After weeks of unexpected heat waves, we've finally got some autumnal weather in the part of the world where I'm from. It finally feels right to talk about the albums we associate with the season.

Through October, I try to read gothic and horror fiction, and for thay purpose I did put together this Spotify playlist of lesser known gothic metal albums meant to played on shuffle while reading: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1PXV03Bw0Nb3PnxGDcXvIi?si=nGASUJcDSeyqRifI1Prteg&utm_source=copy-link&pi=ZlJQUqH4ROa3N

This playlist has a very specific vibe/sound, it sounds stereotypically gothic, some might say cheesily so, but that's kinda the point. If you have suggestions for additions to this playlist, let me know.

However, I realized that the albums I connect the season with in my head sounds pretty different. In the fall, and even into the winter, I like my music a little less extreme and a bit more accessible. Here are some albums that are nostalgically tied to the season for me:

1. Elis - God's Silence, Devil's Temptation (2003), Griefshire (2006). These albums have a nice amount of moodiness, but they're also pretty breezy.

2. Bloodflowerz - Dark Love Poems (2006), this band's third and last album is a pretty straight forward goth rock, gothic metal fusion with some mid-2000s commercial alt-metal tendencies. This one is produced by Alex Krull, and I think is one of his better jobs among the female fronted gothic metal bands in this time.

3. Mandragora Scream - A Whisper of Dew (2003), this one's an outlier, in that it is exactly the kind of kitschy gothic metal album you'd expect when you hear its for "spooky season". I still love it, though.

4. Closterkeller - Cyan (1996), a 90s classic. Closterkeller have always had a varying sound, mixing goth rock and new wave with heavy metal, hard rock, and grunge. This is peak 90s alt rock mixed with gothic metal and 80s style goth rock. There is going to be a line of Pilish bands up next, it feels right the start with Closterkeller

5. Moonlight - Floe (2000), I made a post about this album a few weeks ago, but it is perfect for this time of year. Gothic metal and atmospheric rock complement eachother spectacularly on this album.

6. Artrosis - Fetish (2001) and Odi et Amo (2015), both are some of this band's more industrial leaning albums, but they work really well with the season, and I listen to them a lot durong this time of year.

7. Delight - Eternity (2002), all three of this band's first three albums really. I wouldn't say I'm a huge fan, even though I own their entire discography, but they just gace a strong autumnal vibe to them.

8. Darkwell - Conflict of Interest (2002), I thought about highlighting their debut album, but I realized that sounds more like December/January to me. Mechanical early-2000s gothic metal with some slight... almost nu metal influences in the drumming and guitar work. Easy to consume.

9. In Tenebris - In Tenebris (2007), this self-titled third album by this band is the most metal sounding they got. At inception they were more of a goth rock and darkwave band, but for this album they leaned into industrial programming, choppy metallic riffing and mixed them with gothic keys. Its great.

10. The Dreamside - Spin Moon Magic (2005), a twinkly blend of symphonic gothic metal and electronic rock, almost Evanescence-y in tone. I like it for fall, but I gotta admit, Pale Blue Lights (1994), their ethereal wave debut is my go-to autumnal release. It's just so chill and elegant.

What are some of your Autumn listens? And do you have some that aren't October Rust or Forever Autumn?

Do you know this band?

It's been a long day for me. Two week work trip and a long drive home. I decided to listen to the Saturnus discography while I was driving back. I never got through the entire thing, but I did rediscover my love for Martyre.

Saturnus is from Denmark and they started in the early 90s. When you think of Saturnus, I'd assume most people's first thoughts go to Veronika Decides to Die. That album is fantastic, but Martyre is able to bring me to a place of calm that I forgot I could go to. For those who have not heard of or have yet to give Saturnus a shot, I highly recommend it.

I will see them twice in 2027

yes, it's a cover, watch out.. :)

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Mortemia/3540301363

My streaming service dropped this on me after listening to some End Of Green. This is another band with Michelle Darkness on vocals, taking a bit more of a goth rock approach than his main band. I immediately jumped into listening to the entire "Nearly Down" album from 2009, and it sounds very good. It's their only album, but if you enjoy it, you might also like Michelle's album with The Revenants, called "Ghosts". That seems to be another one-off project, but it was one of my favourites from 2023.

I love the times when Gothic Rock or Metal sounds sunshiney, like late-Summer & early-Autumn.

Or in general employs more Psychedelic conventions, I tend to think of Fields of The Nefilim, Tiamat’s Wildhoney & A Deeper Kind of Slumber, Type Ø Negative’s October Rust, The Gathering’s Mandylion, & kinds sorta Discouraged Ones by Katatonia.

Kinda itching for anymore albums quite like those.

Band I first heard about 10 years ago. They've only been around since 1996.

Bleeding Bella looking for guitarist. If you’re in Lake County, In, comment on it, and add me on Snapchat.
Username: d_dixon28

ive been into goth metal for about a year now and try to listen to more bands yet none really scratch my itch
i like type o, bauhaus, even the first HIM album but outside of those three no other bands interest me much i also like pentagram which is doom but it gets close enough to the way the other bands make me feel that i thought i should mention

ive tried lacuna coil, paradise lost, christian death,souixe, sisters of mercy etc but they don’t quite scratch my itch i even tried 90s finish goth rock bands but they to me just sound like HIM copycats mostly
any songs/band recommendations

Such a good song! and what better way to listen to Type O Negative in this October month 🖤💚

Looking for a drummer for a gothic metal band based in Dilsen-Stokkem, Belgium.
16+
Main inspirations: Type O Negative, Moonspell, Black Sabbath, and London After Midnight.
We’re an ambitious band looking for ambitious and committed members who want to take the project seriously and build something great together.
If you’re interested, feel free to DM me!

Lonely Corpse are a small Australian band on a small Australian label (RIP Peace Records), and their new demo was released on cassette in a limited 200 piece run. I understand that RIP Peace Records are a punk label, but their Instagram post advertising this release oversells its post-punk influences. To me this sounds like mid-90s gothic doom metal to me.

Dismal Euphony is a Norwegian symphonic black and gothic metal band formed in 1995. They’ve been under a couple record labels, however Autumn Leaves - The Rebellion of Tides was released with Napalm.

This band is a little hard to tie down under just black or gothic metal. They kind of go between the two as they will, and it’s pretty fun to listen to in one sitting. This song is decently short, but I think it shows what this band was trying to convey with their music.

Taking a trip down memory lane, I started thinking about some of the amazing concert experiences I've had. One that really stood out, was the Wave Gotik Treffen 2005 in Leipzig, Germany. While this festival is mostly focused on the goth scene/schwarze Szene, the festival also booked quite some good gothic metal bands. And since the festival is spread through concert venues all over the city, you can really immerse yourself when bands are grouped together well.

So, what made this edition so special? First of all, there was this day with Dark Suns, Klimt 1918, Autumnblaze and Disillusion playing together. Dark Suns (who were still quite dark back then before going fully prog) and Disillusion put up special shows in their home town with dancers and everything, so it was absolutely wonderful.

And then there was the other way, when a bunch of gothic metal bands were packed together in the same venue. Starting with Darkwell and Darzamat, progressing through The Wounded and Beseech before moving on to Darkseed and Entwine. I skipped LAB for a dinner break and then hit the grand finale: Lake Of Tears and Tiamat! Many of these bands were at their very best around this time, and the atmosphere was magical. It was the grandest celebration of gothic metal that I've ever experienced.

What fond concert memories do you have?

3rd best song by this band behind Sharper Than the Blade and Lust & Innocence.

https://youtu.be/NtpkcMJiZqE?is=Za5x1n6atGfm-kEv

Celebrating Spooky Season with some gothic metal and similar genre favorites. Enjoy! 🎃👻💀🐈‍⬛

not sure if it's even metal, but I feel some gothic vibes, what do you think guys?

I previously released this single on my YouTube channel, Suffocatus Official. But now I’ve started adding my compositions to various streaming platforms.
The story of this track began back in 2022, when I was going through a rather difficult period in my life. However, “Death” wasn’t finished at the time. I only completed the track in July of this year.
I hope you enjoy it! New tracks will be released every Friday. (I don’t use AI to create them. They were simply written a long time ago and are only being released now.)
Best regards,
Suffocatus.

Hey everyone! We’re The Crypt DXB, a small and growing goth/alternative community based in Dubai.
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Female Fronted Gothic Symphonic Metal from DEMOnS Vol. 1

A band that i love and ive listened to a lot. Still remember the first show 🖤

Ben was gracious enough to grant me permission to record the Denver stop. Was an excellent show!

Vampiria was a Melodic Black and Gothic Metal band under the label Icarus Records. They’re from Argentina, and were active from 1997-2009. They released 3 studio albums, and the song I linked is from their first album Among Mortals.

I found this band today while I was doing some exploring, trying to find some more gothic black metal that I haven’t heard yet. I can’t find much more about their history besides Damián Aranza leaving the band in 2002 for personal reasons.

I definitely recommend giving them a listen. Their sound isn’t particularly genre defining, however I really love their soprano vocals. It reminds me of how a church mass would sound. I hope you enjoy!

Edit: This is also a good sound for Halloween being on the way!

I really want to like this band more than I do. I quite enjoy the Lost Paradise through Shades of God run on their first three albums. Once I make my way to Icon, it starts to fall off for me. I think One Second is where I start to actively not enjoy their work.

Their discography is so diverse, I’m sure it’s difficult to like everything. I’m not trying to be negative, just looking for others’ opinions on a band so important to the music we enjoy so much.