Gothic metal

[[File:Liv Kristine.jpg|thumb|left|[[Liv Kristine]] helped to pioneer the beauty and the beast approach.]]

[[File:Liv Kristine.jpg|thumb|left|[[Liv Kristine]] helped to pioneer the beauty and the beast approach.]]

The term "'''beauty and the beast'''" refers to an aesthetic contrasting "angelic" female vocals with male growls or aggressive singing.{{cite web |last1=Reesman |first1=Bryan |title=They Will Rise: Metal's female ranks on the move |date=1 November 2007 |work=[[Grammy Award|GRAMMY.com]] |url=http://grammys.com/Latin/News/Default.aspx?newsID=2653&newsCategoryID=3 |access-date=9 August 2013}}{{dead link|date=May 2017|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} Paradise Lost and the Gathering had already made use of this technique on some songs from their earlier albums, but it was the Norwegian [[Theatre of Tragedy]] that first released an entire album devoted to this approach with their self-titled [[Theatre of Tragedy (album)|debut]] in 1995. A second album, ''[[Velvet Darkness They Fear]]'', arrived in the following year.{{cite web |author=Sharpe-Young, Garry |url=http://www.rockdetector.com/artist/norway/stavanger/theatre+of+tragedy |title=Theatre of Tragedy |publisher=[[MusicMight]] |access-date=25 September 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927131438/http://www.rockdetector.com/artist/norway/stavanger/theatre+of+tragedy |archive-date=27 September 2013 }} Theatre of Tragedy's third album ''[[Aégis]]'' in 1998 saw the band "venturing into fresh musical territory". The piano was replaced by electronic keyboards while Raymond Rohonyi opted to discard his death growls in favour of a "soft, spoken, sometimes whispering voice". The music was more clean and soft, "stripped of guitar harshness" but with a "near flawless execution" that "prompted many European critics to award ''Aégis'' perfect review scores".

The term "'''beauty and the beast'''" refers to an aesthetic contrasting "angelic" female vocals with male growls or aggressive singing.{{cite web |last1=Reesman |first1=Bryan |title=They Will Rise: Metal's female ranks on the move |date=1 November 2007 |work=[[Grammy Award|GRAMMY.com]] |url=http://grammys.com/Latin/News/Default.aspx?newsID=2653&newsCategoryID=3 |access-date=9 August 2013}}{{dead link|date=May 2017|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} Paradise Lost and the Gathering had already made use of this technique on some songs from their earlier albums, but it was the Norwegian [[Theatre of Tragedy]] that first released an entire album devoted to this approach with their self-titled [[Theatre of Tragedy (album)|debut]] in 1995. A second album, ''[[Velvet Darkness They Fear]]'', arrived in the following year.{{cite web |author=Sharpe-Young, Garry |url=http://www.rockdetector.com/artist/norway/stavanger/theatre+of+tragedy |title=Theatre of Tragedy |publisher=[[MusicMight]] |access-date=25 September 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927131438/http://www.rockdetector.com/artist/norway/stavanger/theatre+of+tragedy |archive-date=27 September 2013 }} Theatre of Tragedy's third album ''[[Aégis]]'' in 1998 saw the band "venturing into fresh musical territory". The piano was replaced by electronic keyboards while Raymond Rohonyi opted to discard his death growls in favour of a "soft, spoken, sometimes whispering voice". The music was more clean and soft, "stripped of guitar harshness" but with a "near flawless execution" that "prompted many European critics to award ''Aégis'' perfect review scores".

Other bands that contrast aggressive male vocals and clean female vocals continued to emerge in the late 1990s. [[Trail of Tears (band)|Trail of Tears]] had formed in 1994{{cite web |author=Sharpe-Young, Garry |url=http://www.rockdetector.com/artist/norway/kristiansand/trail+of+tears |title=Trail of Tears |publisher=[[MusicMight]] |access-date=18 April 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607060510/http://www.rockdetector.com/artist/norway/kristiansand/trail+of+tears |archive-date=7 June 2011 }} while [[Tristania (band)|Tristania]] formed in 1995{{cite web|url=http://www.mortemia.no/ |title=Biography |work=mortemia.no |access-date=23 October 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005193222/http://www.mortemia.no/ |archive-date=5 October 2013 }} and [[the Sins of Thy Beloved]] were formed in 1996.{{cite web |author=Sharpe-Young, Garry |url=http://www.rockdetector.com/artist/norway/bryne/the+sins+of+thy+beloved |title=The Sins of Thy Beloved |publisher=[[MusicMight]] |access-date=18 April 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607060631/http://www.rockdetector.com/artist/norway/bryne/the+sins+of+thy+beloved |archive-date=7 June 2011 }} All three Norwegian groups released their debut albums in 1998. Tristania stood apart from the others with their use of three distinct vocal styles in the "operatic soprano [[Vibeke Stene]], clean-singing counter-tenor [[Østen Bergøy]], and harsh, black metal-style shrieker [[Morten Veland]]".{{cite web |author=Rivadavia, Eduardo |title=Tristania |url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p406830|pure_url=yes}} |website=[[Allmusic]] |access-date=18 April 2008}} Their second album ''[[Beyond the Veil (album)|Beyond the Veil]]'' in 1999 made use of a ten members choir and featured violin passages from Pete Johansen of the Sins of Thy Beloved, earning "rave reviews" across Europe. By then, the band had risen to "the top of the goth metal heap"{{cite web |author=Rivadavia, Eduardo |title=Sirenia |url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p534188|pure_url=yes}} |website=[[Allmusic]] |access-date=18 April 2008}} with their "lush, symphonically enhanced" approach. They were "dealt a potentially crippling blow" when singer, guitarist and principal composer Veland left the group to form [[Sirenia (band)|Sirenia]]. Tristania has continued to prosper with subsequent releases{{cite web |author=Rivadavia, Eduardo |title=''Ashes'' review |url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r726892|pure_url=yes}} |website=[[Allmusic]] |access-date=11 May 2008}} and has since been "regarded as one of the world's premiere goth metal bands".

Other bands that contrast aggressive male vocals and clean female vocals continued to emerge in the late 1990s. [[Trail of Tears (band)|Trail of Tears]] had formed in 1994{{cite web |author=Sharpe-Young, Garry |url=http://www.rockdetector.com/artist/norway/kristiansand/trail+of+tears |title=Trail of Tears |publisher=[[MusicMight]] |access-date=18 April 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607060510/http://www.rockdetector.com/artist/norway/kristiansand/trail+of+tears |archive-date=7 June 2011 }} while [[Tristania (band)|Tristania]] formed in 1995{{cite web|url=http://www.mortemia.no/ |title=Biography |work=mortemia.no |access-date=23 October 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005193222/http://www.mortemia.no/ |archive-date=5 October 2013 }} and [[the Sins of Thy Beloved]] were formed in 1996.{{cite web |author=Sharpe-Young, Garry |url=http://www.rockdetector.com/artist/norway/bryne/the+sins+of+thy+beloved |title=The Sins of Thy Beloved |publisher=[[MusicMight]] |access-date=18 April 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607060631/http://www.rockdetector.com/artist/norway/bryne/the+sins+of+thy+beloved |archive-date=7 June 2011 }} All three Norwegian groups released their debut albums in 1998. Tristania stood apart from the others with their use of three distinct vocal styles in the "operatic soprano [[Vibeke Stene]], clean-singing counter-tenor [[Østen Bergøy]], and harsh, black metal-style shrieker [[Morten Veland]]".{{cite web |author=Rivadavia, Eduardo |title=Tristania |url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p406830|pure_url=yes}} |website=[[Allmusic]] |access-date=18 April 2008}} Their second album ''[[Beyond the Veil (album)|Beyond the Veil]]'' in 1999 made use of a ten members choir and featured violin passages from Pete Johansen of the Sins of Thy Beloved, earning "rave reviews" across Europe. By then, the band had risen to "the top of the goth metal heap"{{cite web |author=Rivadavia, Eduardo |title=Sirenia |url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p534188|pure_url=yes}} |website=[[Allmusic]] |access-date=18 April 2008}} with their "lush, symphonically enhanced" approach. They were "dealt a potentially crippling blow" when singer, guitarist and principal composer Veland left the group to form [[Sirenia (band)|Sirenia]]. Tristania has continued to prosper with subsequent releases{{cite web |author=Rivadavia, Eduardo |title=''Ashes'' review |url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r726892|pure_url=yes}} |website=[[Allmusic]] |access-date=11 May 2008}} and has since been "regarded as one of the world's premiere goth metal bands".