Whats the difference between Goth Rock and Gothic Metal?
A big one. While Goth Rock is a sub-type of 80’s Punk Rock that originated mainly in England, Gothic Metal is related to Black/Death Metal that came mostly from Los Angeles, USA. The two are often confused because of the similar names and the similarly dark aesthetics. However, the musical style is vastly different. While Goth Rock is usually lively, introspective and employs a relatively normal singing style, Gothic Metal is heavy, frightening, and aggressive and employs growling, screeching vocals. Gothic Metal will often have soft, ethereal female vocals mixed in with the thundering male vocals. Examples of Gothic Metal bands include: Cradle of Filth, Theatre of Tragedy, Type O Negative, Paradise Lost, Tristania, and Anathema. Of course, there will always be those bands who have traversed the genre gap. Lacrimosa is an example of a band who started out playing Goth Rock and eventually moved to Goth Metal.
