Symphonic metal
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| Symphonic metal | |
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| Other names |
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| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Early 1990s |
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| List of symphonic metal bands | |
Symphonic metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that makes use of symphonic or orchestra elements. The style can feature different elements of orchestral or classical music, such as symphonic instruments, choirs and sometimes a full orchestra, keyboard orchestration emulating a full orchestra, or compositional influences from classical and orchestral music.
The roots of symphonic metal date to the 1960s and ‘70s with early metal bands such Deep Purple recording with a full orchestra and Black Sabbath using an orchestral string section. The genre saw more development in the 1980s and ‘90s as bands emphasized their symphonic side by adding more ambitious classical features, developing their neoclassical guitar playing in a baroque direction, adding large multi-voice choirs, and writing lengthy songs influenced by orchestral structures. Some symphonic metal bands also started to feature classically trained vocalists, in which case they were attributed nicknames such as opera metal or operatic metal.
Perhaps the most prominent examples of symphonic metal are Swedish band Therion, Finnish band Nightwish, Italian band Rhapsody of Fire, Dutch bands After Forever, Epica, and Within Temptation, Norwegian band Dimmu Borgir, and American band Trans-Siberian Orchestra. These bands also have strong influences from film scores in addition to the more basic classical components utilized more widely in the genre. Some of the main composers in this style of metal music are classically trained.
Musical characteristics
[edit]The metal subgenres most typically featuring a subset of symphonic bands are gothic metal, power metal, black metal, death metal and classic heavy metal. As with many other metal bands, those adopting a symphonic style may feature influences from several metal subgenres.
Music workstation keyboards and orchestras are often a key feature of the style, distinguishing symphonic from non-symphonic bands within the same metal subgenre. Other instruments, including guitars, bass and drums, may in some cases play relatively simple parts in contrast to the complex and nuanced keyboard and/or orchestral parts, typically in the case of symphonic heavy metal and symphonic gothic metal acts. The use of such instruments (as well as the lead vocals) to play simpler, catchier melodies than those of the average non-symphonic band arguably makes the symphonic style one of the most accessible in metal. Bands that do not use live orchestral instrumentation on their recordings or when playing live typically utilize factory presets on workstation keyboards (i. e., strings, choirs, pianos, pipe organs, etc.) to conjure up a "pseudo-orchestral" sound, where parts are played idiomatically according to keyboard technique. This is particularly characteristic of lesser-known bands on tighter budgets. Some symphonic metal bands abstain from using keyboards entirely, preferring to use orchestral backing tracks pre-recorded by a live symphony orchestra and/or choir during an album session, or recorded using virtual software instruments in a sequencer. This is particularly characteristic of bands that feature deeper and more complex arrangements which could be more difficult for one or two keyboardists to reproduce faithfully in a live performance.
On average, songs under the symphonic metal umbrella are often highly atmospheric, though more upbeat than those of many non-symphonic metal bands; songs with morbid themes routinely feature prominent major-key fanfares. Particularly central to creating mood and atmosphere is the choice of keyboard timbre. It is nonetheless hardly possible to generalize about the role played by the classic metal instruments (guitars, bass and drums) within symphonic bands, as it can entirely vary depending on the metal subgenre to which the symphonic band mostly belongs.
Lyrics cover a broad range of topics. As with two of its often overlapping elements, power metal and opera (including symphonic progressive rock), fantasy and mythological themes are common. Concept albums styled after operas or epic poems are not uncommon.
Bands in this genre may often feature a female lead vocalist, usually a soprano. Male vocalists (baritone or bass-baritone), are also common in gothic metal. Growling, death-metal-style vocals are not unknown but tend to be used less frequently than in other metal subgenres (a notable exception being Mark Jansen in Epica). Backing vocals, often consisting of a choral ensemble or full choir, may be employed.
It is common for bands, particularly female-fronted bands, to feature operatic lead vocals. Such bands may be referred to as operatic symphonic metal[3] and include the likes of Epica, Nightwish (Tarja Turunen, then Floor Jansen), Haggard,[3] Therion, Operatika, Dremora, Dol Ammad, Visions of Atlantis, Aesma Daeva, and Almora, among countless others. The operatic style is not tied exclusively to symphonic metal, but may appear in avant-garde metal, progressive metal and gothic metal. Many bands featuring operatic female vocalists also have a male vocalist who uses harsh vocals for contrast, in a vocal style often referred to as "beauty and the beast".[4]
Origins and evolution
[edit]From the 1960s and '70s, a number of early or influential bands on the development of heavy metal music used occasional orchestral elements in some of their songs.
In 1969, the English group Deep Purple, recognized as early pioneers of metal music,[5][6] released their album Concerto for Group and Orchestra. The title composition was a 50-minute piece combining blues rock with backing from The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Malcolm Arnold. The music was all written by the band's keyboardist Jon Lord who had studied classical and baroque piano from childhood. The group's then-guitarist Richie Blackmore said in a 1979 interview with Sounds magazine[7] how he enjoyed classical music as a listener but was not enthusiastic about the orchestral project as he felt "[t]he orchestra was very condescending towards us, and I didn't like playing with them, so it was one big calamity onstage."
One of the earliest songs by a heavy metal band to include string arrangements is "Spiral Architect", the closing track of the fifth Black Sabbath album, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, released in 1973.[8]
Led Zeppelin, also recognized as a foundational influence on metal,[9] hired musicians performing orchestral strings and brass for their 1974 song "Kashmir" from their untitled fourth album, and also used a Mellotron keyboard to add further instrumental layers emulating an orchestra.[10]
Progressive rock groups of the 1960s and '70s often incorporated quasi-orchestral elements, and some of the more aggressive such groups had songs that both verged on metal and were also influenced by classical works. Notable is King Crimson, with their 1973 album Larks' Tongues in Aspic,[11] whose leader Robert Fripp was in this era strongly inspired by composers Bela Bartok and Igor Stravinsky and also by the forceful blues rock of Jimi Hendrix.[12]
In the 1980s, Celtic Frost experimented with orchestration, woodwinds, horns, and choral voices in the albums To Mega Therion and Into the Pandemonium.[13] 2021 article by Metal Hammer listed the latter at number two in its list of the best twenty-five symphonic metal albums.[13] The article claims that while perhaps neither Celtic Frost album constitutes "full-blown" symphonic metal, the rest the symphonic metal recordings listed in the article likely would not exist if not for Into the Pandemonium.[13]
An early prototypical symphonic metal song was "Dies Irae" by American Christian thrash metal group Believer.[14] Appearing on their 1990 album Sanity Obscure, it foreshadowed the operatic approach used by the bands Therion (named after the Celtic Frost album To Mega Therion) and Nightwish.[15] According to Jeff Wagner in his book Mean Deviation, the song was a creative watershed in metal, and except for Mekong Delta, no other extreme metal band at the time had merged the genre with classical music so seamlessly.[15] The band continued with operatic and symphonic elements on their next release, Dimensions (1993), on the multi-song suite "The Trilogy of Knowledge".[16][15][17] The gothic metal band Saviour Machine, which formed in 1989 and released its first studio album in 1993, has also been referred to as symphonic metal.[18][19]

More bands began combining symphonic and extreme metal elements in the early 1990s. Dutch band The Gathering released their demo An Imaginary Symphony in 1990 combining the low-pitched growling vocals of death metal with prominent synthesizer, leading to their first album Always... in 1992 which was one of the first albums combining death growls, synthesizer leads and female soprano singing. Finnish band Amorphis released The Karelian Isthmus combining death metal with melodic synthesizer leads. Dutch band Orphanage released their demo Morph in 1993 also combining synthesizer leads, death growls and also female soprano singing. In 1995, the Norwegian band Theatre of Tragedy released their self-titled debut album Theatre of Tragedy with death growls, synthesizer leads, and female singing. This blend would be used more prominently in 1996 with their second album Velvet Darkness They Fear.[13] The Swedish band Therion were influential through their use of a live orchestra and classical compositional techniques; gradually these elements became a more important part of Therion's music than their death metal roots, culminating on the 1996 album Theli. Another key early influence was Finnish progressive metal band Waltari's album Yeah! Yeah! Die! Die! Death Metal Symphony in Deep C. In mid-1996 Rage released Lingua Mortis, the band's first collaboration with the Prague Symphony Orchestra. 1997 saw the emergence of three bands that helped developed the symphonic metal sound even further; Nightwish, Rhapsody of Fire, and Within Temptation, with their debut albums released that year.
Many more bands of the genre followed in the early to mid-2000s like After Forever, Epica, Delain, Leaves' Eyes, Xandria, and Edenbridge. The genre slowly started to form around powerful female lead vocals and the heavy use of classically influenced keyboard playing. Some combined these elements with Power metal, with its relatively upbeat fantasy themes and stylized keyboard sounds, while others combined these elements with death metal with heavy riffs and intense double bass sections on drums.
The symphonic style in metal subgenres
[edit]This article appears to contain a large number of buzzwords. (August 2026) |
The term "symphonic metal" denotes any metal band that makes use of symphonic or orchestral elements; "symphonic metal" then according to some commentators[who?] is not so much a subgenre but rather a cross-generic designation.[vague] A few bands simply refer to themselves as "symphonic metal", as in the case of Aesma Daeva, and the term is applied by some to generically ambiguous metal bands like Epica and post-2002 Nightwish. Following heavy metal's tradition of classifying its subgenres based on the differences among the musical structures in the electric, "metal" part of bands' sound, the label "symphonic" is usually prefixed to the subgenre to which a band mostly belongs. No "symphonic metal" band being simply symphonic, a subgenre definition could be attributable to any bands simply defining themselves as symphonic metal. Symphonic heavy metal and symphonic gothic metal bands are the main objects of such neglect of classification, originating the misperception of "symphonic metal" as a coherent and separated metal subgenre excluding symphonic black, death, and power metal bands. Symphonic elements are often implemented in songs by bands of other subgenres.
Symphonic black metal
[edit]Symphonic black metal has similar components as melodic black metal, but uses keyboarding or instruments normally found in symphonic or classical music. It can also include black metal bands that make heavy usage of atmospheric keyboarding in the music, akin to symphonic metal or gothic metal. The symphonic aspects of this genre are normally integral parts of a band, and as such are commonly used throughout the whole duration of a song. The prototypical symphonic black metal bands are Dimmu Borgir, Cradle of Filth, Emperor and Carach Angren.
Symphonic power metal
[edit]| Symphonic power metal | |
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| Stylistic origins |
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| Cultural origins | Early to mid-1990s, Finland, Italy and Japan |
Symphonic power metal refers to power metal bands that make extensive usage of keyboards, or instruments normally found in classical music, similar to symphonic metal. These additional elements are often used as key elements of the music when compared to regular power metal, contributing not only an extra layer to the music, but a greater variety of sound. Bands in this genre often feature clean vocals, with some bands adding relatively small quantities of screams or growls.
The first prototypical symphonic power metal song was "Art of Life", a twenty-nine-minute song performed by Japanese heavy metal band X Japan in 1993. A defining role for the style's development was played by Italian band Rhapsody of Fire since their groundbreaking 1997 debut, Legendary Tales, first with a baroque approach influenced by Vivaldi and Paganini, and subsequently with a growing film-score-oriented turn employing full orchestras and choirs. The influence of symphonic and operatic music are equally audible in cognate bands Luca Turilli's Rhapsody and Turilli / Lione Rhapsody. Rhapsody's contributions to symphonic metal are best exemplified by short songs like "Emerald Sword", "Dawn of Victory" and "Lamento Eroico", and long suites such as "Gargoyles, Angels of Darkness", "The Mystic Prophecy of the Demonknight" and "Erian's Mystical Rhymes". Finnish band Nightwish, who debuted the same year, also performed symphonic power metal, their style being well exemplified by songs like "Wishmaster" from the album Wishmaster and the rest of their discography until the year 2000. Since the album Century Child, they gradually decreased their power metal influences, with over 10-minute epics like "Ghost Love Score" from the album Once and "The Poet and the Pendulum" from the album Dark Passion Play as the best examples of their new course making a more extensive use of orchestral elements.
German band Blind Guardian also introduced some symphonic elements in the album Nightfall in Middle-Earth, although it wasn't until 2002 with A Night at the Opera when they established their symphonic power metal style, mainly with the song "And Then There Was Silence". They gradually composed more and more symphonic songs such as "Sacred Worlds" and "Wheel of Time", both featured on the album At the Edge of Time, and "The Ninth Wave", "At the Edge of Time", "The Throne" and "Grand Parade" from Beyond the Red Mirror. They also made orchestral versions of previously released songs like "The Lord of the Rings" and "Theatre of Pain", both included on the compilation album The Forgotten Tales. Blind Guardian went deeper into symphonic music with the album Legacy of the Dark Lands, a fully orchestral album composed by singer Hansi Kürsch and guitarist André Olbrich that kept the band's spirit but was credited to the Blind Guardian Twilight Orchestra, as Hansi was the only member of the band to perform on the album.
- Several of the most widely known symphonic power metal bands
Symphonic gothic metal
[edit]| Symphonic gothic metal | |
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| Stylistic origins |
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| Cultural origins | Early to mid 1990s, United States, Norway and the Netherlands |
Symphonic gothic metal was first pioneered by American band Saviour Machine.[20][21] One of the first gothic metal bands to release a full album featuring "beauty and the beast" vocals, where death metal vocals are contrasted with clean female vocals, was the Norwegian Theatre of Tragedy in 1995. From then on after the departure of lead singer Liv Kristine in 2003, she and her future husband, Alexander Krull, formed the symphonic metal band Leaves' Eyes. The band is one of the pioneers of the "beauty and the beast" vocal style. The contrasting styles of vocals are also sometimes performed by only one vocalist, an example of this being Ambre Vourvahis of Xandria, combining and layering her clean (and occasionally operatic) vocals with her deep gutturals on the band's 2023 album The Wonders Still Awaiting. Other bands, such as the Dutch Within Temptation in 1996,[22] expanded on this approach. A debut album, Enter, was unveiled in the following year, followed shortly by an EP, The Dance.[23] Both releases made use of the beauty-and-beast approach delivered by vocalists Sharon den Adel and Robert Westerholt. Their second full-length, Mother Earth, was released in 2000 and dispensed entirely with the death metal vocals, instead "relying solely on den Adel's majestic vocal ability", apart from the B-side track "Jane Doe".[23] The album was a commercial success, with their lead single, "Ice Queen", topping the charts in Belgium and their native Netherlands.[24] Their third album, The Silent Force, arrived in 2004 as an "ambitious project featuring a full orchestra and 80-voice choir accompanying the band".[25] The result was another commercial success across Europe[25] and introduced "the world of heavy guitars and female vocals" to "a mainstream audience".
Within Temptation's brand of gothic metal combines "the guitar-driven force of hard rock with the sweep and grandeur of symphonic music".[25] The critic Chad Bowar of About.com describes their style as "the optimum balance" between "the melody and hooks of mainstream rock, the depth and complexity of classical music and the dark edge of gothic metal".[26] The commercial success of Within Temptation has since resulted in the emergence of a large number of other female-fronted gothic metal bands, particularly in the Netherlands. A typical example of their most symphonic sound can be heard in the songs "Jillian (I'd Give My Heart)" and "Our Solemn Hour".
Another Dutch band in the symphonic gothic metal strain is After Forever. Their debut album, Prison of Desire in 2000, was "a courageous, albeit flawed first study into an admittedly daunting undertaking: to wed heavy metal with progressive rock arrangements and classical music orchestration - then top it all off with equal parts gruesome cookie-monster vocals and a fully qualified opera singer".[27] Founding member, guitarist and vocalist Mark Jansen departed After Forever a few months after the release of their second album, Decipher.[28] Jansen would go on to form Epica, another Dutch band that performs a blend of gothic and symphonic metal. Their debut album, The Phantom Agony, emerged in 2003 with music that combines Jansen's death grunts with the "angelic tones of a classically trained soprano, Simone Simons, over a lush foundation of symphonic power metal".[29] The music of Epica has been described as combination of "a dark, haunting gothic atmosphere with bombastic and symphonic music".[30] Like Within Temptation and After Forever, Epica has made use of an orchestra. Their 2007 album The Divine Conspiracy was a chart success in their home country.[31]
This blend of symphonic and gothic metal has also been arrived at from the opposite direction. The band Nightwish from Finland began as a symphonic power metal act[32] and introduced gothic elements on their 2004 album Once,[33] particularly on the single "Nemo".[34] They continued to mix their style of "bombastic, symphonic and cinematic" metal with a gothic atmosphere on their next album, Dark Passion Play, in 2007.[35] The Swedish group Therion also introduced gothic elements to their brand of symphonic metal on their 2007 album Gothic Kabbalah.[36]
Symphonic death metal
[edit]| Symphonic death metal | |
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| Stylistic origins |
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| Cultural origins | Late 1990s and early to mid 2000s, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, Italy, and United States |
Symphonic death metal blends death metal with elements of classical music, specifically orchestral arrangements. This subgenre alters the sound of death metal to accentuate the implemented sound of symphonic metal, often taking on softer or more majestic tones. Vocals in symphonic death metal include both clean-singing and death metal growls, as well as operatic inflections and choir-like vocal layers. Several of the most prominent symphonic death metal bands include Ex Deo,[37] Septicflesh,[38] Wintersun,[39] MaYaN,[40] and Fleshgod Apocalypse.[41][42]
Haggard's 2000 album, Awaking the Centuries, has been described as death metal–styled symphonic metal.[43] Eternal Tears of Sorrow, Mors Principium Est, Skyfire, and Starkill are known for their symphonic melodic death metal sound.[44][45][46][47] Aephanemer, Brymir and Wilderun have each combined symphonic melodic death metal with folk metal.[48][49][50] Mechina and Shade Empire have each combined symphonic elements with death metal and industrial metal.[51][52]
The symphonic death metal scene includes deathcore bands mixing the two genres together, starting in the late 2000s with The Breathing Process[53] and Winds of Plague.[54] In the early 2010s, Make Them Suffer developed the symphonic deathcore subgenre further in their earlier material,[55][56] as did Betraying the Martyrs, known to "temper the punishing brutality of deathcore with melodic flourishes pulled from symphonic and progressive metal, giving it a theatricality that feels distinctly European."[57] It was not until the late 2010s and early 2020s when the symphonic deathcore scene started rising in popularity with bands like Shadow of Intent,[58] Lorna Shore,[59] and A Wake in Providence.[60] Some bands such as Worm Shepherd, Carnifex in their later albums, and Mental Cruelty combine the genre with symphonic black metal.[61][62][63]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Bowar, Chad. "Highest Hopes review". About.com. Archived from the original on 9 December 2007. Retrieved 14 July 2008.
- ↑ "Nightwish – Dark Passion Play Review". Heavymetal.about.com. 14 June 2010. Archived from the original on 21 May 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
- 1 2 The Manitoban (PDF-file, page 25): "Opera Metal for the Masses" stored at webcitation.org
- ↑ "Albert's Beginner's Guide to Symphonic Metal | Symphonic Metal". symphonicmetal.mit.edu.
- ↑ Wasler, Robert (1993). Running with the Devil: power, gender, and madness in heavy metal music. Wesleyan University Press. p. 10. ISBN 9780819562609.
- ↑ Campbell, Michael; Brody, James (2008). Rock and Roll: An Introducction. Cengage Learning. p. 213. ISBN 978-0534642952.
- ↑ Sounds, 15 December 1979
- ↑ Brannigan, Paul (1 July 2025). "The 40 best Black Sabbath songs ever". Louder Sound. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ↑ "Led Zeppelin". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 5 May 2011. Retrieved 24 December 2009.
- ↑ Lewis, Dave (2010). Led Zeppelin: The Complete Guide to Their Music. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0857121356.
- ↑ Eder, Bruce (2011). "Larks' Tongues in Aspic – King Crimson". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
- ↑ Fripp, Robert (11 March 2001). "Robert Fripp's Diary: Nashville". dgmlive.com. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
- 1 2 3 4 Davies, Hywel; Dome, Malcolm; Goodman, Eleanor; Chantler, Chris; Gordon, Connie; Grady, Spencer; Rees, Adam; Selzer, Jonathan (17 November 2021). "The 25 best symphonic metal albums". Metal Hammer. Future plc. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
- ↑ Treppel, Jeff (9 November 2012). "The Lazarus Pit: Believer's Sanity Obscure". Decibel. Alex Mulcahy. Archived from the original on 19 January 2016. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
- 1 2 3 Jeff Wagner, Steven Wilson (2010). Mean Deviation: Four Decades of Progressive Heavy Metal. Bazillion Points Books. pp. 154–157. ISBN 978-0-9796163-3-4. Archived from the original on 13 July 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
- ↑ Powell, Mark Allen (2002). "Believer". Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson. p. 76. ISBN 1-56563-679-1.
- ↑ Mei, Valerio (March 2006). "Believer - Dimensions". Whitemetal.it. Archived from the original on 5 June 2009. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
- ↑ Magliano, Fabio (1 December 2020). "Eric Clayton (Saviour Machine) – I miei 10 album fondamentali". Metal Hammer Italy (in Italian). Retrieved 7 November 2023.
- ↑ Ariatti, Alessandro. "Saviour Machine - Saviour Machine I". Metal.it (in Italian). Retrieved 7 November 2023.
- ↑ Magliano, Fabio (1 December 2020). "Eric Clayton (Saviour Machine) – I miei 10 album fondamentali". Metal Hammer Italy (in Italian). Retrieved 7 November 2023.
- ↑ Ariatti, Alessandro. "Saviour Machine - Saviour Machine I". Metal Hammer Italy (in Italian). Retrieved 7 November 2023.
- ↑ Shyu, Jeffrey. "Interview with Jeroen van Veen of Within Temptation". Ssmt-reviews.com. Archived from the original on 15 February 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2008.
- 1 2 Sharpe-Young, Garry. "Within Temptation". MusicMight. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2008.
- ↑ Taylor, Robert. "Mother Earth review". Allmusic. Archived from the original on 17 April 2011. Retrieved 22 April 2008.
- 1 2 3 Deming, Mark. "AMG Within Temptation". Allmusic. Archived from the original on 24 February 2011. Retrieved 22 April 2008.
- ↑ Bowar, Chad. "The Heart of Everything review". About.com. Archived from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2008.
- ↑ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Prison of Desire review". Allmusic. Archived from the original on 13 July 2023. Retrieved 22 April 2008.
- ↑ Sharpe-Young, Garry. "After Forever". MusicMight. Archived from the original on 28 May 2009. Retrieved 22 April 2008.
- ↑ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "The Phantom Agony Review". Allmusic. Archived from the original on 13 July 2023. Retrieved 22 April 2008.
- ↑ Bowar, Chad. "The Divine Conspiracy review". About.com. Archived from the original on 20 January 2013. Retrieved 22 April 2008.
- ↑ "Epica: 'The Divine Conspiracy' Enters Dutch Chart At No. 9". Blabbermouth.net. 14 September 2007. Retrieved 9 May 2008.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Century Child review". Allmusic. Archived from the original on 22 December 2010. Retrieved 23 April 2008.
- ↑ Grant, Sam. "Once review". Soniccathedral.com. Archived from the original on 4 August 2008. Retrieved 23 April 2008.
- ↑ Fulton, Katherine. "End of an Era review". Allmusic. Archived from the original on 13 July 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2008.
- ↑ Bowar, Chad. "Dark Passion Play Review". About.com. Archived from the original on 21 May 2013. Retrieved 23 April 2008.
- ↑ Bowar, Chad. "Gothic Kabbalah review". About.com. Archived from the original on 11 May 2008. Retrieved 23 April 2008.
- ↑ Bowar, Chad. "Album Review: EX DEO The Thirteen Years Of Nero, August 2021". metalinjection.net. Metal Injection. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
- ↑ "10 of the best metal bands from Greece". Metal Hammer. 27 September 2016. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
- ↑ Baldin, Benedetta (29 August 2024). "Masterpieces take a while to be created – review of Wintersun's "Time II"". Chaoszine. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
- ↑ "MAYAN GUITARIST MARK JANSEN NAMES HIS TOP 3 SYMPHONIC DEATH METAL ALBUM IN NEW DHYANA ALBUM TRAILER". Archived from the original on 10 December 2019. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
- ↑ "Album Review: FLESHGOD APOCALYPSEKing - Metal Injection". Metal Injection. 5 February 2016. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
- ↑ "Vote for the Best Metal Song - 6th Annual Loudwire Music Awards". Loudwire. 2 December 2016. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
- ↑ "The 10 Essential Symphonic Metal Albums". Metal Hammer. 2 November 2016. Archived from the original on 29 December 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
- ↑ Review: Eternal Tears of Sorrow - Saivon Lapsi
- ↑ "MORS PRINCIPIUM EST – Seven". Eternal Terror (review). 30 November 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
- ↑ "Skyfire - Spectral (album review)".
- ↑ "Aux Portes Du Metal : Chronique d'album metal Starkill Shadow Sleep (Mélodeath sympho) - Album Review". November 2016. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
- ↑ "Aephanemer - Utopie - review". Metal Storm. 12 November 2025.
- ↑ "REVIEW: Brymir - Wings of Fire (Musicalypse Archive)". Tuonela Magazine. 8 March 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
- ↑ "WILDERUN – Sleep at the Edge of the Earth". Eternal Terror. Matt Coe. 14 July 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
- ↑ "Mechina - New Song Released". Metal Storm. 26 December 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- ↑ "SHADE EMPIRE – Poetry of the Ill-Minded". 20 October 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
- ↑ "The Breathing Process - "Odyssey: (Un)Dead" CD Review". Metalunderground.com. 20 October 2010. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
- ↑ True, Chris. "Winds of Plague - Biography & History : AllMusic". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 9 December 2019. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
- ↑ Marcel (13 March 2015). "Make Them Suffer – Mozart Trifft Deathcore" (in German). Impericon. Archived from the original on 15 March 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
- ↑ "MAKE THEM SUFFER's New Song "Ether" Is Pretty Damn Catchy - Metal Injection". Metal Injection. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
- ↑ Heaney, Gregory. "Betraying the Martyrs - Biography & History : AllMusic". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 9 December 2019. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
- ↑ "Fleshgod Apocalypse to Co-Headline North American Tour with Shadow of Intent This Fall". metalsucks. 25 June 2024. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
- ↑ Morin, Max (12 October 2022). "Album Review: Lorna Shore Pain Remains". Metal Injection. Archived from the original on 14 October 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
- ↑ "A Wake In Providence - I Write To You, My Darling Decay review". Metal Storm. 12 August 2024. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ↑ "First Look: Worm Shepherd – 'In the Wake ov Sòl' – New Noise Magazine". Retrieved 15 March 2025.
- ↑ "Carnifex Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More | ..." AllMusic. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
- ↑ "ALBUM REVIEW: Zwielicht – Mental Cruelty". Distortedsoundmagazine. 27 June 2023.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Symphonic metal at Wikimedia Commons
