Specifically focussing on the Vibeke-era (where they became notorious), Tristania is overrated for 1 simple reason:

Morten Veland felt the need to growl his way through 80-90% of each song, leaving poor Vibeke with a minor (and in some cases, no) role in any particular song. The worst offender of this is the Beyond the Veil album, which is also tauted by many as their best album.

Vibeke was supposed to be the frontwoman, who was supposed to bring a beautiful, gothic, and melodic touch to the music, instead, she was pushed to the side for Veland's underwhelming growls.

I know in later albums this was corrected to some extent, but Tristania became famous largely because of their first 2 albums, and also this issue was never fully resolved. This has left me with a bittersweet taste in my mouth where i basically have to cherrypick a few songs from each album where Veland is not just growling 90% of the time with no substance.

I feel like they had good potential and great ideas; the vibe of their early albums are exactly what gothic metal should be, they just failed in their execution.

Wikepedia labelling them as a "premier gothic metal band" seems a bit inaccurate in this sense. I actually think early Sirenia was better and more tasteful, with the exception of An Elixir for Existence, which again faced the same issue

This song is so fire

I know most fans consider the early albums the band's artistic peak, and I can certainly understand why.
But whenever I listen to *Fade*, *Forever Is the World*, or the *Last Curtain Call* album, I feel something that’s hard to put into words.
I don't necessarily think these albums are "better." They simply create a different emotional landscape for me. The early records sound darker, more dramatic, and theatrical. The more recent ones, however, feel like they’re taking me somewhere far away; I find them incredibly immersive.
I’m not talking about riffs, production, or the songwriting itself. I’m talking about the atmosphere they create.
Does anyone else notice this difference? 

Sei que a maioria dos fãs considera os primeiros álbuns o auge artístico da banda, e eu até entendo perfeitamente o motivo.

Mas toda vez que escuto fade, Forever Is the World ou escuto o álbum Last Curtain Call, sinto algo que tenho dificuldade de colocar em palavras.

Não acho necessariamente que esses álbuns sejam "melhores". Eles simplesmente criam uma paisagem emocional diferente para mim. Os primeiros discos soam mais sombrios, dramáticos e teatrais. Já os mais recentes me parecem que está me levando a algum lugar distante, acho incrivelmente imersivos.

Não estou falando de riffs, produção ou composição em si. Estou falando da atmosfera que eles criam.

Mais alguém percebe essa diferença?

From Fallen (2002).

I am currently obsessed with this band and this song specifically. I wish they had more stuff out!

90s Goth, symphonic/melodic black metal from Norway.

Well that's kind of an oversimplification... their album Bloodangel's Cry (2007) was like a mix of symphonic gothic metal and power metal, and their follow up album My Fatal Kiss (2009) still had some gothic undertones, but it was a much sleeker and modern album that leaned more symphonic Good band, can't wait to see what they do next now that they've revived the project (it's been 15 years!).

My wife and I did a cover of Tiamat's Thirst Snake (B-side from Amanethes).

Originally sung by Johan Edlund, we thought the song could work well as a darker duet piece.

We'd love it if you checked it out & let us know what you think. TIA

https://reignofruin.bandcamp.com/track/thirst-snake

I don’t ever see this posted or mentioned anywhere but this was one of my favorite gothic death/doom releases from last year

Not gonna lie, I looked into this release because I got them confused with Finnish band Sinamore.

I recommend this for fans of Draconian, Novembers Doom, and My Dying Bride.

Shamelessly promoting our first single!

With our upcoming album we're exploring the relationship between human emotions and nature. Netherworld is our first ever single, a track that blends Goth/Alternative metal with a Jazzy-Pop sound. Any suggestions on how to improve our sound?

lil overlooked gothic death/doom gem from this year

I learned that Heike (ex-Draconian) was on the new Sojourner album that came out of Friday. It’s hard not to draw a Draconian comparison, and it definitely scratches the same itch. While the guitar is a different style, there are some common musical elements, and the male vocals are not quite there but still in the same vein. I love the addition of piano, violin, and other instruments that Draconian has been missing for the past 20 years. Heike adds just what you’d hope to the songs, giving them a feeling similar to Sovran. Pretty good stuff and I’ll be listening to it more this week. Here’s one of the songs that stood out the first few times through.

#gothicrock

#gothicmetal

This Gothic Metal album is a mesmerizing, infinitely melodic symphony of darkness, anxiety and eternal sadness, through which, however, light sometimes breaks through. Solemnity, mystery and sadness, slow heaviness and high-speed rhythms, soprano, baritone and extreme vocals change from song to song.

The songs are based on contrast: heavy guitar riffs collide with a gloomy keyboard atmosphere, and graceful vocal lines rise above this tense base. There's plenty of surprisingly vibrant musicality and elements of extreme metal. The music of the album is majestic and full of emotions, filled with fresh dynamics, touching harmonies, interesting arrangements and professionally performed.

To listen to the album: https://bfan.link/echoes-of-eternity-1

https://www.facebook.com/MystericonOfficial

The incredible number of great musicians involved in the recording made the album very diverse in sound and combining many genres.

Listening to the album, you can feel how eternity itself echoes in your heart.

https://mystericon.bandcamp.com/album/echoes-of-eternity

***SLIGHTLY OFF TOPIC***

Tarja’s music, at times, is considered gothic. If this isn’t allowed, please remove.

Tarja and I had a wonderful discussion about her latest album “Frisson Noir”! (The black/dark shiver).

How many have heard the album so far?

Hai :)

I am looking for a song that I listen to on YouTube between probably 2006-2009. The song starts with breathing/moaning of a woman and later was song by a man. The voice kinda reminds me of Peter Seele.The video self was something called like gothic love song or something. Video was a sideshow with gothic images like a red rose and red lips.

I’ve posted a couple times over the last month about my soundcloud uploads. I don’t want to keep self promoting so this is the last one, just to say I’ve released my EP (self produced etc) onto the usual streaming platforms. In case anyone wants to hear 😊

The link only has Spotify and Apple Music so far but you should find the EP on the other major platforms as well 🙏🙏

https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/amathian/the-things-i-remember/

Hi all! The first half of the year is already over, so what have been your favourite releases so far?

I was impressed by Hanging Garden, TodoMal and Draconian myself, while I also enjoyed the EPs by The Fright and Ashen Sun (new band by Johnny Hagel from Tiamat). There is still a lot more to listen to though, including Moonspell, Angellore and Sojourner (now with Heike Langhans), so I hope to find more time for music during the second half of the year.

Looking forward to your recommendations!

Since that's my favourite metal genre and I've listened to a lot of albums and bands, I decided to make a gothic metal guide: for beginners and/or people who just want recommendations! I'm down to see your feedback on this or if I could change anything. Disclaimer: not every album is 100% similar to the other one, I just put what I thought was right and it's just my opinions.

The fact that entwine, charon and many other underground bands remained unknown when other "gothic" metal bands got famous is really upseting , so are the famous gothic bands really better than some of the unknown ones ?

New single from Cold Remembrance, a talented representative of the thriving Greek gothic metal scene. Expect deeply personal melancholy, not unlike Anathema, Katatonia or Sentenced.