This is particularly characteristic of lesser-known bands on tighter budgets. Bands that do not use live orchestral instrumentation on their recordings or when playing live typically utilize factory presets on workstation keyboards (i. e., strings, choirs, pianos, pipe organs, etc.) to conjure up a 'pseudo-orchestral' sound, where parts are played idiomatically according to keyboard technique. Other instruments, including guitars, bass and drums, may at times play relatively simple parts in contrast to the complex and nuanced keyboard and/or orchestral parts. Music workstation keyboards and orchestras are often a key feature of the style, distinguishing symphonic from non-symphonic bands within the same metal subgenre. Problems playing this file? See media help.

All six bands place a large focus on elements prevalent in film scores in addition to the more basic classical components utilized more widely in the genre.

Perhaps the most pioneering and prominent examples of symphonic metal bands are Swedish band Therion, Finnish band Nightwish, Italian band Rhapsody of Fire and Dutch bands Epica, Within Temptation and The Gathering.

Symphonic metal bands can feature classically trained vocalists, in which case they can be attributed nicknames such as opera metal or operatic metal. The style features the heavy drums and guitars of metal with different elements of orchestral classical music, such as symphonic instruments, choirs and sometimes a full orchestra, or just keyboard orchestration. It is used to denote any metal band that makes use of symphonic or orchestral elements. Symphonic metal is a cross-generic style designation for the symphonic subsets of heavy metal music subgenres. Early 1990s, Finland, Scandinavia and the Netherlands

East west symphonic orchestra free