The Gathering

I noticed that some remarks of people starting to listening to softer music. Well, I'm on of them. I still like my share of extreme metal, but I found myself listening to a lot of other music as well.

Lately my favourites include:
The Gathering (obviously!), especially HTMAP and Souvenirs
Radiohead (Hail to the Thief is awesome!)
Dead Can Dance
Gåte (great Norwegian folk rock)
After Forever (ok, so this is not quite as 'soft' as the rest)
Massive Attack (the Mezzanine and 100th Window albums)

I think these bands will give you a fair idea of what I'm looking for. So... what can you recommend?

I can really recommend Gåte (I guess the only band in the above list that's not well known among the board members).

Edit: Ah, I just noticed the existance of an off-topic forum. I guess this post belongs there. Sorry!

anathema (judjement, a fine day to exit, a natural disaster)
opeth (damnation)
porcupine tree
these from me!

Ah Porcupine Tree should be on my list as well, somehow I forgot to mention them. They're great live, too!

Opeth tries a bit to hard to be different in my opinion, it doesn't always flow naturally (not sure how to describe it). I like 'em, but I don't love 'em.

Anathema: I have a Fine Day, but never really gotten into it. It's one of those albums that I know can become real gems if you give it time, but so far I failed to give it the needed attention I guess.

If you like After Forever, you definetely have to give Epica a try (in fact, that band's leader is Mark Jansen who was 'kicked out' of AF).

As you have Radiohead and Massive Attack on your list, may I suggest Cranes and Portishead?

And I hear later Ulver albums are pretty good too (after all, Trickster G singing on Souvenirs is from Ulver) and Pale Forest should be quite good as well.

Ok....bands I like...and worth a try for you all to listen

End of green
rapture
Swallow the sun
For my pain
Penumbra
Vehemence
Amorphis
Autumn
Katatonia
Amon amarth
Throne of chaos
Whiserping gallery
Without face
Soul embraced
The old dead tree
Aina
Moonspell

and so on and on :D

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I didn't know of Epica, I'll defintely check them out.

As for the Cranes, I (or actually my girlfriend) has a couple of CDs (Wings of Joy and Forever if I'm not mistaken) and although I haven't listened to them for a long while, I loved the atmosphere. Thanks for the heads up
I've heard good things about Ulver, but haven't heard any of their post-blakc metal stuff yet.
Pale Forest is a completely new name to me, I saw them mentioned in the off topic forum as well.

Mariska, are those all goth-like bands? (I hate the classification, but you know what I mean). I know: Amorphis, Autumn, Katatonia (I like Vivas Emptiness!) and Moonspell.

Another I can recommend: Cocteau Twins. I find it very hard to describe their music, but keywords like eerie and mystical give a good impression I guess. The vocals are quite different (and the 'lyrics' are sounds rather words). Great music to drift away...

Yeah, I sort of forgot... I just recently got one of their albums, but I didn't listen to it yet...

However the name does indeed come up in recent articles about TG, as a comparison with their current style.

well yeah they call it "goth"bands But for me it's just metal

whihihi I hate the classification too

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I can suggest many old bands, like:

Rush
Yes
Pink Floyd(my personal fav. "old band" )
The Doors
Q65(A Dutch band...cool, famous cause of their song: The Life I live)

and of course some newer bands:

Aemen (Dutch band)
Ulver (ulver ulver, hellll yeaaah....PERDITION CITY!!! )
Kula Shaker!!!!( English band, which doesn't exist anymore...how cool where they!!!)

btw, Maris, we both forgot to mention Paradise Lost, how could we

(stop mentioning Epica you peoples, it traumatises me )

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Het zal wel weer off-topic zijn...
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I'm not obsessed, it's an hobby

Why? Because the Phantom Agony videoclip is so laughable (true)? Because they copy After Forever (not true IMHO, AF appeared to have been mainly Mark Jansen anyway)?

Or because they devoted a song to Pim Fortuyn? Yeah, that is pretty wrong.

But I still like their music a lot, as I imagine anyone that likes After Forever will.

You absolutely have to try Syd Matters (french guy) !
And Mogwai too...
I don't know how to classify them, maybe trip-soft-pop ?? Something like that...

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"I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully."— GWB, Saginaw, Mich., Sept. 29, 2000

"A trop nous prendre pour des cons, un jour nous le deviendrons"

After Forever

also other nice bands :

annatar
cirrha niva
silent edge
nightwish ( not mentioned yet )
sonata arctica

and another dutch band, which sounds a bit (a lot ) like TG is Artefact

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If you'll come closer, I'll show you how it feels...

Try a Polish band Moonlight, especially the albums Yaishi and Candra (Kalpa Taru and Meren Re aren't bad too, but they're more into metal) - the vocals are just GREAT!

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"Happiness is natural. Sadness, fear and anger are against nature and have to be defeated."
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Well Actually I don;t like to spread around why it traumatises me (cause I hate arrogant peoples, so I won't be one myself )

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Het zal wel weer off-topic zijn...
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I'm not obsessed, it's an hobby

If you like Cocteau Twins, i'd sugest u violet indiana, great band (i think is the girl in CT), and slowdive (they don't exist anymore but some members are in mojave 3 wich i'm not sure if they're still playing) tG did a cover of them (when the sun hits), it's a great band

Another band u should get in is goodsped your black emperor, if u like black light district song you should like them

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SING WHILE YOU MAY!!

Emelic

Rush and Floyd have been my favourites for ages (both band's early albums anyway).

I think my girlfriend has some Slowdive tapes somewhere (I used to be the metal head, she the goth/wave chick to use some stereotypes) , I'll check them out. I've tried Godspeed once, but I didn't think their songs had enough structure (sounded more like soundscapes than songs really). Perhaps I should give them a 2nd chance. Other names are noted

Perhaps I shouldn't have mentioned AF in my post. I'm not really looking for gothic/metal bands at the moment (I'll note down some of the names anyway ), but more dreamy/prog stuff...

Thanks all so far! I must say this is a very nice and friendly community you have here.

here is a list of stuff you may enjoy...

shriekback: atmospheric dark "pop" music with a sinister twist, includes ex members of xtc and gang of four.

legendary pink dots: a band from the netherlands that involves elements of experimental, pop, and ambience. fairly dark and often unsettling. Their catalog is huge.

kopernik: ambient chamber music similar to the rachels and godspeed you black emperor.

current 93: "apocolyptic folk" music.

beequeen: experimental, ambient instrumental music that has the power to take you away to strange places.

yes: old school prog rock that assaults the senses. weird metaphorical lyrics that are worth thinking about.

devendra banhart: folk like music that is so weird it borders on complete insanity.

the residents: godfathers of weird experimental performance art. Amazingly disturbing "pop" music.

illusion of safety: experimental ambient free noise music with an ever shifting agenda. elements of techno, hip hop, metal and collage in a sea of shifting atmosphere.

rush: state of the art "prog" music made by three of the most virtuosic musicians on the planet. deeply metaphorical lyrics backed by bright music.

good luck, and have fun!

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come back, return to mind, be remembered.

The Gathering
The Wounded
After Forever
Lacuna Coil
Beseech
Entwined
Marilyn Manson
Anathema
Tristania

but also:

Coldplay
Kosheen
Alicia Keys
Jeff Buckley
etc. etc.

Broadcast
Pink Floyd
The Doors
Led Zep
Jimi Hendrix
Blutengel

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This one is definitely worth checking out. I wouldn't call it "gothic", more like "doomy death metal"(which is actually their label's definition of their style). In the vein of My Dying Bride, and at least I think they're better than MDB nowadays. And last but not least: their drummer is a tG fan.

Other bands you might want to check out:
Candlemass
Saturnus
Primordial('Spirit the Earth Aflame' and 'Storm Before Calm')

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