The Best Gothic Metal Album
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Vocalists can have a profound effect on a band's music, and that is precisely what the addition of Olaf Rozanski brings to the band's latest album. He croons over compelling lyrical topics with a style that harks back to the past gothic scenes in and outside metal, and does so with some well-timed guest male grunts and female musings. Together with thick, authoritative riffs and pensive, singular keyboard passages, Poland's Cemetery Of Scream's vastly improved production and updated sound have taken them out of their past successes, right to the leading edge of today's gothic scene.
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Drenched in a pleasingly creepy atmosphere, Solfernus' Path is a thoroughly worked-over album mixing aggressive gothic metal with layers of melodic black metal. Wrought with smokey and pained growls by Flauros and the sinister melodies of Nera, the vocalists serve as the storytellers to the disquieting transformation this concept album's protagonist undergoes. With a thick production and a wealth of symphonic backdrops and interludes, Darzamat's latest is the gothic mansion in the nighttime mist that draws you in with accessibility, yet traps you forever.
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Few could follow in the path began by Sabine Dünser after her shocking passing, but renowned vocalist Sandra Schleret has literally given Elis the catharsis it needed to venture onward. The album in itself marks the full return to the mic of Schleret, who overcame her own health issues recently, making Elis's latest a deeply personal one for everyone. The familiar riffs and arrangements of guitarist Pete Streit are as inspired as ever, and Schleret's lyrics bleed through every song, crying out with both strength and fragility. Catharsis makes Elis's comeback not only a tribute to the past, but an invigorating look to the present and future.
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| With a viciously colorful cover art, courtesy Daniel Hofer, Graveworm determinedly release some of the most extreme gothic metal of the year. Without a moment to adjust, the listener is confronted with the aggressive "Vengeance Is Sworn," setting the trend for an album awash in dark keyboard atmospheres, abrasive riffs, and even more abrasive vocals. And yes of course there is a cover song, this time around with the Police's "Message In A Bottle," which helps craft Diabolical Figures into a crushing gothic metal success. |
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High on anticipation for metal fans worldwide, Katatonia push themselves deeper into their own world of gloom and melancholy. The band's music is hard to categorize but easy to identify, and this latest release makes fervent use of Jonas Renkse's vocals, which fill the air with chilling, personal musings and poetic touches. The guitarwork of Anders Nyström and Fredrik Norrman hypnotizes as it traverses the planes between the band's lingering touches of doom and passes into uncharted areas of gothic and non-metal genres. Deceptively accessible, Night Is The New Day is Katatonia reaching new levels of maturity and excellence.
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| Long a staple of gothic fans, Lacrimosa's tenth release sees the band offering more direct arrangements and shorter songs within the band's well-defined sound. The duo of Tilo Wolff and Anne Nurmi are masters at their mix of genuine classical compositions and gothic overtones, giving us ornate and brooding visions of their inner worlds. From the surprisingly successful mix of accordion and guitars in "Mandira Nabula" to the brooding expanses of "A.u.S.", Sehnsucht is truly an album worth longing for. |
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| British veterans Paradise Lost offered us this year what is probably their heaviest album since Draconian Times. And this Faith Divides Us, Death Unites Us, with its heavy riffs (once more finely crafted by Greg Mackintosh) and quite aggressive vocals is, as always with this band, top-class gothic metal. Closer to their roots, yet sticking to their continuous evolution, Paradise Lost just released one hell of an album. |
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The gothic ensemble from Norway have returned with a release considered a significant chapter in their history. Forever Is The World is the most gothic album the band has ever issued since 2000. This is a beautiful album that mirrors the poetry and atmosphere from Aegis and earlier days, nevertheless with shadows and colours of today. Nell Sigland with her smooth and clear voice brings the reveries and the poetry of the album to life in wonderful ways.
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| The band's previous album easily could have been their last, but sole remaining member and founder Ronny Thorsen, with an entirely new lineup, proves that determined perseverance can be the path to some damn fine gothic metal. Along with Thorsen's characteristically intense vocals, Bloodstained Endurance features the return of Cathrine Paulsen behind the mic as well, with a newfound hard rock edge that replaces most her operatic style of yore. With strong riffs from guitarists Bjørn Erik Næss and Pål Olsen pervading the expansive production, Trail Of Tears's latest buries any doubts as they reclaim their place in the gothic metal elite. |
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| Any worries whether Finland's Vanguard could release a stunning album have been laid to rest with Hydralchemy. A vast improvement in songwriting, production, and the presence of real standout tracks like "Whisper" and "Spellbroken" as well as an impressive cover of Type O Negative's "Black No.1" are just the beginning. Balanced with Jori Grym's much improved growls, Suvi Grym's vocals echo with dark melodies and a hard rock edge. While some bands tempt fans by saying it's their best work to date, Vanguard deliver and more. |
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Write-in votes
| Agathodaimon - Phoenix | | Ashes You Leave - Songs Of The Lost | | Coronatus - Fabula Magna | | Dark The Suns - All Ends In Silence | | Lacuna Coil - Shallow Life | | Omega Lithium - Dreams in formaline | | Tales Of Dark... - Perdition Calls |
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