Expert: Jedediah - 11/6/2006

Question
i have 1 more question. the band HIM. some people concider them gothic rock some concider them love metal (i dont because it isnt a actual genre and if it was HIM i dont think they would be in it because i dont see them as metal) and some like me concider them emo or punk. what would you say they are?
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The text above is a follow-up to ...

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i was wondering who the first gothic bands were. i personally think it was christian death or 45 grave but im not very sure about it. thank you.
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Dear James,
thank you for your question.
Both bands are certainly among the first Goth bands. Bauhaus, The Cure and Siouxsie and the Banshees are other early Gothic bands. It's a bit hard to answer this for sure because some bands don't consider themselves Goth or are only considered Goth by some of their fans, but still have or had incluence on the Gothic culture. Front 242 is such a band for example or Bauhaus or Dead Can Dance.
I hope I was of some help to you
Jennifer

Answer
I guess it really depends on your definition of gothic. Personally, I don't consider HIM gothic (nor Marilyn Manson), but they do have a lot of fans in the Goth culture, especially younger Goths. HIM always remind me a bit of KISS, though, and they definitely weren't Goth. On the other hand, Depeche Mode are not gothic and have a huge Goth fanbase. I'm sorry, I cannot give a definite answer to this...but for me, HIM are more glam rock than anything else.
Jennifer