What is Gothic Music? ~ Gothic Girl Art Magazine
“Can goth rock be defined musicologically? Sure. To me though, the mark of a good goth rock track is how it makes me feel. If a song doesn’t engender a yearning to smoke cloves in a moon drenched cemetery, wandering its endless pathways with only the passing visage of lantern soaked mausoleums to guide my way, is it really goth rock?” – The Count, host of Cemetery Confessions
History ~ 1970s and 1980s
Everyone has an understandably strong viewpoint about the history of Gothic Music.
Siouxsie and the Banshees
Combining the art and music of Susan Janet Ballion (Siouxsie Sioux) and her compatriots, they created a version of glam rock that had lyrical depth. Because of her ethos, look, and lyrics, Ballion and the Banshee’s music seems aligned with Gothic Music. But are they?
Joy Division
A band that is often mentioned in the same sentence as Gothic Music. But is this punk band, dressed in business clothes, important to modern music in general or Gothic Music specifically?
The Cure
It’s hard to argue that by their second album (Seventeen Seconds), The Cure wasn’t part of Gothic Music culture. Add in Robert Smith’s evolving look and their combined artistic presence during live performances, and many would determine that The Cure, while not the first, was part of the definition of Gothic Music.
History ~ 1990s
This decade brought us the entrance of metal into the genre.
Evanescence
While many bands emerged during this era, Evanescence’s fusion of metal and rap and the early musical partnership between Amy Lee and Ben Moody contributed to the creation of their debut album, Fallen, a significant milestone in the genre’s evolution.
Today ~ 2020
We’ve interviewed almost a dozen bands, and the one thing in common is that Gothic Music is diverging. With the reintroduction of singles as opposed to albums and the addition of higher-quality streaming music services, niches of Gothic Music are becoming prevalent.
This is where your viewpoint continues to grow in importance. What is a gothic artist or song from the 2020s that you love?
Let us know on X (Twitter) or Instagram, and we’ll include them in upcoming music reviews and interviews and add them to our evolving Spotify playlists.