though they are not anonymous. Their real names are out there, but on stage, they’re not themselves, they are Seregor and Ardek (Namtar used to be their drummer. He quit in 2020. I have no clue how the band will record anything else in the future without him because he was the CORE of the band for me. Absolute drummer crush. I digress.) Seregor is a hobbyist mask maker and he makes masks for his different characters from his stories, like these:

Imo they still hit on the mask kink somewhat. The guys on and off stage feel like they are radically different people, and to have met them masked at the end of a show and unmasked at more proper events, there’s a world of difference in the vibe. I love it.

Oh also they have spawn a good few big metal memes like this one XD :

Which they found funny enough they turned it into a shirt XD :

(and yes of course I have one hahaha)

ROTTING CHRIST

Rotting Christ are a seminal band in black metal’s history. They have been at it for 36 years under the Rotting Christ banner, 39 years if we count the first iteration of the band under a different name. Dare I say it? I’ll say it. They’re the black metal daddies. I’m so sorry, I said it, it’s out there now XD They are daddy and I don’t make the rules. Anyway! They’ve been active since 1987, as I said, and they are signed to, yep, Seasons of Mist. I wasn’t kidding when I said this label’s roster is nuts. They are from Athens, Greece and they’re more towards the melodic / gothic side of black metal. They influen ced black meal heavily because this early in the 80s (black metal as a genre really kicked off in the 90s), there were no other bands who did what they did, and especially not in Greek. Rotting Christ have a lot of songs in Greek, in Latin, later in their career they made songs based on Hindu mysticism, their lack of fear when it comes to singing in everything but English at the time was genre defining. They made many songs in English since, but man the ones in Greek just hit different you know? They changed the game before the black metal game was even a thing.

Currently there are only two original members left in the band, brothers Sakis and Themis Tolis, vocals/guitar and drums respectively. Everyone else right now are tour musicians or session studio musicians. As their band name suggests, their themes are of anti-christianity, satanism, occultism of many different cultures, mysticism, it’s all good shit. One more band we traumatized christian kids can heal our religious trauma through, weeeee!! They have 13 full length records out, their latest one being The Heretics from 2019 (we are starving from new material, please feed us) though they haven’t paused during the pandemic, re-recording older material and releasing compilations instead. There was a new single in 2022 called Holy Mountain, and I hope and pray that means new album soon. Sakis Tolis also released a solo project in 2022, Amongst the Fires of Hell, which was fucking DELICIOUS my dude. More laid back, but so fucking crunchy. Highly recommend if you feel their sound.

In terms of recommendations, you’re in luck because they released a massive best of for their 30th anniversary called Their Greatest Spells: 30 Years of Rotting Christ. That’s the must-listen. If you want into this band, start here. You’ll get a taste of the sound of every single full lenght that came befoee. It’s 2 albums, 33 songs: find your favorites, check which album they're from, and go from there! Non Serviam, Grandis Spiritus Diavolos, In Yumen-Xibalba, Kata Ton Daimona Eaytoy, everything’s on here, besides my personal favorite song of theirs, Apage Satanas. It’s a weird chanty, trance-y song but it’s the one that made me fall in love with the band. It scratches at something deep inside my brain idk.

Rotting Christ are not masked, nor is there an aesthetic to latch onto, really. They’re just cool dude doing cool things and doing their part spreading the message. They’re honest and raw. No frills. What you see is what you get. They’re the OG.

And that's the bill! Lemme know if you listen to anything and if the bands catch your interest :D

#asks #band primers #metal band primer #uada #carach angren #rotting christ

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derangedrhythms · 4 years ago

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Sun compilation for @themoonandthewanderer

"The sun hardly touches me. / Sometimes I see it in early spring, rising very far away. / Then leaves grow over it, completely hiding it. I feel it / glinting through the leaves, erratic, / like someone hitting the side of a glass with a metal spoon. / Living things don’t all require / light in the same degree. Some of us / make our own light: a silver leaf / like a path no one can use, a shallow / lake of silver in the darkness under the great maples."

— Louise Glück, The Wild Iris; ‘Lamium’

"But this night of mine can’t be killed by any sun."

— Alejandra Pizarnik, The Shadow Texts; from ‘The Green Table’, tr: Yvette Siegert

"…threaten the Sun, in the Moon’s name, with being engulfed by perpetual night."

— Robert Graves, The Greek Myths: The Complete and Definitive Edition

"We'll celebrate the dead sun's dying light."

— Charles Baudelaire, Complete Poems; 'Spleen et Idéal' from 'Black Bile (Millenium of memories...)', tr. Walter Martin

"Then the sun again / Waking like a torn-out eye."

— Ted Hughes, Moortown Diary; from 'Coming down through Somerset'

"…that old villain the Sun"

— Aristophanes, quoted by Robert Graves in 'The Greek Myths: The Complete and Definitive Edition'

"Close out the sun, for I would have it dark / That I may feel how black the grave will be."

— Sara Teasdale, Helen of Troy and Other Poems; from ‘Beatrice’

"furious anger in spring sunshine,"

— Margaret Atwood, Selected Poems II: Poems Selected & New: 1976-1986; from ‘Not the Moon’

"Black, but still a sun, / Like the Sun's negative."

— Ted Hughes, Collected Poems: Uncollected (1983-86); from 'Sacrificed Head'

"...the sky where the sun was already rising like a hot white bitch."

— Toni Morrison, from 'Sula'

"The sun is dressed in black."

— Charles Baudelaire, Complete Poems; 'Spleen et Idéal' from 'Possessed', tr. Walter Martin

"The sun doesn't forgive, / it looks and keeps going."

— Margaret Atwood, from ‘Power Politics’

"Who would not blot out the sun sometimes?"

— Susanna Clarke, from 'Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell'

"And so for days Magdalena obsessively barricaded the windows of her room against the gusty sunshine and tumult of spring."

— Joyce Carol Oates, Dreams from the Witch House: Female Voices of Lovecraftian Horror; from ‘Shadows of the Evening’

"I'm reminded of the sun of my childhood. Infused with death,"

— Alejandra Pizarnik, The Shadow Texts; from ‘The Green Table’, tr: Yvette Siegert

"I feel more vulnerable in the spring than in the fall. That’s why I’m so damp. This isn’t sweat. It’s something the sun has wrung from my heart."

— Izumi Kyoka, Japanese Gothic Tales; ‘One Day in Spring’, tr. Charles Shiro Inouye

"Drowned in a pool of blood the sun lies slain."

— Charles Baudelaire, Complete Poems; 'Spleen et Idéal' from 'Evening Harmony', tr. Walter Martin

"Outside the sun shines. / I dress up in ashes."

— Alejandra Pizarnik, from ‘The Lost Adventures’; untitled, tr: Cecilia Rossi

"If I were God, I'd call on the angels one night / to release the round sun into the darkness's furnace,"

— Forugh Farrokhzad, Osyan (Rebellion); from ‘Rebellious God’, tr. Sholeh Wolpé

"I hope for no good of this letter because today the sun opposes a conjunction of Saturn and the moon, and Mars opposes Jupiter which is back on my sun. Defy these stars."

— Ted Hughes, Letters of Ted Hughes; from a letter to Olwyn Hughes, 22nd May 1956

"Don’t speak to me of the sun or I’ll die."

— Alejandra Pizarnik, from ‘Extracting the Stone of Madness’, tr. Yvette Siegert

"She hated the sun too because it was treacherous."

— Sylvia Plath, Johnny Panic and The Bible of Dreams; from ‘Tongues of Stone’

"Doom on the sun!"

— Dylan Thomas, The Collected Poems of Dylan Thomas: The New Centenary Edition; from ‘Find meat on bones’

"What’s deadlier than the sun?"

— Jean-Paul Sartre, from 'The Flies', tr. Stuart Gilbert

"The sun will never rise again on anyone. / Never. Never more. At last."

— Marguerite Duras, from 'Hiroshima Mon Amour', tr. Richard Seaver

"…the dark glasses interfere with my ability to recognize obstacles. I can’t take them off, the sunny weather ruins my mood, and they help mask all this sunniness. With them I can even pretend that the sky is overcast instead of bright blue, so I have been wearing them continuously for the last week, eager to deceive myself, and getting into accidents, but better a couple of accidents than the depression that will inevitably follow if I’m forced to live under the cloudless sky."

— Mariam Petrosyan, from 'The Gray House', tr. Yuri Machkasov

"Or the funeral of the sun;"

— Dylan Thomas, The Collected Poems of Dylan Thomas: The New Centenary Edition; from ‘Here in this spring’

"My painful moon-eyes wait and brood / To view the sun's demise."

— Gertrud Kolmar, Dark Soliloquy: The Selected Poems of Gertrud Kolmar; from 'The Toad', tr. Henry A. Smith

"The sun was like a feverish eye."

— Sadeq Hedayat, The Blind Owl and Other Stories; from 'The Blind Owl', tr. D. P. Costello

"You might think a total solar eclipse would have no colour. The word “eclipse” comes from ancient Greek ekleipsis, “a forsaking, quitting, abandonment.” The sun quits us, we are forsaken by light. Yet people who experience total eclipse are moved to such strong descriptions of its vacancy and void that this itself begins to take on colour. What after all is a colour? Something not no colour. Can you make a double negative of light? Would that be like waking from a dream in the wrong direction and finding yourself on the back side of your own mind? There is a moment of reversal within totality."

— Anne Carson, Decreation: Poetry, Essays, Opera; from ‘Totality: The Colour of Eclipse’

#compilations #that old villain the sun #long post

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x--daughters-of-darkness--x · 4 years ago

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20 WOMEN VOCALISTS IN METAL WHO ARE A DRIVING FORCE FOR THE GENRE

Lzzy Hale

If you haven’t heard of the colossal Halestorm and their show-stealing frontlady Lzzy Hale by now, how’s it been living under that rock? Out here in the real world, both rock and metal have been battling to claim Halestorm and Hale’s presence since the band’s first EP, (Don’t Mess With The) Time Man, in 1999. From the vitriolic masochism of “I Miss The Misery” to the heart-wrenching “Here’s To Us,” Hale’s vocal range reaches each extreme of moving emotion and devastating attitude. We couldn’t pay tribute to Hale without also recognizing her guitar talents. Check the sassy leading line from “Love Bites (So Do I)” as an example of this phenomenal lady’s ability to step beyond musical expression and into aural artistry.

SKYND

True crime has never been more compelling than at the hands of Australian electronic-metal sensation SKYND and their mystifying frontwoman of the same name. Tackling a new real-life mystery with each track, covering the disappearance and mysterious death of “Elisa Lam” and the doomed cult following of “Jim Jones,” SKYND’s haunting vocals tell each tale as if they were acting out in front of you. SKYND’s dedication to her theatrical persona (plus the ability to keep her real identity a secret), her iconic look and the creation of lore around her exposition of real-life crimes is a mystery the metal world may never solve, but perhaps it never should.

Taylor Momsen

Gossip Girl? We don’t know her—we know Taylor Momsen as the sultry tones commanding metal’s sassiest frontrunners the Pretty Reckless. With her gravelly vocals offset by her signature blacked-out eyes and suspenders, Momsen is an all-around powerhouse frontlady who bends all of your stereotypical expectations of a female vocalist. Take the hissing attitude of “Make Me Wanna Die,” the iconic summer anthem through “Messed Up World (F’d Up World),” the doomed “Going To Hell” and the gloriously filthy “My Medicine”—she’s not here for your entertainment, simply to make music in her own inimitable devil-may-care way.

Sharon den Adel

Where symphonic-metal outfits go through vocalists like water, Within Temptation’s Sharon den Adel has held on to her throne at the very beating heart of the genre since 1996. The band that introduced you to the dark side in high school has come a long way from “Angels” and “Our Farewell” to their most recent sensation “The Purge,” but the enduring talents of the angelic den Adel at the helm remain as moving as ever. Whether your heart breaks or races along with the captivating stories told through her cherubic vocals, den Adel’s talents have kept this legendary band alive and relevant for 25 years. We’re hanging on the edge of our seats for a new album.

Amy Lee

Most millennials were introduced to the world of metal through Evanescence’s invasion of radio airtime in the early 2000s, making vocalist Amy Lee an initial encounter in female presence in a heavily male realm. With an unforgettably haunting vocal range that can reach into your chest and pull out your heart with a single note, Lee’s trademark sound has lived in our minds since 2003’s Fallen and has no intention of letting go. From the iconic “Bring Me To Life” to her solo career’s “Speak To Me” and most notably the captivating “My Immortal,” Lee’s inimitable voice of an angel showed metal how to truly capture the mainstream.

Melissa Bonny

You’ve never seen symphonic metal quite like Switzerland’s Ad Infinitum and, consequently, you’ve never seen a frontwoman quite like Melissa Bonny. With her compelling vocals at the helm, each track tells a story steeped in historic struggles and triumphs as the band members each adopt a story of survival during the time of the Black Death in Europe. Every member appears in a plague doctor’s mask except Bonny, commanding the narrative as her show-stopping range transitions from heavenly cleans to venomous screams with ease. Ad Infinitum and Bonny’s towering talents begin an epic quest through the ranks of metal, and nothing will stand in their way.

Simone Simons

Symphonic-metal outfits face a constant challenge to stay relevant and move forward with the scene around them, more so than any other subgenre. However, the dreamy contributions of Simone Simons have kept Epica at the forefront of their genre since 2002. The band that once created “Storm The Sorrow” have matured to the lofty heights of “The Skeleton Key” with Simons’ operatic tones at the helm, bringing her angelic range to the band’s cinematic instrumentals and occasional death-metal infusions.

Maria Brink

Since their inception in 2005, In This Moment have redefined performance art and metal all at the same time, thanks to the command of iconic vocalist Maria Brink. Challenging religious imagery alongside feminine stereotypes, Brink’s presence both on and offstage has decimated the white male dominance of the metal genre. It takes a certain conviction and attitude to pull off the likes of “Whore” and “Blood” without trivializing their core moral messages, but Brink has rewritten the book on expectations of women in the heavy music industry. Long may she reign.

Larissa Stupar

Vicious, teeth-baring uncleans are the domain of Venom Prison’s Larissa Stupar, death metal’s brightest rising star. Whoever said women had to be the saccharine, angelic feminine contribution to metal clearly never met Stupar, who belts savage growls as if delivered from the gates of hell itself. The likes of “Uterine Industrialisation” and “Slayer Of Holofernes” prove devastating both live and in the studio when this unrelenting powerhouse gets her chops around them.

Alissa White-Gluz

Arch Enemy’s screamer-in-chief makes belting superhuman notes look easy. Alissa White-Gluz’s cord-shredding talents are the result of a career that started when she formed the Agonist at the age of 19. Joining Arch Enemy in 2014 gave White-Gluz a platform to showcase her range and also gave us her contagious live presence on a bigger stage. Providing her distinctive tones to regular collaborations with Kamelot and Delain, the voice behind Arch Enemy’s “War Eternal” and “You Will Know My Name” is no stranger to framing racing riffs with her guttural chops and showing off her heavenly cleans when the instrumentals allow.

Cristina Scabbia

The dual vocal onslaught we know and love from Lacuna Coil compels and fascinates, thanks to the storming presence of Cristina Scabbia. Dominating the metal scene since the ’90s, the enduring Italian crew pour richly gothic melodies over devastating riffs. Scabbia’s heavenly clean vocal is the cherry on top. From unforgettable classics such as “Our Truth” to their latest show-stopping “Save Me,” her dream-like range has been an invaluable gift to metal for over two decades and hopefully many, many more.

Tarja Turunen

The thought of losing founding Nightwish vocalist Tarja Turunen to the abyss of former symphonic singers when she left the outfit in 2005 was too much to bear. Luckily for us, Turunen kick-started her solo career the following year, and she’s been a mainstay of the metal scene ever since. The heavenly operatics that once heralded classics such as “Wish I Had An Angel” and “Nemo” now belts “Innocence” and “Tears In Rain” with the most celestial, earthbound vocals the genre has seen to date.

Suzuka Nakamoto

Easily the youngest member of our ranking, Suzuka Nakamoto, known as Su-metal, is the founding member of Japanese sensations BABYMETAL. With all the maturity of an artist twice her age, this 23-year-old puts us all to shame with her consistent energetic vocals and seemingly endless energy supplies while performing impeccable dance routines onstage. Between the iconic “Gimme Chocolate!!” and BABYMETAL’s latest “Kingslayer” collaboration with Bring Me The Horizon, there’s no denying she has a long and prolific career ahead of her.

Amalie Bruun

Myrkur has become a relentless hot topic in metal since its inception in 2014, and we have only recently discovered the identity of the haunting vocals at its heart. Now we can credit multi-instrumental composer Amalie Bruun with the rise of this mysterious Danish project, led into the wilderness by her raw screams bursting through cherubic cleans just when you least expect it. Often singing in Norwegian as an authentic twist on her own style of black metal, the theatrical “Ulvinde” and “Juniper”’s lingering atmospherics merely scratch the surface of Bruun’s compelling storytelling talents.

Elize Ryd

Amaranthe’s triple-threat vocals fetch their lighter tones from Elize Ryd, the Swedish outfit’s not-so-secret weapon who brings cherubic notes to their modern take on organized metallic chaos. Also known for her additions to Kamelot, both live and in the studio, Ryd’s heavenly cords and quirky songwriting add a bucketload of atmosphere and depth to the likes of “Amaranthine” and “Maximize,” making Amaranthe’s unique versatility one that continually sets trends for years to come.

Cammie Gilbert

Houston doom-metal upstarts Oceans Of Slumber have found themselves on a near-vertical trajectory over the last few years, a movement fronted by the tireless energy and boundless talents of their powerhouse vocalist Cammie Gilbert. Upon joining the band in 2014, Gilbert’s towering range came to the surface as her vocals neatly expand the lulling melancholy of “Winter” and the desperate cries of “A Return To The Earth Below,” as if her vocals project both fragility and strength at the same moment.

Heidi Shepherd and Carla Harvey

We couldn’t separate the two ladies commanding Butcher Babies, so this slot goes out to both Heidi Shepherd and Carla Harvey as the double-trouble onslaught who have brought us “Monsters Ball” and “Magnolia Blvd.” If you’re looking for a nonstop, indulgent party with the possibility of a snapped neck or two, look no further than L.A.’s dirtiest metal export that have become a staple on everybody’s festival bucket list. This versatile pair have made thrash their own ever since their 2013 debut, Goliath, showed the metal scene what it had been so desperately lacking—two relentless ladies who know exactly how to have a good time.

Chelsea Wolfe

Surprisingly the only strictly solo appearance on this list, Chelsea Wolfe has made metal her very own since her arrival in 2010, draping a veil of folk-y atmosphere and gothic depth over seductive doom-metal undertones. Combining her boundary-smashing approach with a sadistically dark visual style, Chelsea Wolfe somewhat ironically injects life into doom by refusing to conform to the genre’s ’90s stereotypes. She wraps her smooth vocal swathes around the compelling melancholy of “Feral Love” and “16 Psyche,” as if redressing the world around her in her own image.

Tatiana Shmayluk

You’d be forgiven for thinking Ukrainian outfit Jinjer tell their lyrical tales through the voice of three separate individuals covering melodic cleans, ear-splitting screams and guttural snarls and somewhat effortlessly slipping between them. The single towering voice behind this band’s meteoric rise belongs to Tatiana Shmayluk, flexing her multi-talented chops on “Perennial” and “Sit Stay Roll Over” just to increase your vocal envy. We’re still not sure how she pulls off such smooth transitions between the polar opposite personas onstage, but we can’t seem to look away.

Floor Jansen

Taking on the mammoth task of fronting the pioneering outfit Nightwish in 2013, Floor Jansen donned her new role as if she was born for it. Jansen’s inimitable honeyed tones ushered in a new age for the symphonic-metal icons, weaving her slick melodic range through the band’s trademark cinematic instrumentals. The theatrical atmospheres tracked on “Élan” and “Noise” give Jansen the room to flex her operatic range while she narrates the vibrant, tall tales we know and love from Nightwish.

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doomedandstoned · 4 years ago

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In Russia, A Belated Doom & Stoner Halloween!

Review by Anton Bryukov

Photographs by Nadegda Holodnaya

Doom & Stoner Halloween took place on the 11th of December. The gig had been postponed due to COVID-related restrictions which were in effect in Moscow in late October.

The audience gathered at Peak Sound club to listen to some doom this cold, snowy evening. Desolate Music Promo Group organized the event. Desolate Music is well-known for organizing doom-metal festivals in Moscow.

Soul Chariot

The first band to play was Soul Chariot, a relatively new name in the scene. They unleashed the thundering sound of traditional doom metal on the listeners. The drive and energy of the songs got the crowd moving. They ended the show with a cover of Pentagram’s “Forever My Queen.”

Soul Chariot by Soul Chariot

Train To Elsewhere

The band in which I play – Train to Elsewhere – took the stage after that. We play a mix of traditional doom metal and gothic doom, focusing on the old-school atmospheric sound. We played some of our songs from the debut “Samhain” album and new stuff like “Hades” and “Blues.”

Songs Of November Winds by Train to Elsewhere

heXenblatt

heXenblatt continued the evening with the mix of occult stoner-sludge doom which quickly filled the air with its presence. People slammed, moved to the music, and were in a hypnotic state on the slower parts of the performance.

Through the Woods by Hexenblatt

Autumn Woods

Next up were Autumn Woods, they performed a modern sounding mix of groove metal and doom-death. It could be called the earnings fastest performance bordering on faster styles of metal. A very technical, professional live set.

Doomed By Loneliness by Autumn Woods

Neuropolis

Neuropolis from Saint-Petersburg stormed in after that. They were definitely the heaviest act of the show. The gloomy and dark sounding doom-death was matched by the superb theatrical performance of the vocalist. They performed songs from both the “Golem” album and the debut EP.

Golem by NEUROPOLIS

Thunder Volt

The evening was closed by Thunder Volt who performed a unique mix of stoner-grunge doom. Having a lot in common with the music of the late 80-s and the early 90-s, the band has a tendency to play anthems and dirges of the doom-grunge fusion they are known for. This evening they have added a bit more sludge/hardcore punk into the mix.

Entering the Cave by Thunder Volt

Credits:

Desolate Music Promo Group

Танюша (Tanya) aka Shapeofdespair

Salariel Daemon

Photographs by Надежда Холодная (Nadegda Holodnaya) aka Photosferiya

Video by Виталий Константинов (Vitaly Konstantinov) aka BELIAL 68

Now Playing:

Doomed & Stoned in RUSSIA Volume Two

Doomed & Stoned in Russia (Vol. 2) by Doomed and Stoned Records

As with any good sequel our team had a task to continue the formula established in Part I while bringing something new to the table. Part II is another look into Russia's vast doom scene and contains bands from all over the country.

From the legendary heroic Viking myth of Scald to the dark pessimistic underground experiments of Voidwards, Part II contains the entire specter of doom metal. This time around we had quite a few sludge and stoner bands, and the darker side is represented by a few top-notch funeral doom contributions.

While containing some big "headliners" the overall compilation is more of an exploration of the underground. When gathering the material I noticed once again how authentic and honest our doom scene is. People who play Doom believe in what they do. That authenticity is what is most important.

We had people who recorded exclusive tracks and some tracks which have already achieved legendary status. We are especially grateful to Voj, who are arguably the first band in the world to play funeral doom, for contributing a track to the compilation -- as we are thankful to every band who participated.

Alexey Sivitsky of Godlike Ikons continued the theme of the Russian folk tales and has contributed superb artwork depicting Kashchey the Deathless. This character is known to the listeners of classical music from the opera by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. This archetypal character may date back as early as the 12th century myths. The lore behind him makes this antagonist a perfect character for the cover art.

As a whole the compilation has more urban and stoner notes compared to a more northern and even folkish vibe that the first volume had. It may sound a bit heavier. But here remains the main task of documenting the Russian Doom scene which we set out to do in Part I.

At the outer reaches of weird cosmic worlds and in abandoned crypts and churches, in vast snowy fields and forests, in smoke filled flats and late-night bars, the integral lyrical theme of Doom remains the subject of the lyrics. This two-part journey has been quite a unique experience for our team. Getting in touch with all the people who make our favorite genre of slow heavy music possible, has led to the discovery of many new names and outstanding songs. We hope that the listeners of the compilation will as well discover something for themselves.

Anton Bryukov (Train To Elsewhere) Project Curator, Doomed & Stoned in Russia

Editor's Note: Be sure to check out the brand new live album by Train To Elsewhere, just released! It's a fantastic introduction to the band's sound and will give you a feel for their vibrant presence in concert. (Billy Goate)

Songs Of November Winds by Train to Elsewhere

#D&S Concert Review #Moscow #Russia #live #concert #doom metal #sludge #death doom #death metal #black metal #Thunder Volt #Neuropolis #Autumn Woods #heXenblatt #Train to Elsewhere #Soul Chariot #Peak Sound #photography #Doomed and Stoned

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vinylspinning · 2 years ago

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Solitude Aeturnus: Beyond the Crimson Horizon (1992)

I’ve somehow accumulated a lot of pink-ish wax (not easy for a heavy metal fan), so I’m taking a week to unloading it here on VinylSpinning, and today I'll revisit Solitude Aeturnus' sophomore studio LP, Beyond the Crimson Horizon.

As I think back to the state of metal in the late '80s and early '90s, thrash and other speedy styles were so dominant, that one could almost forget that the genre's early '70s roots lay in the slothful doom of Black Sabbath.

In keeping, few were the bands interested in reminding fans about this, and far-flung across the globe, so when Solitude Aeturnus came out of Arlington, Texas, doing just that, I wondered if the band's name was a literal expression of their desperate isolation.

This emotion, among other depressive variations, was certainly integral to the group's 1991 debut, Into the Depths of Sorrow, which, along with its '92's Beyond the Crimson Horizon, soon had critics describing Solitude Aeturnus as America's answer to Candlemass.

If only!

To my ears, vocalist Robert Lowe was such a carbon-copy for original Fates Warning frontman John Arch (especially his ill-advised swoops from low to high registers) that most operatic similarities to Candlemass' Messiah Marcolin were honestly lost on me.

And while, instrumentally-speaking, Solitude Aeturnus' melodic doom style (spiked with thrashy double kick-drums) had so much in common with their European counterparts, I never felt their songwriting was a match for the hallowed Swedes.

But I suppose it was the next best thing, at least when career highlights like "Seeds of the Desolate" and "The Hourglass" arranged their fast/slow, hard/soft ingredients with enough confidence and taste to attain a convincing majesty.

Along with secondary standouts like "It Came Upon the Night," "Beneath the Fading Sun," and "Beyond ...," I think these songs owe most of their success to the titanic, malefic riffs, and jaw-dropping solos from guitarists John Perez and Edgar Rivera.

But an opinionated (or even a qualified) producer is sorely missed on awkwardly assembled numbers like "Black Castle" and "The Final Sin," as well as the almost comically scripted lyrics for "Plague of Procreation."

Surely there are more elegant ways of discussing birth control?

All kidding aside, there was far more to love than there was to hate about Solitude Aeturnus, and the Texans would issue a third worthy LP in '94's Through the Darkest Hour before inadvertently foreshadowing their own fate with '96's disappointing Downfall.

Lowe would later fulfill his destiny (if you can call it that?) by joining Candlemass, but I was personally left unimpressed by LPs like King of the Grey Islands (2007), Death Magic Doom ('09), and Psalms for the Dead ('12).

And, all these years later, I still hear just as much Fates Warning as I do Candlemass in Solitude Aeturnus' works -- all thanks to Lowe's Arch-like vocal presence -- not that there's anything wrong with that!

More Doom: Ahab’s The Giant, Belzebong’s Sonic Scapes & Weedy Grooves, Black Capricorn’s Born Under the Capricorn, Candlemass’ Nightfall, Cathedral’s The Carnival Bizarre, Crypt Sermon’s Out of the Garden, Electric Wizard’s Dopethrone, Graves at Sea’s The Curse that Is, Green Druid’s Ashen Blood, Khemmis’ The Hunter, Krux’s Krux II, Mammoth Storm’s Fornjot, Morgion’s Among Majestic Ruin, Mourn’s Mourn, Pagan Altar’s Judgement of the Dead, Paradise Lost’s Gothic, Pentagram’s Day of Reckoning, Reverend Bizarre’s In the Rectory of the Bizarre Reverend, Saint Vitus’ Born too Late, Skepticism’s Stormcrowfleet, Sleep’s Holy Mountain, Solothus’ Realm of Ash and Blood, Spirit Adrift's The Curse of Conception, Swallow the Sun’s The Morning Never Came, Toner Low’s Toner Low, Trees of Eternity’s Hour of the Nightingale, Trouble’s Trouble, The Wandering Midget’s From the Meadows of Opium Dreams, Warhorse’s As Heaven Turns to Ash, Witchcraft’s Witchcraft.

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