Gothic variety

But this isn’t by far everything. So many different styles are being associated with gothic nowadays. Take dark folk for instance. The best examples are Current 93, Death in June, Sol Invictus and Fire + Ice. The first releases of Current are very experimental and hard to digest, but in later years they switched to an acoustic folky style, with the characteristic vocals of David Tibet. My favourite album is Of ruine and some blazing starre, compilations which form a good introduction to their oeuvre are Emblems and the ‘99 release ‘Calling for vanished Faces‘. Death in June´s first albums like Nada offer a rather classic gothic sound. The group is a bit controversial, because they are being accused of extreme right-wing tendencies. Later work, like Rose Clouds of Holocaust is folkier. Their latest album Take Care and Control is recommended, with a very dark ritual sound. Sol Invictus is the band around Tony Wakeford, who also has side-projects like the neo-classical L’Orchestre Noir. A good introduction to Sol Invictus is In Europa, which contains most of their best songs. The most prominent label in this genre is World Serpent, who release all the aforementioned bands. Another nice folky band is the Italian group Ordo Equitum Solis.

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Meanwhile in the US and the European continent…

But England wasn’t the only place where `dark’ music was being made. The Swans for example, originating from the New York avant-garde scene, made some great albums, like Children of God, White Light from The Mouth of Infinity and The Burning World. Only recently their career ended, but Michael Gira and Jarboe continue to make fascinating music. Another legendary band is Christian Death, perhaps the best known US goth band. They are still active, making numerous, often controversial albums, with a lot of B-movie and sexual themes. Most recommended are Only Theatre of Pain and Catastrophe Ballet. Contemporary American goth bands are for instance Faith & the Muse and London after Midnight.

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Britisch developments: rise of the new gothic movement

During the 1980’s a new gothic movement came to the surface. It was preceded by punk, which came into life at the end of the 70’s when there was a need for a distinctive non-conformist alternative culture. Maybe gothic came as a sort of reaction against punk, at the same time a group of people seemed to share certain needs and tastes. According to The Vampire Book; the Encyclopedia of the Undead: “Gothic music, as all counter-cultural forms, articulated an explicit nonconformist stance vis-a-vis the dominant esthablishment. It opposed narrow sexual mores and traditional established religions. (..) The music celebrated the dark, shadowy side of life and had a distinct fascination with death. Its slow, driving sound was frequently described as melancholy, gloomy, even morbid. Those enthralled by the new gothic culture found the vampire the single most appropriate image for the movement”.

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What is gothic?
This question can of course not be answered in one sentence. It’s clear that gothic is not only about music, it’s a lifestyle, a certain sensibility. According to the Collins Cobuild English Language Dictonary, the word “gothic” is used in three ways. First of all, ‘a building such as a cathedral that is gothic has a style of architecture that is distinguished by tall pillars, high vaulted ceilings and pointed arches.’ Furthermore, ‘gothic is used to describe stories in which strange, mysterious adventures happen in dark and lonely places such as the ruins of a castle.’ Gothic is also ‘a style of printing or writing in which the letters are very ornate.’ On this website, I use gothic mainly as a collective noun to describe a subculture, with many related musical styles, from gothic to industrial, from electro to dark folk. But let me first start with some origins.

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