Symphonic black metal is a subgenre of

black metal Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, a shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, raw (lo-fi) recording, unconventional song structures, and an emp ...

that emerged in the 1990s and incorporates symphonic and

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

l elements. Notable symphonic black metal bands include Cradle Of Filth,

Dimmu Borgir Dimmu Borgir () is a Norwegian symphonic black metal band from Jessheim, formed in 1993. The name is derived from Dimmuborgir, a volcanic formation in Iceland, the name of which means "dark cities" or "dark castles/fortresses" in Icelandic, ...

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

, and

Carach Angren Carach Angren is a Dutch symphonic black metal band, founded in 2003 by two members of the now-defunct bands Inger Indolia and Vaultage. Their style is characterized by prominent usage of orchestral arrangements, black (sometimes death) metal vo ...

History

The first extreme metal bands incorporating orchestral elements into their music were Bulldozer on their album ''Neurodeliri'' (1988),

Master's Hammer Master's Hammer are a black metal band from the Czech Republic. The band has remained active with several lineup changes between 1987 and 1995, with a reunion from 2009 to the present. It is considered one of the most representative groups of i ...

on ''

Ritual A ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or objects, performed according to a set sequence. Rituals may be prescribed by the traditions of a community, including a religious community. Rituals are characterized ...

'' (1991) and '' The Jilemnice Occultist'' (1993) and

Sigh Paralanguage, also known as vocalics, is a component of meta-communication that may modify meaning, give nuanced meaning, or convey emotion, by using techniques such as prosody, pitch, volume, intonation, etc. It is sometimes defined as relatin ...

on their debut ''

Scorn Defeat ''Scorn Defeat'' is the first full-length album by the Japanese black metal band Sigh, released in 1993 by Deathlike Silence Productions. It is the band's most traditional black metal album, taking on a formula lyrically compared to their Scan ...

'' (1993). The style on

's ''

In the Nightside Eclipse ''In the Nightside Eclipse'' is the first studio album and fourth official release by Norwegian black metal band Emperor, released in 1994 through Candlelight Records. It was their only album to feature drummer Faust and one-time bassist Tchort. ...

'' (1994) had a pioneering influence though and was the main inspiration for many keyboard-based black metal bands following after.

Troll A troll is a being in Nordic folklore, including Norse mythology. In Old Norse sources, beings described as trolls dwell in isolated areas of rocks, mountains, or caves, live together in small family units, and are rarely helpful to human be ...

's ''Drep de kristne'' (1995) and

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' ''

Aspera Hiems Symfonia ''Aspera Hiems Symfonia'' (Latin for ''"Harsh Winter Symphony"'') is the debut studio album by the Norwegian avant-garde metal band Arcturus. ''Aspera'' is the only album Arcturus released to showcase a melodic black metal sound, though it stil ...

'' (1996) are other notable early works of symphonic black metal, before the genre was commercialised by the international success of bands like

and Bal Sagoth.Aspera Hiems Symfonia - Arcturus - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic
/ref>

Characteristics

Symphonic black metal is a style of

that incorporates symphonic and

l elements. This may include the usage of keyboards to conjure up "pseudo-orchestral" soundscapes with default presets (e.g. strings, choirs, piano, organs, and pads), or full orchestral arrangements. Bands may feature solo instruments such as violins in addition to keyboards and/or orchestral arrangements. Vocals can be "clean" or

operatic Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libret ...

in style, and song structures are more defined or are inspired by symphonies, and follow a typical riff-based approach. Many of the characteristics of traditional black metal are retained, such as shrieks, fast tempos, high treble and tremolo-picked electric guitars. The overall sound and themes can be considered wider than traditional black metal, many groups of symphonic black metal use themes such as

vampirism A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mischief or dea ...

(

Theatres des Vampires Theatres des Vampires is an Italian gothic metal band, mostly noted for the predominant theme of vampirism within their lyrics. The band's early material was credited as melodic black metal or symphonic black metal, but the group completely aba ...

, Cradle of Filth), occultism and the

paranormal Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Not ...

(

). Political themes are more neglected by them as in other black metal subgenres.

References

{{Goth subculture Black metal subgenres British rock music genres Heavy metal genres Norwegian styles of music

History

Characteristics

See also

References