71-472: Legendary Tales is the debut studio album by Italian symphonic power metal band Rhapsody . It was released in 1997 on Limb Music . The album is the beginning of the Emerald Sword Saga. All lyrics are written by Luca Turilli (including Algalord's Concept); all music is composed by Turilli and Alex Staropoli Symphonic power metal Symphonic metal is a cross-generic style designation for
142-479: A progressive death metal band, had released some demos and EPs in their early years in a simple death metal style, but in 1997 went a step forward. They changed their style to a mix of classical music with real classical and medieval instruments such as violin , viola , cello , flute , oboe , clarinet , crumhorn , keyboards and death metal , releasing their first symphonic metal studio album. Many new symphonic bands appeared or came to wide attention in
213-499: 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. It is more difficult to generalize about the role of the classic metal instruments (guitars, bass and drums), as they vary depending on the metal subgenre to which the symphonic band mostly associates. With varying frequency, symphonic bands may employ these instruments (as well as
284-416: 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
355-670: 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
426-612: A central concept, such as cars, surfing, and teenage lifestyles. Writing in 101 Albums That Changed Popular Music , Chris Smith commented: "Though albums such as Frank Sinatra's 1955 In the Wee Small Hours and Marty Robbins ' 1959 Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs had already introduced concept albums, [the Beach Boys' 1963 album] Little Deuce Coupe was the first to comprise almost all original material rather than standard covers." Music historian Larry Starr , who identifies
497-443: 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 and include the likes of Epica , Nightwish ( Tarja Turunen , then Floor Jansen ), Haggard , Therion , Operatika, Dremora, Dol Ammad , Visions of Atlantis , Aesma Daeva , and Almora , among countless others. The operatic style
568-523: A classically trained soprano , Simone Simons , over a lush foundation of symphonic power metal ". The music of Epica has been described as combination of "a dark, haunting gothic atmosphere with bombastic and symphonic music". 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. This blend of symphonic and gothic metal has also been arrived at from
639-419: A fully qualified opera singer". Founding member, guitarist and vocalist Mark Jansen departed After Forever a few months after the release of their second album, Decipher . 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
710-503: 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 at times play relatively simple parts in contrast to the complex and nuanced keyboard and/or orchestral parts. 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
781-422: A rock album (as a story, play, or opus), or a project that either revolves around a specific theme or a collection of related materials. AllMusic writes, "A concept album could be a collection of songs by an individual songwriter or a particular theme – these are the concept LPs that reigned in the '50s ... the phrase 'concept album' is inextricably tied to the late 1960s, when rock & rollers began stretching
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#1732877231320852-411: A special category for "concept album" in its annual recordings of the year awards , to celebrate "albums where a creative mind has curated something visionary, a programme whose whole speaks more powerfully than its parts. A thought-through journey, which compels to be heard in one sitting." In a year-ending essay on the album in 2019, Ann Powers wrote for Slate that the year found the medium in
923-432: A state of flux. In her observation, many recording artists revitalized the concept album around autobiographical narratives and personal themes, such as intimacy, intersectionality , African-American life, boundaries among women, and grief associated with death. She cited such albums as Brittany Howard 's Jaime , Raphael Saadiq 's Jimmy Lee , Jamila Woods ' Legacy! Legacy! , Rapsody 's Eve , Jenny Lewis ' On
994-695: 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 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
1065-461: A suite of original songs about a man's search for love. In the early 1960s, concept albums began featuring highly in American country music , but the fact went largely unacknowledged by rock/pop fans and critics, who would only begin noting "concept albums" as a phenomenon later in the decade, when albums became closely aligned with countercultural ideology, resulting in a recognised " album era " and
1136-952: A three-movement epic performed by the band at the Royal Albert Hall in London with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra , the Moody Blues , with Days of Future Passed , and the Nice , with Five Bridges . Black Sabbath followed suit with "Spiral Architect" and "Supertzar". Other bands began to experiment with heavier songs with arrangements, such as " Ma Ma Ma Belle " by Electric Light Orchestra . Symphonic metal can be traced to some early death metal and gothic metal bands who made use of symphonic elements in their music, notably Swiss extreme metal pioneers Celtic Frost , using French horn on their 1985 release To Mega Therion (which inspired
1207-546: Is Woody Guthrie's 1940 album Dust Bowl Ballads . The Independent regards it as "perhaps" one of the first concept albums, consisting exclusively of semi-autobiographical songs about the hardships of American migrant labourers during the 1930s. In the late 1940s, the LP record was introduced, with space age pop composers producing concept albums soon after. Themes included exploring wild life and dealing with emotions, with some albums meant to be played while dining or relaxing. This
1278-467: Is another example of a modern concept album. Dorian Lynskey, writing for GQ , noted a resurgence of concept albums in the 2010s due to streaming : "This is happening not in spite of the rise of streaming and playlists, but because of it. Threatened with redundancy in the digital era, albums have fought back by becoming more album-like." Cucchiara argues that concept albums should also describe "this new generation of concept albums, for one key reason. This
1349-467: Is because the unison between the songs on a particular album has now been expanded into a broader field of visual and artistic design and marketing strategies that play into the themes and stories that form the album." Towards the end of the 80s, however, as heavy metal suited a fairly niche crowd, a few heavy metal artists began producing concept albums, particularly among the more progressive groups. King Diamond's Abigail and Savatage's Hall of
1420-411: 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". Among the first rock bands to use orchestral elements were Deep Purple , with Concerto for Group and Orchestra ,
1491-433: Is one of the most famous concept albums by any artist. In addition to The Wall , Danesi highlights Genesis ' The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (1974) and Frank Zappa 's Joe's Garage (1979) as other culturally significant concept albums. According to author Edward Macan, concept albums as a recurrent theme in progressive rock was directly inspired by the counterculture associated with "the proto-progressive bands of
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#17328772313201562-548: The Prague Symphony Orchestra . Nightwish , Rhapsody of Fire and Within Temptation all released their first album in 1997. Within Temptation's sound was usually defined as gothic metal, being overall simpler than Nightwish's power metal, but both bands shared two frequent symphonic metal elements: powerful female lead vocals from Tarja Turunen and Sharon den Adel respectively, and the heavy use of classically influenced keyboard playing. Haggard , which started as
1633-640: The 1960s", observing: "the consistent use of lengthy forms such as the programmatic song cycle of the concept album and the multimovement suite underscores the hippies' new, drug-induced conception of time." Progressive soul musicians inspired by this approach conceived concept albums during this era reflecting themes and concerns of the African-American experience , including Marvin Gaye (1971's What's Going On ) and George Clinton (the 1975 Parliament album Mothership Connection and Dope Dogs ). With
1704-464: The Beach Boys' 1964 releases Shut Down Volume 2 and All Summer Long as heralding the album era, cites Pet Sounds as the first rock concept album on the basis that it had been "conceived as an integrated whole, with interrelated songs arranged in a deliberate sequence." The 100 Greatest Bands of All Time (2015) states that the Ventures "pioneered the idea of the rock concept album years before
1775-552: The Centuries , has been described as death metal–styled symphonic metal. Make Them Suffer is a band that mixes deathcore with symphonic/classical elements in their earlier material. Other bands that have mixed deathcore with symphonic metal include Winds of Plague , Shadow of Intent , Lorna Shore (in their recent material, most notably Pain Remains ) and Betraying the Martyrs ,
1846-469: 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 songs like "Ghost Love Score" from
1917-587: The Dutch Within Temptation in 1996, expanded on this approach. A debut album, Enter , was unveiled in the following year, followed shortly by an EP, The Dance . 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 one B-side track that did not make
1988-550: The Moon (1973) and the Eagles ' Hotel California (1976)." In 2015, Rolling Stone ranked Dark Side of the Moon at number one among the 50 greatest progressive rock albums of all time, also noting the LP's stature as the second-best-selling album of all time. Pink Floyd's The Wall (1979), a semi-autobiographical story modeled after the band's Roger Waters and former member Syd Barrett ,
2059-595: The Mountain King , both released in 1987, stand some of the earliest examples of concept albums produced by a heavy metal artist. A year later, Iron Maiden's , Seventh Son of a Seventh Son , released in 1988, would become one of the most notable examples of a heavy metal concept album at the time. Around this time, progressive metal began taking form with artists such as Queensrÿche , Fates Warning , and Savatage. Shortly later in 1988, Queensrÿche would release Operation: Mindcrime , which would be considered one of
2130-572: 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
2201-629: 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 their latest album, Beyond the Red Mirror . They also made orchestral versions of previously released songs like "The Lord of
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2272-598: 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
2343-491: The Who's Tommy is "popularly thought of as the first rock opera, an extra-long concept album with characters, a consistent storyline, and a slight bit of pomposity", it is preceded by the shorter concept albums Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake ( Small Faces , 1968) and S.F. Sorrow ( The Pretty Things , 1968). Author Jim Cullen states: "The concept album reached its apogee in the 1970s in ambitious records like Pink Floyd 's Dark Side of
2414-527: The album Once , "The Poet and the Pendulum" from the album Dark Passion Play and "The Greatest Show on Earth" from the album Endless Forms Most Beautiful 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
2485-519: The album changed from a collection of heterogeneous songs into a narrative work with a single theme, in which individual songs segue into one another." Speaking of concepts in albums during the 1970s, Robert Christgau wrote in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), because "overall impression" of an album matters, "concept intensifies the impact" of certain albums "in more or less
2556-498: The album. Symphonic gothic metal was first pioneered by American band Saviour Machine . 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
2627-493: The basic, non-symphonic style of their subgenre. However, it is worth noting that the term is sometimes used to describe stylistic elements increasingly present in a growing number of metal music subgenres. The term "symphonic metal" denotes any metal band that makes use of symphonic or orchestral elements; "symphonic metal" then is not so much a subgenre but rather a cross-generic designation. A few bands simply refer to themselves as "symphonic metal", particularly Aesma Daeva , and
2698-412: The definition a bit, to where the album is the concept, then it is clear that progressive rock is entirely a music of concept albums—and this flows rather directly of Rubber Soul (December 1965) and then Revolver (1966), Pet Sounds , and Sergeant Pepper's . ... in the wake of these albums, many rock musicians took up "the complete album approach." Popmatters ' Sarah Zupko notes that while
2769-506: The early to mid 2000s, including Rain Fell Within, After Forever , Epica , Delain , Leaves' Eyes , Xandria , and Edenbridge , all featuring female vocals and the characteristic keyboards. Power metal, with its relatively upbeat fantasy themes and stylized keyboard sounds, tended to be an important influence on these groups. The term "symphonic metal" has sometimes been applied to individual songs or albums by bands that belong primarily to
2840-476: The emergence of MTV as a music video network which valued singles over albums, concept albums became less dominant in the 1980s. Some artists, however, still released concept albums and experienced success in the 1990s and 2000s. NME ' s Emily Barker cites Green Day 's American Idiot (2004) as one of the "more notable" examples, having brought the concept album back to high-charting positions. My Chemical Romance ’s The Black Parade (2006)
2911-455: The field of classical music has adopted the idea of the concept album, citing such historical examples as Schubert's Winterreise and Schumann's Liederkreis as prototypes for contemporary composers and musicians. Classical composers and performers increasingly adopt production and marketing strategies that unify otherwise disparate works into concept albums or concerts. Since 2019, the classical music magazine Gramophone has included
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2982-609: The final album release. The album was a commercial success, with their lead single, " Ice Queen ", topping the charts in Belgium and their native Netherlands. Their third album, The Silent Force , arrived in 2004 as an "ambitious project featuring a full orchestra and 80-voice choir accompanying the band". The result was another commercial success across Europe 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
3053-534: The first 'concept album' even though the songs were unrelated." Author Bill Martin relates the assumed concept albums of the 1960s to progressive rock : In discussions of progressive rock, the idea of the "concept album" is mentioned frequently. If this term refers to albums that have thematic unity and development throughout, then in reality there are probably fewer concept albums than one might first think. Pet Sounds and Sergeant Pepper's do not qualify according to this criterion ... However, if we instead stretch
3124-446: The first 'concept album', but Sgt. Pepper was the record that made that idea convincing to most ears." Musicologist Allan Moore says that "Even though previous albums had set a unified mood (notably Sinatra's Songs for Swingin' Lovers! ), it was on the basis of the influence of Sgt. Pepper that the penchant for the concept album was born." Adding to Sgt. Pepper ' s claim, the artwork reinforced its central theme by depicting
3195-408: The first progressive metal albums, and was also a concept album. Thus it could be argued that from the genre's inception, progressive metal has been a hotspot for concept albums, like its rock counterpart. Other notable progressive metal concept albums are Dream Theater 's Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory , Opeth 's Still Life , and Orphaned Land 's Mabool . In the 21st century,
3266-445: The four Beatles in uniform as members of the Sgt. Pepper band, while the record omitted the gaps that usually separated album tracks. Music critic and journalist Neil Slaven stated that Frank Zappa 's Absolutely Free , released the same day as Sgt. Pepper , was "very much a concept album, but The Beatles effortlessly stole his thunder", and subsequently Sgt. Pepper was hailed as "perhaps
3337-501: The genre is generally acknowledged to have been born". Writing in his Concise Dictionary of Popular Culture , Marcel Danesi identifies the Beatles' Rubber Soul (1965) and the Who's The Who Sell Out (1967) as other examples of early concept albums. Brian Boyd of The Irish Times names the Kinks ' Face to Face (1966) as the first concept album: "Written entirely by Ray Davies ,
3408-461: The genre 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. 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
3479-497: The genre. Many people who participate in this genre of metal music have a degree in musical thought or have been taught how to sing in a classical style. 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
3550-579: The introduction of the rock concept album. The author Carys Wyn Jones writes that the Beach Boys ' Pet Sounds (1966), the Beatles ' Revolver (1966) and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), and the Who 's Tommy (1969) are variously cited as "the first concept album", usually for their "uniform excellence rather than some lyrical theme or underlying musical motif". Other records have been claimed as "early" or "first" concept albums. The Beach Boys' first six albums, released over 1962–64, featured collections of songs unified respectively by
3621-483: The latter being 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." Concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Sometimes
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#17328772313203692-442: The lead vocals) to play more simple, catchy melodies than non-symphonic bands, which arguably make the symphonic metal style one of the most accessible in metal. Songs 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 . Lyrics cover
3763-425: The limits of their art form." Author Jim Cullen describes it as "a collection of discrete but thematically unified songs whose whole is greater than the sum of its parts ... sometimes [erroneously] assumed to be a product of the rock era." Author Roy Shuker defines concept albums and rock operas as albums that are "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical. ... In this form,
3834-433: The most pioneering and prominent examples of symphonic metal bands are Swedish band Therion , Finnish band Nightwish , German band Xandria , Italian band Rhapsody of Fire , American bands Lorna Shore and Trans-Siberian Orchestra , and Dutch bands Epica and Within Temptation . Those bands place a large focus on elements prevalent in film scores in addition to the more basic classical components utilized more widely in
3905-430: 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
3976-548: 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 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
4047-550: The naming of symphonic metal pioneers Therion) and more prominent symphonic orchestra on their 1987 album Into the Pandemonium . NWOBHM band Golgotha's Orchestral Stab (1988) – later remixed as Unmaker of Worlds (1990) – also combined metal and heavily orchestrated sections. An early prototypical symphonic metal song was "Dies Irae" by American Christian thrash metal group Believer . Appearing on their 1990 album Sanity Obscure , it foreshadowed
4118-507: The operatic approach used by the bands Therion and Nightwish . 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. 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. The band Therion were influential in forming
4189-748: The opposite direction. The band Nightwish from Finland began as a symphonic power metal act and introduced gothic elements on their 2004 album Once , particularly on the single " Nemo ". 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. The Swedish group Therion also introduced gothic elements to their brand of symphonic metal on their 2007 album Gothic Kabbalah . Bands described as symphonic death metal include Ex Deo , Septicflesh , Children of Bodom , MaYaN , and Fleshgod Apocalypse . Eternal Tears of Sorrow adds gothic/symphonic elements to melodic death metal . Haggard 's 2000 album, Awaking
4260-441: The songs so that the lyrics created a flow from track to track, affording an impression of a narrative, as in musical comedy or opera . ... [He was the] first pop singer to bring a consciously artistic attitude to recording." Singer/pianist Nat "King" Cole (who, along with Sinatra, often collaborated with arranger Nelson Riddle during this era) was also an early pioneer of concept albums, as with his Wild Is Love (1960),
4331-500: The songs were supposed to be linked by pieces of music, so that the album would play without gaps, but the record company baulked at such radicalism. It's not one of the band's finest works, but it did have an impact." "Popular consensus" for the first rock concept album, according to AllMusic, favours Sgt. Pepper . According to music critic Tim Riley , "Strictly speaking, the Mothers of Invention 's Freak Out! [1966] has claims as
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#17328772313204402-658: 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
4473-417: The sweep and grandeur of symphonic music". 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". 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
4544-424: 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
4615-525: The symphonic subsets of heavy metal music subgenres. It is used to denote any metal band that makes use of symphonic or orchestral elements. The style features the heavy drums and guitars of metal with different elements of orchestral classical music , such as symphonic instruments, choirs and sometimes a full orchestra, or just keyboard orchestration. Symphonic metal bands can feature classically trained vocalists, in which case they can be attributed nicknames such as opera metal or operatic metal . Perhaps
4686-408: 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,
4757-443: The term is applied to albums considered to be of "uniform excellence" rather than an LP with an explicit musical or lyrical motif. There is no consensus among music critics as to the specific criteria for what a "concept album" is. The format originates with folk singer Woody Guthrie 's Dust Bowl Ballads (1940) and was subsequently popularized by traditional pop singer Frank Sinatra 's 1940s–50s string of albums, although
4828-435: The term is more often associated with rock music . In the 1960s several well-regarded concept albums were released by various rock bands, which eventually led to the invention of progressive rock and rock opera . There is no clear definition of a "concept album". Fiona Sturges of The Independent stated that the concept album "was originally defined as a long-player where the songs were based on one dramatic idea – but
4899-443: The term is subjective." A precursor to this type of album can be found in the 19th-century song cycle , which ran into similar difficulties in classification. The extremely broad definitions of a "concept album" could potentially encompass all soundtracks , compilations , cast recordings , greatest hits albums , tribute albums , Christmas albums , and live albums . The most common definitions refer to an expanded approach to
4970-469: The way Sgt. Pepper intended", as well as "a species of concept that pushes a rhythmically unrelenting album like The Wild Magnolias or a vocally irresistible one like Shirley Brown 's Woman to Woman , to a deeper level of significance." In the 2016 BBC documentary When Pop Went Epic: The Crazy World of the Concept Album , narrated by Rick Wakeman , it is suggested that the first concept album
5041-598: Was accompanied in the mid-1950s with the invention of the gatefold , which allowed room for liner notes to explain the concept. Singer Frank Sinatra recorded several concept albums prior to the 1960s rock era, including In the Wee Small Hours (1955) and Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely (1958). Sinatra is occasionally credited as the inventor of the concept album, beginning with The Voice of Frank Sinatra (1946), which led to similar work by Bing Crosby . According to biographer Will Friedwald, Sinatra "sequenced
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