The Evolution of Gothic Music

          As we discussed, for many, the formation of "Bela Lugosi's Dead" by Bauhaus was the beginning of gothic rock in itself, but it was also a genre that quickly grew and evolved through several waves. The arrangement of music in categories can grow tedious, and ultimately non-concrete. For the sake of this research project, I'll be dissecting the genre into four non-dimensional waves: The first wave, second, third, and modern. While the first wave began around roughly the emergence of Bauhaus - the late seventies and mid-eighties - the modern wave continues to this day. 


First Wave: Emergence
         This was the very beginning of gothic rock as we know it. Many of the bands founded during this era are noted as the "classic" goth bands in which any fan should know. This era spanned from the late seventies to around mid-eighties. It is important to note that many of the bands from the original wave still had both of their feet planted in the post-punk movement. They are mostly defined by their "raw" sounds and the edgy stylized music that was very similar to punk. In fact, many of the first wave band's fans were from the punk background. But despite the heavy influence of the punk genre, there was more of a theatricality to the music forming in this era. Vampire films like Nosferatu, where dark makeup like black lipstick was used to mask the poor quality of filming, was a building point for the style of fashion that kickstarted the gothic crusade.

          As Bauhaus flourished and is often cited as the "grandfather" of goth music, another important band came about as the "grandmother" band: Siouxsie and the Banshees. Like stated beforehand, Siouxsie became a goth fashion icon. Cathi Unsworth poetically explains Siouxsie in her article, "with her continuous death fixation, raven, gravity-defying spiky hair, Egyptian makeup and pervy fishnet tights, Siouxsie Sioux was the perfect role model for aspiring gothettes." While Unsworth notes her as a rolemodel for this particular group, the band was not always goth. In fact, it was a band formed during the punk movement, and definitely contains punk influence in many of their earlier works. Siouxsie and the Banshees is a great example of a band that mellowed themselves into a different style of music, which is the same flexibility revealed throughout the entirety of gothic rock. Robert Smith of The Cure speaks about this era and specifically notes Siouxsie and the Banshees in his 1992 interview with Propaganda Magazine, " 'The first crop of punk bands [like the Sex Pistols] had faded from the scene, and a new crop came up 'round '79 and '80, who were much darker and moodier -- less anarchic. Bands like Joy Division, us [The Cure], Gang of Four, Echo and the Bunnymen. The only early punk bands who survived were the ones able to make that transition, like Siouxsie and the Banshees". 

Noteworthy Bands of the First Wave

Bauhaus

Siouxsie and the Banshees 
The Cure
Joy Division
The Birthday Party
UK Decay

Second Wave: Finding an Identity
           The second wave came soon after the first, some may argue that there are many places of cross-over between the two. I chose to dissect the first wave into what it was because those were the original bands to the genre. They definitely contained the punk influence in one way or another, and really set the groundwork that other bands would then use for their own growth.  But because of that,

the bands from the second wave were known for having their own established identity and sound. Because they were being inspired by bands that were being inspired by punk, they were developing their own brand of music and really discovering what sounds they preferred to compose. It was this time frame in which the elements from the proto-goth bands were weaved with new elements from other popular artists such as Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and The Doors. This was what, to many refer to, the start of a "rockabilly" gothic scene. Where groups such as The Sisters of Mercy, Fields of Nephilim, and The Mission sprung into action. 

          Unsworth continues her article with more theatrical statements - this time about Sisters of Mercy - when discussing the evolution of gothic rock music. She reminisces, "Flesh for Lulu, Alien Sex Fiend, Skeletal Family, and a host of even more unmemorables did battle with a fresher new breed of drum-machine aficionados  ... the Sisters of Mercy."  Sisters of Mercy fit into a very important role in the second wave, as they were a band that really capitalized on the gothic rock franchise. There are countless bands that continuously attempt to emulate a Sisters of Mercy sound,

with no avail. Sisters of Mercy began developing their music around the mid-eighties. With their machine-like, dance rock, it was something unique to the listener's ears and quickly grew onto many people. Sisters of Mercy composed several albums for about a seven year span before falling apart. Although their music will be remembered as a great example for gothic rock, with songs like "This Corrosion" and "Temple of Love". As for Andrew Eldritch, the lead singer of Sisters of Mercy, he completely disowned even the slightest association with the "goth brand". In fact, he made many passive aggressive comments about himself, his fans, and the genre in it's entirety. In the classic 1989 interview with the German show Offbeat, he states,“That’s quite daft, ain’t it? The goth scene, I mean.” He even made several, purposely coordinated appearances in bright suits in order to dissolve the gothic magic he seemed to create for himself. All in a joking matter, he became a controversial idol in which many people loved, and others despised within the scene. 

Noteworthy Bands of the Second Wave:

Sisters of Mercy
The Mission
Fields of Nephilim
The March Violets
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry
Ghost Dance
All About Eve

Third Wave: The Followers

          This wave, although still distinguishable, was a plethora of different sounds and influences coming together to branch out into many different subcategories of goth. These bands were the "children of the grave", young people whom had grown up on the sounds of bands like The Cure and Bauhaus, hoping to emulate their idols. Lasting from the late 80s to the late 90s, this was the time in which the goth scenes began to socially flourish the most. Because of the amount of people demanding for this type of music, and every band struggling to sound fresh and new, many different kinds of "gothic rock" were formed. It is in this era in which the genre of goth had expanded so far, that many of the subcategories became incomparable with each other. It is also very difficult to track the substantial amount of groups producing music, although there were some bands in which definitively became their own sound and stood out from the others. It was also in this era in which Goth became, rather than a subcategory of punk, a larger genre that had it's very own subcategories.
 

Some of these subcategories include but are not limited to:

- Industrial: Although the term for this category was coined by Industrial Records in 1976, it wasn't until the mid 90s that this type of music became extremely relevant. The followers of industrial music have developed their own fanbase name, the Rivitheads. Industrial music showcased a louder form of music. Industrial will exploit the usage of electronics, clips from movies and political speeches, synthesizers and vocals that have been distorted. Although it remains a subcategory under the umbrella term of Goth, it has a very large following. While gothic music in general, is very theatrical, emotional, poetic, and feminine side of the genre, industrial is masculine, aggressive, political and scientific. Both overlapping in an oddly familiar way, the two do well with weighting each other on the scale of the alternative scene. Some very popular bands that can be considered industrial are bands such as Coil, Nine Inch Nails, Rob Zombie, Rammstein, and Ministry. Even earlier Marilyn Manson, such as when he was "Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids" lean towards a more industrial rock vibe, especially in his album "Portrait of an American Family". 

-  Folk / Occult: Folk goth music tends to be the guilty pleasure to many gothic fans. Although many will claim that it is not relevant or shouldn't be associated with gothic music, bands within this genre still hold onto their gothic roots. And many people who listen to this music are, indeed, goth. Obscure instruments (violins, flutes) are used in order to emulate a folk, tribal style. It's also a type of music that is very popular in Europe, where bands will mix traditional sounds from their culture into a rock, steampunk feel. Sol Invictus and Current 93 are good examples of this genre, although it remains very broad. A personal favorite that I've discovered is Faun. They have an extremely unique sound, and explain themselves as a "Pagan Medieval Gothic Rock" band.  

- Darkwave: This term was orginally used to explain a more darker, electronic sound, but it wasn't until Projekt History claimed it as an official term that it became widely used. Darkwave can be used as a sister subcategory to goth in a similar way to how industrial works. For the most part, it embodies both ethereal and darkambient styles of gothic rock. 

                    - Ethereal: A highly refined style of music. Characterized by female singers accompanied by classical instruments to create an otherworldly effect. The music is very opera-esque. Although most people listening to ethereal music is considered goth, it would be grouped under darkwave more than anything. Love Spirals Downward is a great example of this type of music.
                  - Darkambient: An interesting trance-like style of music that focuses moreso on the symphony of the music rather than vocals. If vocals are featured, they remain very minimal. Instead, the organization of electronic music creates a droning, mysterious sound. This creates a strong surrealistic atmospheric feel. It is also referred to as "ambient" for short. Soul Whirling Somewhere is an example of a darkambient band. 

Modern Wave: The Music of Today

           The success of the nineties "grunge" and alternative scene was the beginning of the end of the original meaning behind gothic rock. Bands like Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson that took on gothic imagery rebranded the entire definition to the genre. Suddenly, "goth" in the modern wave meant something completely different. Bands will either choose to completely derive themselves from the original roots of gothic music, or divert themselves in a complete 180 away from the initial definition. Incidents like the Columbine Shooting, where two teenagers wore Marilyn Manson on a murder rampage throughout their highschool, brought us to the very end of the original meaning to goth as we knew it. Instead of "smoke machines, ethereal, dark", goth became "rebellious teenagers, razorblades, and Satan". We are currently still experiencing this wave, although the genre still remains innovative to this day and we continue to see new bands arise and old bands fall. 

Noteworthy Bands of Today

Elusive
Malaise
Star Industry
Reptyle
The Eden House
Angels of Liberty
           Merciful Nuns