| You don't even need to be a golden oldie to lament | | | | war, and pretty much anything that probably inspired |
| the cultural abyss that has opened up before the | | | | all the great classical music and operas of the last |
| youth of today. The Top 40 is awash with mindless | | | | few centuries. The singers can out-sing any of the |
| dance music, boy bands and black American female | | | | world's most commercially-successful vocalists, and |
| singers pumping out the same old songs with | | | | guitarists you've never even heard of make the |
| different titles. To many, it seems our musical | | | | guitar "virtuosos" you listen to sound like beginners! |
| evolution is actually going backwards, thanks to | | | | Outfits like Symphony X ("The Odyssey") are more |
| today's youth. | | | | on the technical side, while Italy's legends Rhapsody |
| While it's a bit of a hard ask to expect most people | | | | ("Rain Of A Thousand Flames") are often so |
| these days to get into classical music, let alone opera, | | | | bombastic they have been dubbed "Hollywood Metal" |
| there are people - even teenagers - who actually | | | | (or even "Film Score Metal"). Kamelot ("The Black |
| listen to a great deal of both! Just don't expect any | | | | Halo") border on a commercial sound, ranging from |
| of the 96.7% who listen to mainstream radio to be | | | | slow, haunting songs to sophisticated faster ones, |
| among the new cultural elite! | | | | while Sonata Arctica ("Ecliptica") prefer fast, anthemic |
| You see, it is actually in the vast genre of Heavy | | | | songs with impassioned singing and wild keyboard |
| Metal that classical and opera are actually making a | | | | solos. And then there is the divine Nightwish ("Once") |
| huge comeback! There are parents out there who | | | | from Finland, one of the first metal bands to feature |
| listen to music nowhere near as sophisticated as their | | | | operatic female vocals, and still one of the major |
| black-clad, long-haired teenage kids, as "easy-listening" | | | | culprits of introducing opera to our teens. |
| music by definition means unexciting and | | | | So far, not much seems that strange, especially if |
| uncomplicated. Yet, their kids are listening to a | | | | you remember all those attempts at orchestrated |
| complex, anthem-like blend of classical and opera with | | | | rock in the '70s. Maybe just a bit heavier, a lot more |
| various genres of Metal. While the rest of the world | | | | diverse, and somewhat more inspired. But there is |
| listens to passionless, repetitive pop, there is now an | | | | one more symphonic style of Metal, and like some of |
| underground movement of youth who listen to | | | | the more unsettling pieces of classical music, it is a |
| today's musical virtuosos! | | | | wonder to behold, but not for the faint hearted. |
| Since there are bound to be older people who would | | | | Symphonic Black Metal is, put simply, the greatest |
| actually like to check out some of the more inspiring | | | | horror music the world has ever heard. Lordly, |
| music of today, I'll give a brief outline of the genres | | | | spooky, divine and menacing, it truly is one of the |
| and bands to look out for (as well as a | | | | most unique musical genres ever devised by man. It |
| recommended album of each group mentioned). The | | | | is a combination of Norwegian Black Metal of the |
| influence of classical and/or opera can vary from | | | | 1990s and, of course, symphonic elements. Black |
| quite slight to rather intense, and the Metal at its | | | | Metal started in Norway as a mix of various Metal |
| base can range from melodic to extreme. So I'll start | | | | (and even Punk) influences, and became noted for its |
| with the melodic genres, and finish off with the more | | | | brutally unique sound and corpse-paint whitened |
| extreme. It's not that much different from | | | | faces. You may even remember that it also became |
| comparing, say, the more serene movements from | | | | infamous for a plague of church burnings throughout |
| Vivaldi's Four Seasons with some vibrant Wagner, or | | | | Norway, as well as a couple of murders! |
| "Mars" from Holst's Planets. | | | | Musically, Black Metal is definitely an extreme form of |
| Symphonic Metal is a good general term for Heavy | | | | music, with machine-gun drums, eerily-screeched lyrics |
| Metal inspired by classical music, while Opera Metal or | | | | about the battle between Good and Evil, and guitars |
| Operatic Metal is also sometimes used to describe | | | | being savaged at a frantic rate. What separates it |
| those band with vocals similar to that of opera. | | | | from Death Metal (besides the ghoulish persona's) is |
| Symphonic Metal bands can vary quite a bit, from | | | | that beneath the cacophony, each song has an |
| heavy bands who do very "symphonic" music, | | | | underlying melody that is akin to some of the more |
| through to guys on cellos playing Heavy Metal songs! | | | | spookier or melancholy pieces of classical music, with |
| Having a woman with incredible vocal ability at the | | | | influences from traditional Viking music through to |
| helm is almost a signature of this genre. She will | | | | Baroque. |
| either sing like a diva, an opera singer, or perhaps | | | | When some bands in the late '90s started adding |
| even like an Irish folk singer; more often than not, | | | | keyboards and creating a more atmospheric |
| she will do all of the above. | | | | orchestrated sound, it opened up Black Metal to a |
| One of the major bands worthy of note is | | | | whole new audience. Both the music and stage |
| Denmark's' pride, Within Temptation ("Mother Earth"). | | | | presence of Symphonic Black Metal bands these days |
| The delightful vocals of Sharon den Adel have | | | | is quite theatrical (gruesomely so), and despite the |
| enchanted millions across the world, and the band's | | | | extreme elements, can be just as bombastic as the |
| music is a great example of catchy, orchestrated | | | | other genres. Not every song is fast and brutal, since |
| music punctuated by heaviness. Other divas abound, | | | | the emphasis is generally on creating an eldritch |
| and Symphonic Gothic Metal bands might also have a | | | | presence, and often albums will feature a purely |
| male backing vocalist who sings "gruff" as a contrast | | | | orchestrated song. Actually, it's become quite |
| to the female lead-singer's "clean" vocals, like | | | | common to have a piece of classical music as the |
| Norway's Tristania ("World Of Glass"). | | | | first song leading into the album, which is actually a |
| Bands like Therion ("Vovin"), who have almost a | | | | very effective device. |
| whole choir, and Epica ("The Classical Conspiracy"), | | | | Bands like Britain's legendary Cradle Of Filth ("Midian") |
| who have dramatic opera-style vocals, will have a | | | | often feature operatic female backing vocals, and are |
| strong classical instrument component to their style. | | | | masters of constructing music from layers of both |
| And let's not forget Apocalyptica ("Plays Metallica by | | | | light and dark. Norwegian stalwarts Dimmu Borgir |
| Four Cellos") - four young fellows on cellos, who | | | | ("Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia") compose morbid |
| started off playing Metallica covers for a laugh, and | | | | anthems, while fellow countrymen Emperor ("IX |
| now tour the world with their own unique form of | | | | Equilibrium") opt for a more technically-complex sound. |
| acoustic Metal. | | | | So Symphonic Black Metal, while heavy and modern, |
| Symphonic Power Metal is just Power Metal - smooth | | | | has a delightfully spooky and grandiose feel that |
| but fast-paced Metal characterised by good | | | | admirers of Die Walküre should appreciate, |
| musicianship and impressive "clean" vocals (usually | | | | though you'll need to be open-minded, and probably |
| male) - with a noticeable symphonic element. This is | | | | give it more than one listen. |
| usually achieved through adding classical aspects to | | | | So there you have it - hopefully a short but informing |
| the dynamics of the songs, a liberal use of | | | | introduction to those who like classical and/or opera, |
| orchestra-like keyboards, and soaring vocals. The | | | | but had no idea just how big the Heavy Metal |
| songs can sound like anthems, and the lyrics often | | | | universe is, and that their cultured tastes could find |
| sing of outdated concepts such as honour, the bonds | | | | new musical delicacies to savour there. |
| of brotherhood, the glory of battle, the horror of | | | | |