Symphonic black metal

Symphonic black metal is a subgenre of black metal that emerged in the 1990s and incorporates symphonic and orchestral elements.[1] Notable symphonic black metal bands include Dimmu Borgir, Emperor and Carach Angren.

Symphonic black metal
Stylistic origins
Cultural originsEarly to mid 1990s, Norway and United Kingdom
Typical instruments
  • Electric guitar
  • bass guitar
  • drums
  • keyboard
  • violin
  • other acoustic and electronic instruments

Characteristics

Symphonic black metal is a style of black metal that incorporates symphonic and orchestral elements. This may include the usage of music workstation keyboards to conjure up "pseudo-orchestral" landscapes with default presets (e.g. strings, choirs, piano, organs, and pads), or full orchestral arrangements containing woodwinds, brass, percussion, keyboards and strings. Bands may feature solo instruments such as violins in addition to virtual or live orchestral arrangements. Vocals can be "clean" or operatic in style, and song structures are more defined or are inspired by symphonies, and follow a typical riff-based approach. Many of the characteristics of traditional black metal are retained, such as shrieks , fast tempos, high treble and tremolo-picked electric guitars. The overal sound and themes can be considered wider than traditional black metal, many groups of symphonic black metal use themes such as vampirism (Theatres des Vampires, Cradle of Filth), occultism and the paranormal (Carach Angren). Political themes are more neglected by them as in other black metal subgenres.

List of notable symphonic black metal bands
Band Country Formed Notes
Abigail Williams The United States of America 2005 [2]
Havoc Unit Finland 1995 [3][4]
Anorexia Nervosa France 1995 [5]
Apostasy Sweden 2000 [6]
Bal-Sagoth England, The United Kingdom 1989 [7][8]
Carach Angren The Netherlands 2003 [9]
Carpathian Forest Norway 1992 [10]
Catamenia Finland 1995 [11]
Chthonic Taiwan 1995 [12]
Cradle of Filth England, The United Kingdom 1991 [13]
Crimson Moonlight Sweden 1997 [14]
Darzamat Poland 1995 [15]
Diabolical Masquerade Sweden 1993 [16]
Dimmu Borgir Norway 1993 [17][18]
Dragonlord The United States of America 2000 [19]
Emperor Norway 1991
Equilibrium Germany 2001 [20]
Exalted Saviour Canada 2013
Graveworm Italy 1992 [21]
Hecate Enthroned England, The United Kingdom 1993 [22]
Imperial Circus Dead Decadence Japan 2007 [23]
Kekal Indonesia 1995 [24]
Limbonic Art Norway 1993 [25]
Opera IX Italy 1988 [26]
Shade Empire Finland 1999 [27][28]
Stormlord Italy 1991 [29]
Tiamat Sweden 1988 [30]
Tvangeste Russia 1996 [31]
Twilight Ophera Finland 1996 [32]
Vaakevandring Norway 1999 [33]
Vardøger Norway 1994 [34]
Vesania Poland 1997 [35]
Welicoruss Russia 2005

References
  1. "Symphonic Black Metal : Significant Albums, Artists and Songs, Most Viewed : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  2. Henderson, Alex. "In the Shadow of a Thousand Suns - Abigail Williams : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 September 2012. [...] In the Shadow of 1000 Suns is more in the symphonic black metal vein.
  3. Loftus, Johnny. "...And Oceans - Music Biography, Credits and Discography : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  4. Anderson, Jason. "A.M. G.O.D.: Allotropic/Metamorphic Genesis of Disorphism - ...And Oceans : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  5. Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Anorexia Nervosa - Music Biography, Credits and Discography : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 September 2012. ...establishing themselves as a symphonic black metal force to be reckoned with.
  6. Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Apostasy - Music Biography, Credits and Discography : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 September 2012. Sweden's Apostasy was formed in 1994 and performs keyboard-laden symphonic black metal inspired by the likes of Dimmu Borgir and Arcturus.
  7. Huey, Steve. "The Power Cosmic - Bal-Sagoth : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  8. Henderson, Alex. "The Chthonic Chronicles - Bal-Sagoth : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 September 2012. [...] The Chthonic Chronicles underscores the ambitious nature of the symphonic black metal style.
  9. "Carach Angren | Biography, Albums, Streaming Links | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2018-02-03.
  10. Serba, John. "Defending the Throne of Evil - Carpathian Forest : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 September 2012. ...Defending the Throne of Evil just falls in with the rest of the symphonic black metal pack.
  11. Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Catamenia - Music Biography, Credits and Discography : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 September 2012. Finland became a surprising hotbed of heavy metal talent during the late '90s, and symphonic black metal act Catamenia certainly ranks among the most consistent – if not commercially successful – of these.
  12. Prato, Greg. "Seediq Bale - Chthonic : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 September 2012. Symphonic black metal will always be first and foremost associated with Norway, a locale that seems to spawn a new band sporting ghoulish face paint every bloody day. But by 2007, the style had long crossed over into other faraway territories, as evidenced by the emergence of Taiwan's Chthonic.
  13. Bregman, Adam. "Midian - Cradle of Filth : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  14. Van Pelt, Doug (August 2010). "Top 100 Christian Metal Albums of All Time" (PDF). Heaven's Metal: 8. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  15. Prato, Greg. "Transkarpatia - Darzamat : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 September 2012. Symphonic black metal comes from all points of the globe, but it seems to have truly taken hold in Europe circa the early 21st century, as an avalanche of similarly styled bands began sprouting up from this particular locale. And one of Poland's leading entries into the symphonic black metal sweepstakes turned out to be the six-piece Darzamat.
  16. Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Diabolical Masquerade - Music Biography, Credits and Discography : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 September 2012. ...Sweden's Diabolical Masquerade released a string of symphonic and misanthropic black metal albums...
  17. Serba, John. "Death Cult Armageddon - Dimmu Borgir : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  18. Jurek, Thom. "In Sorte Diaboli - Dimmu Borgir : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 September 2012. Dimmu Borgir's brand of symphonic black metal...
  19. Wiederhorn, Jon. The New (Old) Order. Revolver. Retrieved 2009-09-30.
  20. Henderson, Alex. "Sagas - Equilibrium : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 September 2012. Equilibrium's folk metal/symphonic black metal attack isn't just about intensity; it is also about craftsmanship.
  21. Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Graveworm - Music Biography, Credits and Discography : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 September 2012. Since forming in 1992, Italy's Graveworm have unleashed a number of very sophisticated gothic-symphonic black metal albums...
  22. Henderson, Alex. "Redimus - Hecate Enthroned : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 September 2012. Redimus is neither the best nor the worst that symphonic black metal and melodic death metal have to offer...
  23. "Imperial Circus Dead Decadence | official website". Imperial Circus Dead Decadence official website (in Japanese). Retrieved 2018-10-30.
  24. D, Peter (n.d.). "Review Kekal - The Painful Experience". Lords of Metal. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
  25. Serba, John. "The Ultimate Death Worship - Limbonic Art : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 September 2012. The relatively lo-fi, but still clear, production lends the songs a grainy nastiness that's integral to the overall feel of the record, which strongly represents the ugly, pockmarked side of symphonic black metal.
  26. Henderson, Alex. "Anphisbena - Opera IX : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 September 2012. [...] Cadaveria did her part to make Opera IX one of the more unusual bands in symphonic black metal...
  27. Henderson, Alex. "Sinethic - Shade Empire : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 September 2012. [...] But these guys take it a step further, providing music that is elaborate even by symphonic black metal standards.
  28. "MusicMight :: Artists :: Shade Empire". musicmight.com. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  29. Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Stormlord - Music Biography, Credits and Discography : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 September 2012. ...before turning their collective gaze northwards to Scandinavia's bustling extreme metal scene. There they found like-minded accomplices in up-and-coming symphonic black metal bands like Dimmu Borgir and Borknagar...
  30. Huey, Steve. "Tiamat - Music Biography, Credits and Discography : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 September 2012. Over the course of the 1990s, Sweden's Tiamat evolved from a typical death metal outfit into one of the leading lights in 'symphonic' black metal.
  31. "Tvangeste - Music Biography, Credits and Discography : AllMusic". Retrieved 30 July 2013. Tvangeste was formed in 1996 in Kaliningrad, Russia, and its line-up at the time consisted of Miron Chirva, Edgar, Nikolay "Kok" Kazmin (of Candle in the Dark) and...
  32. "The End of the Halcyon Age - Twilight Opera : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 September 2012. Twilight Ophera isn't terribly distinctive – plenty of other symphonic black metal bands have favored this type of sound in the Nordic countries...
  33. "MusicMight :: Artists :: Vaakevandring". musicmight.com. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  34. Morrow, Matt (n.d.). "Vardoger - Whitefrozen". The Whipping Post. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
  35. Mason, Stewart. "Firefrost Arcanum - Vesania : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 September 2012. [...] Firefrost –Arcanum–, an album so hugely, unapologetically over the top that at first it almost sounds like a deadpan parody of symphonic black metal.
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