You can’t blame people for being a bit pessimistic nowadays. The world is boiling itself to death, the upper classes are hoarding more and more of humanity’s wealth, and Kanye West refuses to just go away forever. There is good news to come from all the terribleness, however: gothic music, able to soundtrack the ever-darkening prospects of the modern age, is undergoing a glorious renaissance.
You can feel that comeback in everything from The Cure’s recent return to Wednesday becoming a Netflix megahit, and it’s present in metal as well. Below, Metal Hammer’s listed nine up-and-coming goth metal bands ideal for these miserable times. The new wave of moody riffs starts right here…
Cemetery Skyline
Formed by members of Dark Tranquillity, Amorphis and more, Cemetery Skyline could have been the greatest melodeath supergroup since The Halo Effect. Instead, the Scandinavian collective changed lanes to much gloomier fare, indulging their love for Sisters Of Mercy and Type O Negative. Debut album Nordic Gothic, released last year, flaunted Mikael Stanne’s smooth singing voice, while crunching riffs were tempered by layers of sublime synth work. When more music will come remains unclear, but it bloody well better!
Crippling Alcoholism
If Nine Inch Nails and The Birthday Party had a fist-fight in a synthesiser shop, you’d get Crippling Alcoholism. Little is known about New England’s noise/goth enigmas, but latest album With Love From A Padded Room narrated the stories of inmates at a fictional prison and offered fucked-up music to match. Where such songs as Satan Is The One were ominous and darkly catchy, Red Looks Good On Him saw the quintet drop into hellish discordance with zero notice.
Dool
Dool singer Raven van Dorst was born intersex, and through their lyrics they ask how they can fit into the world while being at peace with who they are. Reducing the Dutch five-piece to just ‘goth’ would be an insult, but van Dorst grew up a fan of Type O Negative and retains much of their darkness while experimenting with prog, doom and more. Check out last year’s The Shape Of Fluidity for their most mature and balanced work to date.
Hangman’s Chair
One of the most literal takes on ‘goth metal’ you’re likely to hear, Hangman’s Chair play melodies comparable to Sisters Of Mercy, but turn up the guitar distortion and fierceness of the drums when they do so. Their forceful music and sullen singalongs won the attention of Nuclear Blast Records (Sabaton, Nightwish, Machine Head), and after 2022’s A Loner, they toured with Amenra and Paradise Lost. This year’s Saddiction only doubled down on the might and majesty of their output.
Kælan Mikla
Endorsed by Alcest, Deftones and Ville Valo of Him, Kælan Mikla are the glum synth-punks that metal’s learnt to love. The Icelandic trio turn old-school goth on its head, entirely rejecting its guitars while emphasising its cinematic synths and bopping percussion. The result is a soundscape so beautifully versatile that the band haven’t just released tight anthems such as Sólstöður, but also lush, feature-length soundtracks. With single Stjörnuljós dropping late last year, hopefully more excellence looms on the horizon.
Messa
With a name that means ‘mass’ in their native Italian, Messa have played a shamanic and especially slow-paced take on doom metal since starting in 2014. However, as of 2025 single At Races, the band have broadened their reach, opening the track with a doleful, Cure-like riff before slowing into sparse musical expanses. Spoiler alert, but new album The Spin will continue that detour, adding not just tighter, 80s-indebted melodies, but ventures into jazz and synth-rock. Check it out on April 11.
Naut
Naut say they sound like “a bad trip on the dancefloor”. The Bristolians are goth at their core, but throw in several disruptors along the way. Their warm, danceable guitars are offset by the odd flicker of noise, not to mention the mechanical drum machine that pounds away underneath. Vocalist Gavin Laubscher has the same inviting baritone as Peter Steele and Carl McCoy, yet he can bust out shrill, blackened screams as well. Hear 2023 album Hunt for the full, disorientating experience.
Remina
It’s goth… in spaaaaaaace! Self-described “cosmic doom” duo Remina play a spacy and progressive take on downbeat metal. The synths that so many goth bands use to frame songs of human drama get rocketed to the stars, their sparseness hitting like the soundtrack to a sci-fi B-movie. The guitars and drums are similarly slow, and with Heike Langhan’s arresting vocals on top it’s easy to feel like you’re suspended in a stunning, otherworldly place. Hear new EP Eremus for a concise but comprehensive introduction.
Unto Others
Arguably the leaders of gothic metal’s new school, Unto Others are equally literate in grim atmosphere and bullheaded riffing. On breakthrough album Strength and banger-stacked follow-up Never, Neverland, the Oregon band shout on top of Metallica-calibre thunder one minute, then croon over jangling guitars and bouncing drums the next. What unites it all, though, is tight-knit songwriting and undeniable darkness. As a result, they’ve played with everyone from Green Lung to Carcass and never once felt like an outlier.
