BARE INFINITY

Genre(s): symphonic gothic power metal
Origin: Greece (Athens, Attica)
Formed: 2003

Current Line-Up:
vocals - Angel
keyboard, backing vocals - Vincent
guitars - Tomas
bass – Sverd (Silent Rage)
drums- Jiggly (George Tzitzifas) (Contemplation (hosť))

Former Members:
bass – Alexander (Tornado (Grc))
vocals - Christiana


Albums:

Full-Length:
Always Forever (2009)

Demos:
Demo 2004 (2004)
Escape (2005)

Recommended Songs:
Always Forever Part I
Lost Again
Bare Infinity

Note:
Angel’s voice is similar to voice of Christina from Lacuna Coil.


MYSPACE


VIDEO:
ALWAYS FOREVER PART I.

ANGTORIA

Genre(s): gothic orchestral metal
Origin: Sweden (Sundsvall)
Formed: 2001

Current Line-Up:
vocals - Sarah Jezebel Deva (Sarah Jane Ferridge) (Cradle of Filth, Covenant (Nor), Mortiis, Therion (Swe), Tulus, The Gathering, Mystic Circle)
guitars, bass, keyboard, programming (creating and getting music in digital form in computer)
- Chris Tejn (Evergrey, Sargoth, Insalubrious, Abyssos)
guitars, keyboard, programming – Tommy Rehn (Moahni Moahna)
bass - Dave Pybus (2006-) (Massacre, Cradle of Filth, Anathema (UK),Darkened (UK), Anul Death, The Hatebreeders, Dreambreed)
drums - John Henriksson (2006-) (My Own Grave)

Former Members:
drums- Andreas Brobjer - (session / on concerts) (Space Odyssey, Platitude)


Albums:

Full-Length:
God Has a Plan for Us All (2006)

EP:
Across Angry Skies (2004)

Recommended Songs:
Suicide On My Mind
God Has A Plan For Us All
Six Feet Under’s Not Deep Enough


MYSPACE


VIDEOS:
SUICIDE ON MY MIND
GOD HAS A PLAN FOR US ALL

ANIMA BOREALIS

Genre(s): ambient, atmospheric metal, melodic power metal
Origin: Chile (Atacama)
Formed: 2007
Type: female, pair

Current Line-Up:
vocals – Carmella Cirrito
all instruments - Polo Cortés


Albums:

Full-Length:
Antarctic Tales (2007)


Recommended Songs:
Virgin Of The Ice

MYSPACE

VIDEO:
VIRGIN OF THE ICE

AFTER FOREVER

Genre: symphonic power / gothic metal, progressive metal
Origin: Netherlands (Reuver, Limburg)
Formed: 1995
Type (vocal representation): beauty (sometimes she sings up to soprano) and the beast, last album prevalently female

Last Known Line-Up:
vocal - Floor Jansen (1997-2009)
guitar, vocal (growling) - Sander Gommans (1995-2009) (HDK)
guitar, vocal (clean) - Bas Maas (2002-2009) (Karma (Hol), Tank Buster Jack, Rock
Justice)
bass - Luuk van Gerven (1996-2009) (Cardamon, Xystus)
keyboard (synthetiser) - Joost van den Broek - (2004-2009) (Galexia, Sun
Caged,Neoshine, Ayreon, The Supremacy, Sphere of Souls, Expedition Delta,Freak Neil Inc., HDK)
drums- Andre Borgman (2000-2009) (Valentine, Rebelstar)

Former Members:
guitar, vocal (growling) - Mark Jansen (1995-2002) (Epica (Hol)/Sahara Dust, Les Faidits)
keyboard –
Jack Driessen (1995-2000)
Lando van Gils (2000-2004)
drums- Joep Beckers (1995-2000) (Triple 7,
Engine of Pain)


Albums:

Full-Length:
Prison of Desire (2000)
Decipher (2001)
Invisible Circles (2004)
Remagine (2005)
After Forever (2007)

EP:
Exordium (2003)
Singles:
Follow In the Cry (2000)
Emphasis / Who Wants To Live Forever (2002)
Monolith Of Doubt (2002)
My Choice/The Evil That Men Do (2003)
Digital Deceit (2004)
Being Everyone (2005)
Two Sides / Boundaries Are Open (2006)
Energize Me (2007)
Equally Destructive (2007)


Recommended Songs:
Digital Deceit (vocal len Floor) (album: - Invisible Circles)
Monolith of Doubt (- Decipher)
Beautiful Emptiness (- Invisible Circles)

Recommended Album:
Invisible Circles (2004)


MYSPACE


VIDEOS:
DIGITAL DECEIT
MONOLITH OF DOUBT
BEAUTIFUL EMPTINESS

ACCID REIGN

Genre: gothic metal, progressive metal
Origin: Germany (city: Hamburg)
Formed: 2005

Current Line-Up:
vocal - Tony Kostyal
piano - Joe Bischof
guitar - José Godoy
guitar - Paul Pawelec
bass - Jan Petzhold
drums- David Wiesinger

Former Members:
guitar - Christian Jungebluth ([kapely, v ktorých
hráč pôsobí]: Hardattack / Dawn Patrol (Ger))


Albums:

Full-Length:
Awaken (released: 2007)
Recommended Songs:
Accid Reign
Feeling
He


Note:
Band uses very harmonic guitars.


MYSPACE


VIDEOS:
FEELING

Some explanation and infos to BANDS

Why didn’t I get to the book this or this band? And surely every man gets into his selection, what he likes. I got there also bands, which I don’t like so much, but they are significant and I think it’s important for reader / devotee to know them.

Explanation:
Eps are smaller, mini albums, they contain songs also, which doesn’t have to be on full-length albums.
Singless are cds, on which is one song in various recorded versions (studio, acoustic and so on). They can also contain rarities (non released songs, which are not on other albums).
Type is who sings (see Characteristic – by vocal). Type is quoted when the singer is not only woman.
I have tried to give here bands, whom singers have various vocal colour / they sound differently.
I recommend songs and albums, which I have heard personally, on which a beautiful slow-pacing female vocal sounds / livens up / becomes pleasant. As I did not hear all the albums of all of initiate groups, the recommendation is not to every groups. Of course, recommendation is subjective, you can like something other of it. Recommended songs and albums should be as starting point, like delicious tasting.

Structure of metal songs

Song contains from introduction (it takes approximately 1 minute), it are only guitars or non guitar introduction, when are usually used instruments like synthesizer or violin or seldom orchestra. Very often are used guitars however. It is often sung according plan: 1. strophe, chorus, 2. strophe, chorus, 3. strophe and in the end chorus, but this doesn’t have to be custom. Often the third strophe is shorter or it isn’t at all. Between 3. strophe and last chorus is often unique instrumental part (heavy metal has there main solo). This part can substitute 3. strophe. Instrumental part contains of instruments, which were in this subsection mentioned.
Ballads (songs mostly without guitar background) are mostly played without percussion with accompaniment piano and often synths (symphonic background).

FEMALE FRONTED OTHER METAL (Overview)

Of course, clean female vocals exist also in other metal styles.

Female Fronted Power Metal:
instruments: guitar(s), percussion, often synths, bass
vocal of woman: very often high, ofteno soprano
tempo of percussion: middle fast, fast
bands: Nightwish, Vision Of Atlantis

Female Fronted Operatic Metal:
instruments: guitar(s), percussion, synths, bass
vocal of woman: soprano
tempo of percussion: middle fast
bands: Nightwish, Visions Of Atlantis

Female Fronted Heavy Metal (not very favourite):
instruments: guitar(s), percussion, bass
vocal of woman: heavy metal one (female turns voice as she tells off to someone)
(it can be mild husky or yelling singing)
tempo of percussion: normal
bands: The Iron Maidens, Benedictum

Female Fronted Nu Metal (not so widespread):
instruments: guitar(s), percussion, bass
vocal of woman: normal or screaming
tempo of percussion: normal
bands: Exilia, Otep

Female Fronted Doom Metal (not very widespread):
instruments: guitar(s), percussion, bass violin, sometimes synths
vocal of woman: as in gothic, more possibility, that it’s slow pacing, it is often with male growling (beauty and beast), it can be self female vocal (but it is rare)
tempo of percussion: normal, slow
bands: Ava Inferi, The 3rd And The Mortal


Yes, yes, I know, there exists female vocalists also in other metal styles, but in those they grunt, shriek (and well), but with them I don’t occupy.

FEMALE FRONTED GOTHIC METAL (History)

Yeah, yeah, finally. Hard cutting sound of guitars and beautiful slow-pacing small voices of beauties (also no beauties, but with good vocals) in it, to this yummy little synths, piano or small violin. To be sure, it does not succeed voice always (contemporary often not).
In this genre we meet with vocal types 2, 3, 5 and 6.
In history first band, which used female vocal in gothic metal was The Gathering, on his first album (Always, 1992) (doom metal) but this was not lead female vocal, only backing vocal in some songs.
But first group, who has had female vocalist (who rightly sang also) was Theatre of Tragedy (it was not type female fully, but by grunts and later clean male vocal also there was heart woman) (their first studio album: Theatre of Tragedy (1995) (doom / death metal). And first group, with who on album was female vocalist, has been The Gathering (Mandylion, 1995) (genre: gothic metal / atmospheric).
But really it began not until Nightwish (year 1997 with their first album Angels Fall First and the same year also Within Temptation with 1. album Enter (type: beauty and beast).

Subgenres of gothic metal

Gothic Symphonic Metal:
instruments: guitar(s), percussion, synths or full symphonic orchestra , piano, bass
vocal: mostly female but also other types can be
tempo of percussion: normal
famous bands: Epica, Within Temptation

Gothic Black Metal:
instruments: guitar(s), percussion, bass
vocal: beast or beauty and beast or trinity
tempo of percussion: normal but also with fast passages
famous bands: Cradle of Filth, Theatres Des Vampires

Gothic Doom metal:
instruments: guitar(s), percussion, synth, klavír, niekedy aj husle, bassguitar(s)
vocal: mostly schizo, but relatively often trinity or beauty and beast is
tempo of percussion: normal with slower passages
famous bands: Paradise Lost (before: gothic doom, now: gothic rock) (vocal: male, Lacrimas Profundere (vocal: schizo)

Gothic Death Metal (very small widespread):
instruments: guitar(s), percussion: double beats a normal, synth, bassguitar(s)
vocal: beast or beauty and beast
tempo of percussion: faster, often very fast
famous bands: Crematory, Deadlock

Melodic Gothic Metal:
instruments: 2 guitars, percussion, synth, guitar(s), bass
vocal: beauty and beast or female
tempo of percussion: normal
famous bands: Mortal Love, Flowing Tears

Progressive Gothic Metal:
instruments: guitar(s), percussion, often also piano / synths, bass
vocal: often female, but beauty and beast can be also
tempo of percussion: normal
famous bands: To-Mera, Echoes Of Eternity
Note: as it is progressive, songs are longer, they contain longer passages, which are not repeated

Gothic Industrial Metal:
instruments: guitar(s) (often repeating riffs), sampling, synths or sequence lines, bass
vocal: beast or deep male vocal
tempo of percussion: normal
famous bands: Deathstars, Gothminister

GOTHIC METAL

Female gothic metal is direct part of wider style: gothic metal, but attention! When we say that is gothic metal, the band has to have neither female vocalist.
Because this book is mainly about female gothic metal (women sing in other metal genres also / for me significant other metal genres with female are stated in the list also), we can realize, what gothic metal is in fact.

Gothic metal is style which is subgenre of heavy metal, I suppose that doesn’t tell much to metal newcomer. It’s enough to know that there is also used distorted sound of electric guitars. Genre developed from mixture of aggressive heavy metal and melancholic gothic rock.
Gothic metal has come from heavy metal indeed, but not directly. From heavy metal came death / doom metal (hoarseness, slow and fast tempos), from it gothic metal evolved directly also. It began to divide on the beginning of 90s of 20th century. Bands like Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride and Anathema began to play at first death / doom and lately they have played gothic, mainly Paradise Lost, who changed your style from grunted death – doom to gothic metal with clean male vocal.

Lyrics of goth. m. are quite various. Most often it is sung about death, romance, lost, unfulfilled or unreturned love, misfortune, lies, personal experiences / feelings, interpersonal relationships, but also fantasy or vampires.


Hardness of guitars depends from band, mostly hard riffs are preferred as well as in other genres of contemporary metal.

By vocals gothic is various enough also. I divided into sets:
1 – beast – male growling (growling only)
2 – beauty and beast – slow-pacing female vocal and male growling: this style has been adapted by a lot of previous gothic metal bands mainly
3 – female - slow-pacing clean female vocal (it can be soprano / operatic also)
4 – male – male clean vocal
5 – pair - – slow-pacing female vocal and clean male vocal
6 – trinity - slow-pacing female vocal and clean male vocal and beast
7 – schizo – one man or two singers sing grunts and clean vocal also

Regional scenes:
England, Finland, Norway, Germany, Italy, Netherlands

Sound of metal music

Metal features by distorted sound of electric guitars, dense percussion and bass guitar background. Another instruments can be and are often added:
classic – piano, violin, whole symphonic orchestra,
folky – whistle , flute or violin
modern – synthesizer, electronica
By guitars rough tune is represented and various solos, which I distinguish for short, slow-pacing (long) and alternative. In ballads and also in other songs strumming can appear.

Introduction

This book is about metal bands with female singers with slow-pacing vocals. Extraordinary majority of bands is gothic metal, modern and more exactly classified like female fronted gothic metal, but this I don’t have to write by every band, while this tag is not so prevalent how it should have to be. On last.fm, if you know English, these bands are classified as female fronted metal. In my book bands also occur in genres progressive metal or power metal and other. Only my favorite bands are in the list, which I like or liked.


This site includes mainly bands with slow-pacing female vocal.

Notice:
Nowadays in gothic metal it’s very difficult to find really quality bands. (Very often) the voice of singer is imperfect: it isn’t slow-pacing or it is but sounds miserable. Guitars are sometimes monotone, not lithe and make coordination with the voice.