A
lot of people confuse Doom-Metal and Gothic music. The situation
isn't helped by the fact that much of the metal press
indiscriminatively refers to the majority of Doom-Metal as
Gothic-metal, as well as record labels which misleadingly
categorise doom acts under Gothic-metal and vice versa. One thing
Gothic and Doom-Metal have in common is the dramatic, melancholic
atmosphere, the darkness and (at times) depression. But to put a
very simplified sheen on things, gothic tends to sound more like
dance music whilst Doom-Metal adheres to heavier guitars and
drums; in gothic metal are used keyboards and female vocals, which
makes it probably the least aggressive metal style. Now, read
several characteristics of Gothic metal bands, so you can
recognize them in easier way:
The
band's lyrics contain gothic themes (e.g. grotesque,
mysterious, desolate).
The band
members' appearance is Gothic - they might wear a lot of
black.
The band
calls itself and/or its music Gothic. They tour with other
bands that are considered Gothic. They appear on Gothic
compilation discs.
The
record label, music marketers, or music reviewers present the
band as Gothic.
Often
it depends on how the band views Gothic as to whether or not they
will consider themselves Gothic. Some bands will say that they are
creating completely original music that defies classification, or
that they do not wish to label themselves. Nonetheless, music
reviewers and marketers like to classify music to help people get
the feel for what the music sounds like for those who have never
heard it before. It also helps them sell music to their target
market. There is a considerable
amount of flexibility when classifying a band as one thing or
another. Different people can put the same music into different
classifications. A band might change their sound or style from album
to album with a variety of labels put on their various works.
There's a good amount of crossover of music types as well, such as
Gothic Industrial, when the same music falls into more than one
category at the same time. Just remember: these classifications are
not set in stone.
A
lot of people confuse Doom-Metal and Gothic music. The situation
isn't helped by the fact that much of the metal press
indiscriminatively refers to the majority of Doom-Metal as
Gothic-metal, as well as record labels which misleadingly
categorise doom acts under Gothic-metal and vice versa. One thing
Gothic and Doom-Metal have in common is the dramatic, melancholic
atmosphere, the darkness and (at times) depression. But to put a
very simplified sheen on things, gothic tends to sound more like
dance music whilst Doom-Metal adheres to heavier guitars and
drums; in gothic metal are used keyboards and female vocals, which
makes it probably the least aggressive metal style. Now, read
several characteristics of Gothic metal bands, so you can
recognize them in easier way:
Often
it depends on how the band views Gothic as to whether or not they
will consider themselves Gothic. Some bands will say that they are
creating completely original music that defies classification, or
that they do not wish to label themselves. Nonetheless, music
reviewers and marketers like to classify music to help people get
the feel for what the music sounds like for those who have never
heard it before. It also helps them sell music to their target
market. There is a 
considerable
amount of flexibility when classifying a band as one thing or
another. Different people can put the same music into different
classifications. A band might change their sound or style from album
to album with a variety of labels put on their various works.
There's a good amount of crossover of music types as well, such as
Gothic Industrial, when the same music falls into more than one
category at the same time. Just remember: these classifications are
not set in stone.