The fear of darkness, the sorrow of death, forbidden love, the beauty of complete pain, in short, the dark side of the human spiritual world, this is the definition of Goth.
Goth, Gothic:
1. Goth, Goth (referring to a Germanic nation that once invaded the Roman Empire)
2. Gothic architecture (an architectural style popular in Western Europe from the 12th to the 16th century, characterized by pointed arches, vaults, slender columns, etc.)
3. Special, Gothic style (a literary style in the 18th century, usually describing love stories with a mysterious or terrifying atmosphere)
4. Refers to fonts, Gothic fonts
The specific word Gothic originally meant the Germanic tribes of Western Europe. In terms of architectural culture and writing from the 18th to 19th centuries, the so-called "Gothic Revival" dug out the dark sentiments of the Middle Ages from the tomb of historical context.
Goths
The Goths are a Germanic tribe who have been known to the Romans to inhabit the border areas of the Danube since the first century AD. As the Huns moved westward from Central Asia, the Goths were pressured to disperse from the region. They migrated west into Europe and crossed the Danube River to escape the oncoming nomadic tribes. Since the fall of Rome, the Goths in the early Middle Ages competed with other barbarians for the lands left behind in the Western Roman Empire.
The only thing we know is that the Goths came from the Baltic island of Gülen and split into two groups as they migrated south to central Europe. The Visigoths settled in what is today Romania in the second century AD; the Ostrogoths continued to migrate eastward to the northwest coast of the Black Sea. In 376, the Visigoths, under the oppression of the Huns, crossed the Danube south from present-day Romania. The total number of men, women and children is about 60,000. They defeated the Roman army from Constantinople, settled on the south bank of the Danube for a time, and then advanced towards Italy. In 409, the Visigoths, under the leadership of King Alarel, plundered the city of Rome and then moved north to Gaul. The Romans had no choice but to give up Gaul in the southwest, and their power eventually expanded to the entire Spain today.
The Ostrogoths dispersed under the rule of the Huns, followed the route taken by their own people (Visigoths), and entered Italy in the late fifth century. This invasion was instigated by the Eastern Roman Empire, which wanted to consume the power of these ethnic groups and then rule Italy as a governor. Under the command of Theodoric (today's king of Switzerland and the Balkans), the Goths entered Italy in 488 and completely conquered her in 493.
After Theoderic died in 526, the kingdom did not last long. Byzantium sent an army under the command of General Belisarius to Italy in 536 under the pretext of fighting for the succession to the throne. Byzantium hoped to retake Italy and restore the ancient Roman Empire's territories in the west. War continued and plague and famine devastated the countryside. In 552, the Ostrogoths were finally defeated in Italy. In the late sixth century AD, when Italy was invaded by the newly arrived barbarian Lombards, the Ostrogoths were wiped out, and those who survived collapsed into small groups.
The Visigoths maintained their kingdom in Spain for a relatively long time. In the late fifth century AD, the Frankish Clovis drove the Visigoths from mainland France to areas beyond the Pyrenees. With the death of Clovis, his kingdom was divided, giving the Visigoths a temporary respite. In 711, a new threat came from the south. The Muslim army crossed the sea from North Africa and wiped out the last Gothic kingdom in just four years.
The Goths were the first force in history capable of plundering the city of Rome. This alone will be unforgettable for future generations; and as a result, the order of the ancient world began to disintegrate in Europe. They admired the city of Rome and sought to preserve it, allowing much of Roman culture to survive. For example, the languages ??of modern Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Romania all originated from Latin, and were then influenced by the residents of these areas to form the languages ??of these countries. The situation is similar to the way that Germanic languages ??were spread in England.
Literary genre
Some literary works since the end of the 18th century have been classified as "Gothic novels" because of their different tone and style. During this period, many Gothic novelists continued to emerge. Gothic literature not only showed the dark side of human beings, but also challenged the orthodox thinking mode of society at that time. It was a mixture of horror and mystery. The more typical characters in Gothic novels are vampires, such as "Interview with the Vampire" by Anne Rice and Emichel's "Waltz in the Blood Moon", both of which I admire. By the 1970s, punk as a subculture invaded the realm of mainstream culture. The original punk came from violence and powerful subversion. The emergence of Joy Division, formerly known as Warsaw, undoubtedly brought this punk movement full of destructive desires and anarchism into the post-punk era.
Music Genre
Early Gothic music representatives include Siouxsie and the Banshees, Bauhaus and so on. They are full of gloomy and world-weary sentiments. The music is often cold and biting, with a delicate sense of beauty, but at the same time, it uses a large number of dissonant sounds that deviate from the melody line at the level of the range, showing extreme contempt for all traditional music. At the level of lyrics and performance concept, it shows the desolation of life and love. From the rejection of the real state, to the pursuit of the weird fun in the abyss of the soul. On the stage, she/they appeared in extreme and crazy costumes, such as Su Kexi's "ice queen" look with a slightly sadistic and masochistic mood, and Bauhaus lead singer Peter Murphy put himself Dressed up as a capricious androgynous vampire? This subversion and reversal of gender is also manifested in a fanatical obsession with theological (or demonological) concepts. The Sisters of Mercy, founded in 1981, was a reaction to the musical consciousness of a few men who loved medieval style. At one time, lead singer Atli was described as "laughing wildly as he watched the city of Rome burn to a pile of rubble." Andrew Eldritch made clear the religious stance of the Goethe rock band - for us, cynicism is like holy water for Catholics.
Early post-punk's interpretation of life was often full of frustration and despair. For example, Ian Curtis, the lead singer of Joy Division, hanged himself in 1980. Those life-consuming notes have become the immortal classic of Joy Division and bear witness to the entire low-key culture. His gloomy and lonely outlook on life hides a gloomy genetic factor, dyeing the entire post-punk culture into deep gray and darkness. In the 1980s, a pessimistic era was constructed in degenerate music, at least at the level of underground culture in England and Europe. In the independent music circle at that time, a large number of dark, morbid, and weird bands emerged. Their music originated from endless depression and the curse of life. Such as The Mission, All about Eve, Fields of the Nephilem, The Cult, etc. These bands/musicians, who were regarded as desperate, evil, and decadent, escaped from the excessive destructive consciousness of punk into a restrained and dark world - this is the low-key music that occupied most of rock music in the 1980s. time and space. The shape and evolution of gothic rock in the British underground music scene is like a cult coming to the earth and extending the palm of a troll. It delights the audience through unimaginable and unconstrained evil materials. This not only includes the unprecedented creativity of the Holy Spirit in the field of music, but also includes the unprecedented stimulating visual experience given to people in terms of visual modeling. Neutral identity styles and heavy makeup are not exclusive to the New Romantics. Goth seems to be the opposite twin brother of New Romance, the dark and morbid side behind the gorgeousness. Now let's take a look at the improved style of Gothic music and other related music schools. EBM (Electronic Body Music), which was born in Belgium, is a kind of electronic, cold and black music. It was produced under the influence of electronic bands such as Kraftwerk in the German Krautrock movement.
Front242, one of the founding bands of EBM, is known for its minimalist beats, depressive sounds and militaristic commando attire. The Klinik, Insekt, Dive, Click Click, A Split Second and later Suicide Commando are some of the important bands of BM. Dive and Klinik used sonar noise to create an icy outer space atmosphere. Suicide Commando incorporates more dance music elements. Similar music style is called Industrial in the United States and Canada, such as Front Line Assembly, Skinny Puppy and other bands. The synthesized music and multi-layered sounds they create are perfect for listening to with headphones. Front Line Assembly's classic albums Classical Bumsare Caustic Grip (1990) and Tactical Neural Implant (1992) are worthy of collection by everyone who likes EMB.
We haven’t talked about Germany yet, which is now the center of goth music. Many German bands are used to the music label DARKWAVE. Project Pitchfork was the first German band to be involved in the field of Gothic music. Although their music style has changed, they have always been a popular group. The first album "Dhyani" is also a classic, consisting of typical black music and critical lyrics.
The members of the Deine Lakaien band have a strong musical foundation, and they have made romantic songs like "Love me to the end". The work has a certain medieval feel to it. A large number of groups in Germany maintain their native language when singing, such as Goethes Erben, and the name of the band says it all. Their first three albums are like a trilogy, independent yet interrelated. Bands such as Lacrimosa and Tilo Wolf continue to experiment with musical expressions by adding elements of metal music. Of course, we must know the group Das Ich. Their classic album is "Die Propheten". The songs in the album have complex lyrics and are full of wisdom. Calvay Nada, a representative group of dark electronic music, sings in German and Spanish. Their most distinctive feature is the bass of lead singer Brenal, and the lyrics mostly involve political, social and other topics. From this aspect, this band is in the Gothic category. It is unique in the music kingdom.
In general, due to the romantic plot, most bands in Germany are the product of a combination of romantic songs and dark electronics. Nowadays, the music within the Gothic category is becoming more and more diversified. For example, dark folk (darkfolk), representatives of this style of music are Current93, Deathin June, Sol Invictus and Fire+Ice. The early works of C93 were relatively experimental and difficult to understand. Later, David Tibet used his personal thinking to explore the direction of acoustic folk music. Deathin June, the predecessor band of C93, has been quite controversial since the release of their first album Nada. They have even been accused of extreme right-wing tendencies. But what impressed us most deeply about DIJ was its pagan ritual music. If you want to listen to this kind of music, I recommend you to go to World Serpent, an excellent music label. The bands mentioned above have all released works under its label. By the way, there is another Italian group Ordo Equitum Solis that should also be worthy of our attention. Many goth bands have some kind of medieval plot, combining medieval music with modern creative techniques. There are many such medieval groups in Germany. The music creators generally have a good classical music education background. Well-known orchestras include Qntal, Estampie, Freiburger Spielleyt, etc. This kind of music is even more influential in Italy, where Ataraxia and Camerata Mediolanense have produced many outstanding musical works. This type of combination not only attracts goth listeners but also attracts some classical music admirers. The music of The Moonlay Hidden Beneath a Cloud and Rosa Crux absorbed elements of festival music.
Of course, the style of many bands is very difficult to define. For example, Take Kirlian Camera in Italy, the band's style has changed every year in the past 20 years. The French eroticism dark electronic band Die FORM's music themes mostly involve SM (sexual abuse), and each of their works brings us new surprises. Another band from France, Collectiond'Arnell Andrea's piano sound is very distinctive and has become its own unique signature. The works of In the Nursery, a band that is good at composing orchestral music, are very suitable as accompaniments in movies. In Sweden, the Nordic country, the Cold Meat Industry label has launched many unique music works through years of hard work. Its bands have diverse styles, such as the bloody experimental bands Brighter Death Now and Deutsch Nepal, the ambient music group Raison d'Etre, the neoclassical The Protagonist, the celestial music group Arcana, etc. Speaking of Tianyin, if you want to know better, I suggest you listen to representative bands like Love is Colder than Death, Black Tape for a Blue Girl, and Stoa.
In the texts of Gothic music, we can savor some nihilistic statements involving religion, sex, death, despair, Christ and even incredible things, which are an indispensable part of Gothic music. Ring, Gothic Rock, this music covered under the blurry, ethereal outer shell, everything is so mysterious. The style of gothic rock can be said to be inherited from Joy Division, especially the habit of elevating the bass to the position of the lead, which the post-gothic dynasty still cannot completely get rid of to this day.
Those suppressing low voices or distorted vocals, heavy bass as heavy as depression, psychedelic guitar sounds, drumming full of accusations, and occasionally screaming like ghosts and gods, as heavy as stone grinding or It is a wild and disintegrating music form, and there are also pale faces of Rock Music: when you feel helpless about life, do you think about what is hidden behind it? Is it the isolation of the soul? Is it the shadow of death? Or is it a human tragedy? Gothic Rock is a subversive act of music based more on unconscious abstract expression than on intentionality. Just like facing a season of gloomy winter weather, we are invaded by Gothic culture, chasing an experience of living and dying in the dehumanized post-industrial modern society. Barry's musical foresight also exists. In addition to Rock Music, which has always been true to itself, in the pessimistic 1980s, the influence of Gothic, a subculture that lives in the shadow of mainstream culture, has long transcended the boundaries of music and has become a way of life. A way, an attitude towards life, a black kingdom pursued by Gothic believers. After the blurry nineties, today's Gothic rock in the next century has been deconstructed into fragments and incomplete. The Sisters of Mercy and The Mission, the former patron saints of Goth, have long since abandoned their believers. But in today’s Dark-Wave movement, formalisms such as Death Folk, Post-Industrial, Dark Ambient and even Neo-Classical Underneath the style shell, we are still delighted to find that Gothic is still the most vital and influential gene in these underground cultures. In this revolution that broke through and resolved lust and gender, Goethe's subculture pursued the so-called ideal model of "hermaphrodite" and became a beautiful weapon to smash the confinement. Look, the aliens who used to be regarded as monsters bravely escape from the pale heaven, crush the faces of angels, and reach the eternal and ruthless desire.
Architectural style
Gothic architecture is an architectural style that originated in France in the second half of the 11th century and became popular in Europe from the 13th to the 15th century. Found mainly in Catholic churches, but also affects secular architecture. Gothic architecture occupies an important position in the history of architecture with its superb technical and artistic achievements.
The structural system of the Gothic church consists of stone flying buttresses and skeleton coupons. Its basic unit is to make double center frame peak coupons on the four corners of a square or rectangular plane, one on each side and one on the diagonal, and the roof slates are placed on the coupons to form a vault. Using this method, coupons with the same sag height can be made on different spans. The vault is light in weight and has clear intersection lines, which reduces the thrust of the coupon feet and simplifies construction.
The flying buttresses are issued from the column piers outside the side hall to balance the lateral thrust of the arch feet of the central hall. In order to increase stability, spires are often built on column piers. Due to the use of pointed arches, pointed arches and flying buttresses, the interior space of the Gothic church is high, simple and unified. Decorative details such as canopies, niches, etc. are also themed with pointed coupons. The architectural style and structural techniques form an organic whole. For details, please see the chapter "World Church" in My Space.
Gothic Spirit
On countless dark nights, the moonlight surrounded everything coldly. Sharp lines are drawn in the air, as if unearthing the world's deepest evil. Life is tightly attached to death, exaggerating darkness and despair. The name Gothic comes from the German "Goth" tribe, who invaded Italy and overthrew the Roman Empire. In the 15th century, people generally had the concept of Renaissance and hoped to return to the classical era. The period between the Classical Age and the Renaissance is called the Middle Ages. Because Italy resented the Goth people for destroying their Roman Empire, people during the Renaissance always had a negative term for the Middle Ages. They called this period "Gothic". Means savage and rude. Of course we have to see both sides of things. The Middle Ages left many precious cultural heritage and outstanding works of art to the world. There were breakthrough improvements in architectural technology during this period, resulting in Gothic cathedrals like NOTRE-PAME. Gothic art is not only reflected in architecture. From the 12th to the early 16th century, sculptures, glass products, decorations, etc. were all labeled as Gothic art. Religion plays a very important factor in Gothic works of art. Painters and sculptors used religious feelings more than realistic methods to express their themes. In any case, people during the Renaissance clearly implicitly rejected the word "Gothic".
Goth is not a religion, not a politics, and has nothing to do with race or gender. Most goth bands are non-religious or even actively anti-religious. Those visual signals of vampirism, Catholicism, ancient Egypt and paganism simply convey the "power of darkness" to connect to the feel of gothic music.
The Goths also have social tendencies like other social groups of the same age. You will find that the biggest tendency among the Goths is actually extreme apathy towards politics, because almost all political parties hold different opinions. They all look the same and are useless.
It is unfortunate that many people are dominated by a life that is devoid of happiness and fulfillment. But goth made this feeling of depression a way of life, in other words: pain was my life choice—it was an art.
Goth may also be a kind of spiritual therapy. If you talk carefully about your last suicide attempt to a white-collar worker who belongs to the mainstream society, then he may hide away from you with a strange look. On a sunny day, you may still be able to get it. Cheap companions will never feel sorry for you, and the scars on your wrists will be treated with a serious, "You're cool!" Everyone is unique.
The post-goth era is a branch that split from PUNK in the 1980s.
Later, it was combined with folk music, industry, and music to produce hardcore, death metal, and black metal.
The more mainstream goth bands include Cradle of Filth, NIGHTWISH, KINGDONW, and SOPOR AETERNUS.