*obvious stickybait is obvious*

Looking for something a bit more dark, brooding, and melodic than your average heavy metal? Maybe you want something ominous and foreboding, but don't want to automatically turn to doom metal? Or perhaps you want to add some symphonic classiness to your power or black metal experience?

Then you've come to the right place! If you're looking to expand upon your gothic or symphonic metal palette, then just say the word and the fine folks here at M-A will assist you as best they can.

Please request responsibly while driving.

Anyone know of more symphonic metal in the vein of Within Temptation's Mother Earth? The orchestral aspects aren't bombastic or overbearing, it's subtly epic; there's a dreamy and sometimes cheesy new age kind of vibe along with moments of a slightly dark, dramatic nature; the songs are catchy but not obnoxiously so unlike some Nightwish songs I have heard from Dark Passion Play

Try After Forever.

There's always Wildpath, The Murder of My Sweet (check out that chorus and tell me it doesn't remind you of "Frozen" by Within Temptation), Amberian Dawn, Visions of Atlantis, Krypteria, Sengir, and Chalice.

And that's just off the top of my head!

Thanks to both of you, I don't listen to any of those bands and now have a good place to start. Any specific albums that you think I should check out for my virgin listenings of the mentioned bands?

Everything by all of them. Except for Krypteria's "Liberatio" and "In Medias Res." Avoid those.

Just honing my request: vocals that don't have that modern pop-singing style (could it be described as R&B influenced, maybe?); looking for more classical-leaning vocals.
No stuff that sounds like generic pop radio songs with the guitars and keyboard added (sorry Zelkiiro, but the Murder Of My Sweet song was horribly that way!).
I didn't care much for the Wildpath, Krypteria or Sengir, but Amberian Dawn, Visions of Atlantis, and Chalice intrigued me (especially Amberian Dawn), I'll check them out further.

Looking for doom influenced gothic metal with violins like My Dying Bride, Silentium, The Sins of Thy Beloved etc. Not looking for the violins to be ever present in the songs rather looking for bands with awesome violin solos and great doom metal riffs. Vocal style doesnt matter

Perhaps you might like Virgin Black. They've got a full orchestra backing them at times, and it's got the right mixture of gothic metal melancholy and doom metal heaviness. I will also shamelessly plug The Slow Death once again, because it's about as close to My Dying Bride as you'll ever get without it actually being My Dying Bride. And just for kicks, you can also check out Draconian.

For something a bit lighter and poppier, yet still rooted in both gothic and doom metal styles, we've got Chalice and Tristania. For more of a folk-y twist, there's Evenoire, as well.

And of course, for the ultimate in doom-flavored gothic metal, you cannot go wrong with Type O Negative.

In addition to the recomendaitins you've already been given, also try nox aurea and ashes you leave. Both great doom metal bands.

Also the first Sirenia album. Less doomy, but one of the best gothic doom albums in my opinion.

The Gathering's 3rd and fourth albums Mandylion and Nighttime birds would both fit this. Anneke Van Giersbergen is my favourite singer of all time, and Mandylion probably in my top five albums. Her style (at least then, here recent solo efforts are pretty much pop rock) has nothing to do with a pop/r&b style. While it has doom metal influence, they were also influenced by dead can dance, cocteau twins, and the british shoegaze scene a few years previously, such as slowdive and my bloody valentine, so it is a rather unique album. And it is pretty much one of the first female fronted "gothic" metal albums, preceded possibly only by tears laid in earth by The 3rd and the mortal, which I guess I would also reccomend.

Looking for gothic metal that doesn't forget its metal roots and just plain rocks. Think of something similiar to Type O Negative's debut, Tiamat's Wildhoney, Sentenced's Down and Paradise Lost's early-mid 90's albums and recent outputs. Not looking for female vocals (nor any of the ''beauty and the beast'' kind of vocal delivery) I'd rather avoid death metal vocals too.

Check out Moonspell.

Not sure whether it's appropriate for this thread, but is there any goth rock/darkwave stuff like Mors Syphilitica out there? I figured the general atmosphere and vocal style might be appropriate for this thread.

It is now.

Graveworm is a really good symphonic black metal band, they were one of the first symphonic bands I got into. Listen to their Fear of the Dark cover which adds violins and bagpipes into it. Another band that isn't liked as much on this forum but is very symphonic is newer Dimmu Borgir stuff. I don't consider them black metal anymore but I still enjoy them. Abrahadabra was one of my favorite albums for some time because of the symphony. Check out "Endings and Continuations" on that album.

These help threads are beginning to become a little too large in number, and a little too similar in content, but ah well.

Check out The Foreshadowing and Forest Stream for some great gothic/doom.

Has anyone else listened to Gothic Sex's Laments? Despite the awful, awful band name, it's pretty good stuff, gothic rock/metal that reminds me a bit of the Sins of Thy Beloved; they use the "beauty and the beast" vocals but it manages to keep from sounding trite or overly cheesy (at least in a bad way). If anyone knows any similar bands, feel free to mention them! I'm also still salivating over Mors Syphilitica's Primrose - this is how gothic music should be. If you like gothic/symphonic metal/rock, or just dark music in general, this is definitely something you should look into.

After Forever is a great choice.

Anything by Saviour Machine would work.

Well, this thread seems to be in need of some appreciation, so can anyone recommend me some gothic doom like Tiamat's Wildhoney or Flowing Tears' Joy Parade?

I'm looking for something out there like The Cure's Disintegration. Sad, wistful, edgy goth rock with a talented frontman like Robert Smith. Anything that fits the bill? I can't get enough of the album lately.

The Nephilim - Zoon
Woods of Ypres last 2 albums

if you can enjoy the old style production, you could try the Rozz Wiiliams era Christian Death.

Also Bauhaus as well as The Mission.

The Eternal Fall maybe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PYNzYQjbxc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTtIR9blbJ8