Symphonic Metal - Musical Characteristics

Musical Characteristics

The main musical influences on symphonic metal are early gothic metal, power metal, and classical music.

Keyboards are normally the focal point of the music. While other instruments typically play relatively simple parts, the keyboard parts can be very complex and technically challenging, often played in a wide variety of classical styles and emulating anything up to and including full orchestral arrangements. An actual orchestra is sometimes employed, both live and in the studio, to similar effect.

It is more difficult to generalize about the guitar and bass work found in this style. As with gothic metal, this can often be described as a synthesis of other rock and metal styles, with black metal, death metal, power metal, and progressive metal elements being the most common; but unlike in gothic metal, elements of classical music are frequently present as well. Many of these bands at least sometimes use these instruments (as well as the lead vocals) to play simple, catchy melodies which make symphonic metal (along with power metal, which shares this characteristic) one of the more accessible current metal subgenres.

Songs are often highly atmospheric, though more upbeat than those of other metal subgenres; even songs with morbid themes routinely feature prominent major-key fanfares. Particularly central to creating mood and atmosphere is the choice of keyboard sounds.

Lyrics cover a broad range of topics. As with two of symphonic metal's otherwise most dissimilar influences, power metal and opera, fantasy and mythological themes are common. Concept albums styled after operas or epic poems are not uncommon.

Bands in this genre often feature a female lead vocalist, most commonly a mezzo-soprano. There is sometimes a second, male vocalist, as is also common in gothic metal. Growling, death metal style vocals are rare, but not unknown. Further backup up to and including a full choir is sometimes employed. Male vocalists are more common in the symphonic power metal category.

It is very common for bands, especially female fronted bands to perform operatic vocals. Those bands are referred to as Operatic symphonic metal for example Nightwish (Tarja Turunen), Epica, Haggard, Therion, Operatika, Dremora, Dol Ammad, Visions of Atlantis, Aesma Daeva, Almora. Operatic style is not exclusively tied to symphonic metal, it appears also in avant-garde metal, progressive metal, gothic metal and melodic metal.