Symphonic Metal

The term symphonic metal is used in two common variants.

In one variant, symphonic metal is referred to as the fusion of metal with elements of classical music. A metal band is supported by an orchestra, individual classical musical instrument or a keyboard player. The idea and also the tendency to conceptual music are taken up by progressive rock. Furthermore, Symphonic Metal is stylistically close to the progressive metal, the latter being much more relies on elements of experimental music.

In the second variant Symphonic Metal denotes a separate subgenre of metal.

Since occurred since the late 1990s, more and more bands in appearance, which can be assigned to a common symphonic metal genre, the unique, the first interpretation of the term symphonic metal into the background now more and more and the term is now considered primarily designation of a particular metal genre used, which was mainly influenced by bands like Nightwish, Epica, Therion, Within Temptation and Delain.

Style and Genre

Common characteristics of the music so designated, in addition to the mandatory symphonic arrangements also often a complex musical structure, a predominance of melodic and classically harmonious elements and a clear predilection for conceptual music. The classical influences are often in Baroque music, more rarely in the Romantic era (especially Richard Wagner). Some bands write songs with specifically tailored to an orchestral passages ( Rage, Nightwish, Rhapsody of Fire, Sonata Arctica, Epica or Therion ). Depending on the tape used in the recording samples or hired an orchestra.

Epica and Therion have played one at a special concert with a symphonic orchestra, with which both the classical and metal- oriented pieces were played. Both albums are now considered milestones of symphonic metal.

Epica played at their 10th anniversary on March 23, 2013, a further concert with a 70 -member symphonic orchestra including choir.

In addition to terms such as " Opera Metal " (about Nightwish and Tarja Turunen or Haggard ), in which the vocals are often very largely based on classical singing, or " Symphonic Power Metal", there are many other names, which are also often used by bands and labels newly designed and invented. For example, describes the band Rhapsody of Fire her style as " Epic Hollywood Metal". Under the name of "Symphonic Metal" so you can distinctly different sounding music or understand styles.

The term should also have served next to Hard Rock and Heavy Metal as a description of the music of Rainbow.

Decisive for the emerging symphonic metal were Nightwish's second album, Oceanborn, which was arranged by the press as melodic Power Metal with female opera vocals, and Therions fifth album Theli that and alongside the influences of the band on their previous albums, especially Celtic Frost Into the Pandemonium Uli Jon Roth Beyond the astral Skies, was also inspired by Pink Floyd's atom Heart Mother and Klaatu Hope. From Vovin was Therions music from classical and opera composers such as Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss, heavy metal bands of the 1980s such as Accept and Iron Maiden, hard rock bands of the 1970s such as Uriah Heep and many still unknown progressive rock bands of the 1970s inspired.

Often commercially oriented media (eg Orcus, Sonic Seducer, etc.) bands like Nightwish, Within Temptation Xandria from marketing or strategic reasons, the Gothic Metal attributed, although these bands completely male of the typical gothic rock elements and the use of growls do without; with the exception of the early works of the band Within Temptation, which evolved from towards the symphonic metal gothic metal.

Even in the extreme metal styles use some bands symphonic metal elements. The debut album In the Nightside Eclipse of the Norwegian band Emperor, which was published in 1994 and thus older than the debut albums of Nightwish and Within Temptation, was called " Symphonic Black Metal and Monumental Art" by guitarist Samoth. Stronger find use orchestral elements but rather with bands like Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth, which are not even assigned to the Black Metal. With different death metal styles classic elements with bands like Septic Flesh, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Ex Deo, as well as some works of Hypocrisy are mixed.