Absinthe Heart: A Decade Of Progression (Or Destruction?)

Just days into the new year, one might ponder on what this decade might
bring in regards to the Gothic movement in general. With the Noughties
now a distant memory fraught with bittersweet moments, what will this
decade bring us as its infant year of 2010 begins taking baby steps?
Here is what we can expect, judging from the preceding decades that
have passed from the 80's, 90's and the 00's in all areas such as
music, literature and other various media such as films, art and fashion.

(Click more for the rest of the article.)

(American punk-goth band Aiden are just one of the bands that have found appeal in the mainstream teenage crowd)

While traditional goths might dispute the fact that goth music at its
essence has died with the advent of the millenium, it is pretty much
thriving and represented in all genres albeit in various such as metal,
industrial and of course, the traditional goth rock sound that has
survived in the face of adversity, namely mainstream music and the rise
of its cousins such as EBM. While The Batcave has become an iconoclast
to goths worldwide, music festivals such as Wave- Gotik- Treffen, M'era
Luna and Drop Dead Festival have also risen in eminence and judging
from the vast crowds that attend these events faithfully, they will
continue to wave the nocturnal flag like a ghost rider in the sky and
provide an opportunity for bands both old and new to showcase their
talents on the big stage. It doesn't hurt that technology has given a
helping arm in the form of myspace and vampirefreaks where budding
musicians can showcase their music with just an easy to create profile
and and a few original compositions to pass off as tracks but having to
jostle for attention with other genres ( especially in the case of
using the former) would mean that some of these bands might not be able
to receive a bigger share of the limelight pie and will have to wait
before their slot is allocated and the saturation of that avenue will
lead to overkill so its a double edged sword for those trying to burst
into the scene but success does come with sweet rewards as modern bands
such as Emilie Autumn, The Birthday Massacre and Deadstar Assembly have
shown in recent years. As for traditional acts such as Suicide
Commando, Rammstein and Fields Of Nephilim, competition from upstarts
have only made them stronger as they continue to grow from strength to
strength, proving that old is indeed gold. While not on the road, these
bands have maintained a clockwork precision in producing albums that
appease fans both old and new or reinventing themselves in order to
stay relevant, in the case of Marilyn Manson as evidenced in his last
two albums. What will become of bands such as My Chemical Romance,
Aiden and Mindless Self Indulgence then, mainstream acts that have been
making waves with their somewhat accessible sound to the modern teen
crowd? Only time will tell as to whether they become a novelty act
fizzling out into the abyss or leave a lasting music legacy and bring
music into a new and promising direction in years to come.

(Actor Bela Lugosi playing as Bram Stoker's Dracula)

Until the day a successful resurrection can be done to bring back H.P
Lovecraft, Lord Byron and Tolkien, gothic literature will have to make
do with the current crop of writers that are attempting to plug the
holes created by opportunists who have done more harm than good by
attempting to give iconic characters a revamp such as vampires and
turning them into figures that are more Archie Andrews than Nosferatu.
Although most of the spotlight has been given to the music aspect of
the gothic subculture, literature still remains as relevant as ever
with the likes of fantasy novelist Neil Gaiman, suspense writer Dean
Koontz and Charlaine Harris, whose book The Southern Vampire Mysteries
inspired the television series True Blood. On a lesser extent,
Stephenie Meyer did likewise with her Twilight series and that has
spawned two movies ( Twilight and New Moon) with Eclipse and Breaking
Dawn being the other two books that are being immortalised into screen
soon although the storyline focuses more on the theme of romance rather
than the Gothic aspects and vampirism in particular. Another eminent
figure that has seen some camera action is the debonair Dorian Gray,
the protagonist in The Picture Of Dorian Gray written by Oscar Wilde
which opened to rave reviews and reigniting interest in the classics
among the modern generation and with the old black and white classics
being shown on television from time to time such as Frankenstein and
Dracula, it continues to generate some sort of visibly yet sufficient
for future generations to pick up a movie and learn more about these
icons. What remains to be seen however, is a modern day character or
writer who has Gothic leanings and inspire a new wave that will be
reminiscent of the yesteryears where ink and parchment were the order
of the day and the supernatural scared instead of cared. For now, we'll
just have to make do with The Graveyard Book and resist the lure of
modern day mishaps to the creatures that we once feared yet loved.

(One of the many clothes from Alexander McQueen and his Goth Collection Summer/Spring '98)

As mentioned above, we have seen the likes of Dorian Gray and Interview
With The Vampire making the transit from print to screen and bringing
with them an army of devotees like the proverbial Pied Piper alongside
other films carrying Gothic themes such as Beetlejuice, The Lost Boys
and The Nightmare Before Christmas just to name a few. Indeed, it is
films like these that provide an avenue for the Gothic subculture to
make its presence known, whether its an original screenplay, a film
remake of a book or an animation. Throughout the years, it has become a
consistent mainstay and providing a new form of inspiration for soon to
be Goths aside from the traditional influence such as music and
literature. While there have been a few disasters such as the sequels
to The Crow, it has not deterred directors and performing artists alike
to helm and act in Gothic films and it is set to stay in years to come.
Making a similar impact is the fashion industry and while it is said
that the fashion world is fickle and regard Gothic fashion as something
that is in for just one season, it has proven otherwise time and time
again that Gothic fashion is anything but a statement that will end up
in the bargain bin by the end of winter. Aside from the numerous
celebrities that are seen with corsets, fishnet stockings and pale make
up to acheive the desired look, it is American burlesque queen Dita Von
Teese who has not only revitalised the burslesque into a class act but
also her constant 40's style fashion that has won over the hearts of
fans and fashion designers alike, citing her as the major influence in
invigorating burlesque fashion and spawning doppelgängers such as The
Pussycat Dolls but imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and with
major fashion designers such as Alexander McQueen spawing a Goth
inspired collection, it is set to make waves for years to come. Not
just relegated to album artworks is the Gothic art movement, with the
likes of Swiss surrealist H.R Giger turning everything he touches into
a work of art from bars to Ibanez guitars and while age might not be on
his side, his influence on the younger generation such as Kris Kuksi
and in the unlikely form of tattooists such as Paul Booth (who himself
has a Giger styled tattoo on his head) with tattoo conventions playing
a part in spreading the word around and subliminally alluring the
younger generation into art.

So what does the future hold for us in this decade to come? While the
Batcave movement of the 80's, the emergence of the Gothic film industry
in the 90's and the constant reinvention at the advent of the 00's have
contributed a milestone in the long and illustrious history of the
Gothic movement, it is us to decide on how we want the future to be
crafted to our liking and most importantly, being open to changes yet
discerning on what the mainstream media throws at us. Without change,
there is no progress but too many cooks will spoil the broth on the
other hand so ultimately, this decade is ours to rule.