Lately I've been seeing this tag in some places (metal archives, last-fm, wiki...) and I have no idea what is this supposed to be

I've googled a bit the term and the definitions don't seem clear or enough to make a sub-genre.

My question is: Is it a real sub-genre? If it is, what are it's traits?

Well, the term was coined by German BETHLEHEM, on their 1994 album with that name. Try listening to that one, and the two next albums - the slightly more experimental "Dictius Te Necare" (1996) and the even more experimental "Sardonischer Untergang im Zeichen Irreligiöser Darbietung" (or SUiZID, 1998). Don't go for their later albums - though good, it's not the same thing & not representative to what I think is Dark Metal (maybe it is?).

The sound on those albums is what I suppose should be considered a template for what Dark Metal could be. I think it's a valid sub-genre to extreme metal, many don't (considering it a bucket to place bands that just suck). Since Bethlehem was one of the first bands to go deeply into the subject matter of suicide & insanity ("Dictius te Necare" = "You should kill Yourself"), that theme has become central to Dark Metal, approaching in that way certain BM bands like Swedish SILENCER and SHINING who are more BM oriented. Maybe SHINING could be called Dark Metal, I don't know.

But anyway, sound-wise I guess it's rather slow, like doom metal, with the harsh screaming anguished vocals of black metal, but with an almost pop/rock-like sensibility in rhythm and maybe tonality (close to both gothic rock and gothic metal). Melancholic and sad, and dark. I think it's a subgenre that just hasn't been explored well enough - I think a lot of people may use Dark Metal as a genre for their music just because it's a sloppy unintelligible mix of gothic, black and doom metal. But I think there's more in it, just that someone needs to do it properly.

And, because the depressive elements are fundamental, ordinary metalheads will probably keep considering it to be whiny, girly bullcrap, but that's their problem!

If I put it like this: to me, Dark Metal lacks the heaviness and groove of doom metal, the harshness & speed of black metal, and the theatrical embellishments of gothic metal - it's much more monotonous.

Here's a genre tag-search for Dark Metal at metal-archives.com:
http://www.metal-archives.com/search.ph ... type=genre

A lot of them are like "Dark Prog Metal" or "Dark Ambient Black Metal" which of course doesn't count but anyway, there are quite a few "pure" Dark Metal bands there. Happy hunting...

Hmmm thank you for your detailed explanation. It's clearer now, though I think I'll have to sample some dark metal bands to be able to recognize them.

Though I see Madder Mortem listed. They don't really apply to your explanation, since they vary their song's speed and don't use screeches. But it's not the first time metal archives categorized wrongly something

Thanks again!

I say the metal-archives tag search is crap to define the "genre". I think that bands use the tag mainly as a complement to black or death (dark black, dark death, dark doom), so more of a concept thing than a stylistic thing.
Anyway, if you want to listen to really dark metal, try Bethlehem - S.U.I.Z.I.D. as aVoid already mentioned. The earlier ones sound just black metal to me mixed with a bit rock feeling and very doomy. The same as S.U.I.Z.I.D. but less experimental and extreme.

Btw, I was badly addicted to SUIZID during some time and it even got me happy, it was strange the reaction I had on it, sometimes. A lot of people think it's awful I think, but to me it's pure art.

I would say that the last two albums of Bergraven are also Dark Metal, in terms of the obscurity of the themes and moods.

There are not defined stylistic patterns to Dark Metal that I know of, but aVoid's definition is ok to me. And I also don't think it's a bucket where to put bands that suck as of course Bethlehem and Bergraven do not suck a tiny bit. Even the last Bethlehem ones, at least not suck at all (well, the SUIZID remake with Kvarforth is going to suck big time, but that's personal with me).

There's a Spanish band, Foscor, who claim they play Dark Black Metal because they sing about dark feelings and get inspired by a Catalan poet that wrote very dark poems, but their music sounds black metal with some personal touch. So I guess the 'Dark' tag is just for the concept thing there.

Satanic black metal != Dark black metal

(!= means not equal)

I bolded every "Sardonischer" album mention because you just have to listen to it if you really, really want some dark metal classic album.

PS: I know hw to write Sardonischer Untergang Im Zeichen Irreligioser Darbietung by memory, but I did not because it's a quite large title. ALso, aVoid, I though the "you must kill yourself" was another title, I guess I've been wrong this time or just remembered it bad.
So, what does it mean "Du sollst dich töten"? (correctly written which sure it's not by me).

Hm, I´ve heard some bands tagged ´dark´, but I am not really sure we can talk about ´dark metal´. It´s a little bit moody mix of doom-black with doomy atmosphere, what you can call ´dark´, but you can also call it´depressive´... whatever

Yeah with the rise of "depressive black metal" I think the two has become confused. So there's difference between dark metal as such, and the genre Dark Metal (with very few practitioners).

Du sollst dich töten = You must/should kill yourself = Dictius te necare - same thing, three languages, I'm quite sure (but maybe wrong).

Exactly. But there are also dark-themed death metal bands. There's dark ambient and dark folk music with bits of metal. I mean it has not to be black-doomy or doom-blackish. I think it's not a real genre but, as I said several times, fuck genres, tags and genre labels.

If you want to know how a band/album sounds like, listen to it, don't let be guided by genres or tags.

And, @JH if you ask for suggestions of 'dark' feeling metal, you already have where to start, and I'd say it's the best place or one of the best.

@aVoid: thanks for explaining. The little bit I understand of German told me I wasn't wrong at all.

Well dark music, isn't all music dark? Or am I just narrow-minded & should look outside my playlists? Haha!

No seriously, metal is ontologically dark. Sure, you can't compare the darkness of Iron Maiden to that of Nortt, but anyway. Metal that is dark = all metal. Dark Metal = a specific sound in a certain number of bands.

I am actually beginning to feel more and more that genre-labels are appropriate. It's just a matter of interpretation - if people become fundamentalists & see things as written in stone (as people tend to, everywhere), then there's a danger. It's multi-layered. Genres need to be subject of change and, especially, iconoclasm. Fuck metal, I say!

Anyway, genres should be used descriptively, not prescriptively. Not to create borders that cannot be transgressed, but todraw threads between artists with similarities - be they ideological/spiritual (=orthodox black metal, RIO, RAC etc), timbral, technical (=d-beat, drill'n'bass etc), whatever. As long as they are not seen/used as limitations for artistry ("we're a black metal band, we can't use keyboards!" or "they're a death metal band, they can't have clean vocals!" - it's on both sides, artists & listeners). Genres are not holy cows or goals in themselves, but tools & platforms to communicate & transcend.

Conclusion after rant = the genres are not the problem, it's how people use them.

(Now please exchange the word "genre" with "religion", "drugs" or "weapons".)

@Adryuu: I was interested in knowing about it and if it was a sub-genre. Though I will try Betlehem's S.U.I.Z.I.D. now, as you and Avoid made me very curious about it. I already have a Shining album (V - Halmstad) and will surely try the others.

And Silencer? Oh god, that must be the worst vocals in metal. I even find Sonata Artica's vocalist less annoying. He at least isn't that bad.



Couldn't agree more. Well done with noticing the parallel of genres with drugs, weapons and religion!

I use genres to find music I like more quickly (the more I learn about genres, the better [band tried/good band] ratio I have). Very useful. But I certainly wont' be smacking my head against the wall for finding a right genre/sub-genre/style for a band

Hah! Yeah I know. He sounds like Eric Cartman and a pig. But you know, he's so crazy he's in a permanent institution (probably suicidal) - a lot of rumours in Sweden as to what he might have done (some say child rape, some say axe attacks, I think he just can't behave himself & needs a lobotomy).

I think Eric Cartman would make an interesting Black Metal Vocalist. Cookie Monster would make an excellent Death metal vocalist.

And does anyone else think that Maniac's vox on Grand Declaration of War sound a lot like Gollem?? Anyone else think Andy Serkis would make an interesting BM vocalist.

Yeah I went off topic. Sorry.

Dark Metal. Right. I suppose we're mainly referring to those bands that have more of a thematic focus on "darkness", evil deeds, vampirism, demons, etc., as opposed to bands that have a more social or political leaning. But "Dark Metal" is probably a bit less extreme in nature, as someone above noted, more classic doom and rock instead of being death or black metal.

I guess.

:lol:

Eric Cartman , I'm gonna have to google for this one

Try the first DERANGED album, "Rated-X".



Try the new DIAMATREGON album, reviewed last week.

I just love the way topics degenerate over time these days...

@Dimaension-X - Nope, dark metal is more of suicidal, loneliness, sadness and maniac-depressive themes. For vampirism we have CoF style and goth, for demons and evil deeds and such, well, either King Diamond of Black Metal.
That's why dark metal is related (I think) to doom and the suicidal part of black metal, like Kvarforth's silliness and such. He sings now in Bethlehem, it's sad for me.

And... now the most interesting part of the topic... Gollem is Gollum? Smeagol? Lord of the Rings? My treasure? In Spain he is called Gollum, if you talk about he/it.
It's a shame but I haven't listened to the original voices of either South Park or the Lord of the Rings films. I'll have to check them out.
But, btw, if you want an interesting and different approach on singing, you all should try Caninus - Now Animals have a Voice. It's a grindcore band, nothing special, but the vocalist(s). I think there are two of them. They are PITBULLS. Here: http://www.pitbullgrindcore.com/