Symphonic metal is a subgenre of metal music which combines the characteristics of this genre, such as heavy drums and guitars, with different elements of classical music including symphonic instruments, choirs and on occasion, a full symphony orchestra. Keyboards reminiscent of power metal also often find a dominant place in this subgenre. Symphonic metal bands often feature classically trained female vocalists, giving rise to the nickname opera metal or operatic metal, and it is not uncommon for them to feature a second vocalist performing growls, a more common characteristic of gothic metal. Perhaps the most typical and prominent examples of symphonic metal bands are Finnish band Nightwish, Swedish band Therion and Dutch band Epica, all three of which place a large focus on elements prevalent in film scores on top of the more basic classical components utilized more widely in the genre.

Musical characteristics

The main musical influences on symphonic metal are early gothic metal, power metal and symphonic rock.