Symphonic Metal

Symphonic metal is a term used to describe heavy metal music that has symphonic elements; that is, elements that sound similar to a classical symphony. Symphonic metal is both a genre of metal and a name given to several subgenres of other metal genres, and as such, both forms of usage have slightly varying definitions. Read more…|Edit this Artist photo: Break Of Reality

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symphonic metal gigs in United States • view all

Jan 2 Saturday 2 January 2010 Tomorrow
Trans-Siberian Orchestra - East at Van Andel Arena Trans-Siberian Orchestra	Van Andel Arena Grand Rapids MI, United States 42.963237 -85.671161	2 people attending Add shout Buy Tickets
Trans-Siberian Orchestra Winter Tour 2009 at BJCC Trans-Siberian Orchestra	BJCC Birmingham AL, United States 33.524883 -86.810647	Add shout Buy Tickets
Jan 3 Sunday 3 January 2010
Trans-Siberian Orchestra - East at Nationwide Arena Trans-Siberian Orchestra	Nationwide Arena Columbus OH, United States 39.969281 -83.003997	5 people attending Add shout Buy Tickets
Trans-Siberian Orchestra Winter Tour 2009 at Sommet Center Trans-Siberian Orchestra	Sommet Center Nashville, United States 36.159949 -86.77857	3 people attending 1 shout Buy Tickets
Jan 26 Tuesday 26 January 2010
Design Your Universe Tour at Jaxx Epica, Todesbonden	Jaxx West Springfield, VA, Washington DC, United States 38.778337 -77.232636	6 people attending 1 shout
Feb 3 Wednesday 3 February 2010
Epica	Peabody's Downunder Cleveland OH, United States 41.500479 -81.675463	8 people attending 4 shouts Buy Tickets

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h_Turunen wrote:
yesterday morning

I agree with florianblaschke Nightwish, Amberian Dawn, Visions of Atlantis, Tarja Turunen, all that kind of bands arent gothic. Gothic is Elis, Within Temptation, Evanescence, etc...

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redgrave9 wrote:
Wednesday morning

I think people throw around gothic metal a lot mostly because of female vocalists. I have no fucking clue why.

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florianblaschke wrote:
Monday evening

Well, it's even more annoying when people call music like Nightwish or Amberian Dawn "gothic metal" - come on, it's fast, upbeat and catchy; nothing "gothic" about it, except perhaps some lyrical themes. WT has got rid of any "gothic" and metal elements a long time ago xD Refer to Paradise Lost's "Gothic" for actual gothic metal - much more doomy, depressive and atmospheric, not happy sing-along songs.

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h_Turunen wrote:
Monday morning

The best genre ever!

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ringwraith10 wrote:
8 days ago

Wow, florianblaschke, I'm glad you've put so much thought into all of this. I do find it interesting that so many people just don't think of what they're really saying when they say "symphonic metal". I've heard some people refer to it as "symph metal", thus losing the actual symphonic part even more (and at the same time sounding ironically like synth metal).

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Carnassial1 wrote:
11 days ago

Cheers everyone! You can vote for "Symphonic metal" in "Favorite Heavy metal Sub-genre Poll" on my profile page Carnassial1 It's over 2500 votes now. I'll be glad if you take a shot.

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Alanis-Morisset wrote:
11 days ago

Hatebreed - Destroy Everything best

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KeVaS90 wrote:
13 days ago

Symphonic metal, for the more sophisticated headbanger.

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Colony666 wrote:
16 days ago

fuck me this shoutbox is a godamn novel

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nDroae wrote:
25 days ago

Oh, okay. :D Yeah, it'd be nice if symphonic metal actually was symphonic. XD

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florianblaschke wrote:
26 days ago

nDroae, I don't think musical development is a widely used technique in symphonic metal - it's really sophisticated for rock music in general. "Close to the Edge" by Yes is said to have the form of a symphony, but not one of the usual forms. Recurring, modulated motifs/ideas is not what I hear in "Son of the Sun" - the basic structure is quite usual for a rock/metal song. I would examine epic longtracks for "symphony structures". One example that comes to mind is "White Pearl, Black Oceans..." by Sonata Arctica. You've got one melody repeated throughout the entire piece, but ever-changing and morphing - admittedly, it is always easily recognised. But I think musical development is an ingenious technique to use your musical ideas and melodies in an economical way - "recycle" them without overly obvious repetition -, and deserves to be used FAR more in metal, especially symphonic metal, of course. Free-form fantasias are harder!

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Scython wrote:
27 days ago

Kamelot are the best symphonic metal band imo!

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nightfrgi wrote:
30 days ago

Symphonic metal is the best metal style for me. Nightwish and Within Temptation are the best really. Therion begin play symphonic metal in 1996 by album Theli. It was a first symphonic metal album....Epica is the best symphonic metal band at 21 th century and Apocalyptica isn´t symphonic metal, because they don´t use full orchestra.

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nDroae wrote:
November 2009

Kingdom of Heaven has been growing on me, much to my discomfort. XD Interesting observation about removing repetition increasing the complexity. Yeah, that's what I meant about "symphonic in the true sense," as I understand it that means a symphonic song structure regardless of the instruments used to play it, which (to my untrained ear) "Son of the Son" seems to have, as its clear musical "theme" is played in variations / developed (or whatever the term is) over the course of the song. :)

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YESILO89 wrote:
November 2009

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjAyQDhbZy8&NR=1

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florianblaschke wrote:
November 2009

... the lines of Estatic Fear (see "Somnium Obmutum"), or (early) Empyrium; some avantgarde metal; some folk metal; and last but not least the aforementioned post-rock/metal. Godspeed You! Black Emperor partly act like an orchestra made out of electric guitars played in unconventional ways, more like violins - certainly a unique twist on the idea to combine rock music and orchestral sounds somehow.

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florianblaschke wrote:
November 2009

If the term "symphonic metal" is restricted to bands using a real full symphonic orchestra, the genre would be extremely small. For example, Visions of Atlantis haven't used a real orchestra, either, on Trinity, and Edenbridge didn't do so before MyEarthDream. Even Epica don't use a full orchestra on their albums. Nevermind that no band except Therion tours with a live orchestra. The restriction makes as little sense as the requirement of a lead vocalist singing in a classical style - which actually makes a little bit more sense, now that I think of it. But while most people may spontaneously associate the term "symphonic metal" with orchestral and choral bombast, or at least a synthesiser-based imitation of it, it is certainly true that other genres could lay claim to the term just as well: melodic prog metal à la Dream Theater (I've read the description "symphonic progressive metal" in fact), being based as it is on the classic symphonic (prog) rock of the seventies; doom metal along

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florianblaschke wrote:
November 2009

One criticism about "Kingdom of Heaven" and the album as a whole that I agree with to some extent - in principle - is that it is too repetitive. But if the repetition was removed, the songs would be shorter, but even more complex and difficult to get into. ;-)

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florianblaschke wrote:
November 2009

"Kingdom of Heaven" is great, but not easy to get into because it is, as you say, kind of chaotic. But that's not a bug, it's a feature. It has a unusual song structure and fits the progressive metal mold indeed. The instrumental part in the middle always reminds me of Opeth, and in a good way because truth be told, I've always found it hard to get into Opeth myself: their music is very gloomy and chaotic and jazzy; hard to swallow for me. But I've come to like their sound; their music is definitely autumn music, full of shades of brown, gray and black, like a muddy November. Very atmospheric, but a little too bleak and depressive for my taste.

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nDroae wrote:
November 2009

"Son of the Sun" was impressive and clearly symphonic in the true sense. Y'know, speaking of songs being carefully crafted, I read that Epica's "Kingdom of Heaven" took three years to compose, but to me it's rather boring. I can't tell if that's entirely because I don't like progressive metal much, or also in part because the song turned out messy. :-P I actually want to invest less time expanding my musical horizons from now on than I have since 2006; I bought a load of music in that time that I don't really enjoy, although sometimes I like it better when I listen to it again a year or more after the first time. This, for example. XD

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