Gothic metal bands tend to write songs with a slightly more
orchestral feel to them, frequently with pronounced keyboard/piano
interplay and occasionally other instruments such as violins making
appearances.
Often the vocal style of such bands is a dead giveaway,
with either choirs or the so-called "beauty and the beast"
style (a male, growling vocalist paired with a more angelic female
voice) often employed.
The vast majority of bands who feature a female lead vocalist
(excepting the rare female extreme metal vocalists such as
Angela Gossow of
Arch Enemy
and Karyn Crisis of
Crisis)
are usually considered gothic metal bands.
Theatre Of Tragedy,
in their early years, was a prime example of this style
(though they have transformed into quite a different style now),
with bands such as
Tristania and
The Gathering
also releasing
prototypical gothic metal albums at least
at some point in their careers.
