Post-punk pioneers, deathrock outsiders and neoclassical oddities share the same shadow. Some filled arenas; others never left the club basement.
1Christian DeathLos Angeles deathrock pioneers fronted by Rozz Williams, whose 1982 debut Only Theatre of Pain helped define American goth.
2BauhausNorthampton post-punk band whose 1979 single Bela Lugosi's Dead is widely credited as the first goth record.
3The CureRobert Smith's long-running British band, moving from bleak post-punk to the gothic landmarks Pornography and Disintegration.
4Siouxsie and the BansheesFronted by Siouxsie Sioux, they bridged punk and goth with albums like Juju and A Kiss in the Dreamhouse.
5The Sisters of MercyLeeds band led by Andrew Eldritch, known for drum-machine-driven darkness on First and Last and Always and Floodland.
6Fields of the NephilimHertfordshire act with a dust-covered western-goth image and the epic album The Nephilim.
7Joy DivisionManchester post-punk band whose haunted sound with Ian Curtis became a foundation stone of goth.
8LacrimosaSwiss-German duo of Tilo Wolff and Anne Nurmi blending gothic rock, metal and orchestral classical music.
9Type O NegativeBrooklyn gothic metal band led by Peter Steele, famed for dark humor and the album Bloody Kisses.
10Alien Sex FiendBritish horror-punk goth act mixing electronics, theatrical makeup and the club classic Ignore the Machine.
11AyriaCanadian electro-industrial project of Jenn Decay that became a staple of the modern darkwave scene.
12KontravoidCanadian darkwave and synth act of Cole Sweeney, a leading voice of the new-wave revival in goth clubs.
13Dead Can DanceAustralian duo of Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry fusing medieval, world and ethereal music.
14Sopor AeternusGerman neoclassical dark-wave project of Anna-Varney Cantodea, known for baroque chamber arrangements and theatrical imagery.
15The MissionFormed by ex-Sisters of Mercy members, they scored anthemic goth-rock hits like Wasteland and Tower of Strength.
16Clan of XymoxDutch 4AD-era darkwave band whose atmospheric synth-rock has been going strong since the early 1980s.
17Love and RocketsBauhaus alumni trio who explored psychedelic, glam and electronic rock and charted with So Alive.
18Sex Gang ChildrenLondon band of Andi Sex Gang that helped launch the UK goth scene in the early 1980s.
19Gene Loves JezebelBritish band of Jay and Michael Aston whose romantic goth rock reached US alternative radio in the late 1980s.
20London After MidnightSean Brennan's Los Angeles gothic rock project, a fixture of 1990s goth clubs and the album Psycho Magnet.
21The CruxshadowsFlorida gothic rock group known for the club hit Marilyn, My Bitterness and its political, romantic lyrics.
Photo credits
- Christian Death — Canley, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Bauhaus — Pedro Figueidero, CC BY-SA 2.0
- The Cure — momento mori from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, CC BY 2.0
- Siouxsie and the Banshees — Brocco, CC BY-SA 2.0
- The Sisters of Mercy — Sven Mandel, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Fields of the Nephilim — © Markus Felix | PushingPixels (contact me), CC BY-SA 4.0
- Lacrimosa — Joscha Wiedrich from Germany, CC BY 2.0
- Type O Negative — melle, slight crop by User:Wickethewok, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Alien Sex Fiend — Marc Planard, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Ayria — The original uploader was Shelka04 at English Wikipedia., CC BY 2.0
- Dead Can Dance — Lino Brunetti, CC BY-SA 2.0
- The Mission — Breedsblood1, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Clan of Xymox — Protophobic, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Love and Rockets — Copyright (c) 1986 by Nancy J Price, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Sex Gang Children — Michael Johnson, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Gene Loves Jezebel — James Stevenson (bystander selfie), CC BY-SA 4.0
- The Cruxshadows — Bobo Boom, CC BY 2.0
