The orchestral parts may come from a real orchestra or from keyboards, and many bands have a female lead singer with a classical or operatic voice. Songs are grand and dramatic, a bit like film music with heavy guitars. It developed in Europe in the mid to late 1990s, with bands from Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands leading the way.
Artists it is known for: Nightwish, Within Temptation, Epica, Therion.
About 1,500 of 83,000 Trackify listeners with public profiles have symphonic metal among their top artists of the last four weeks. Rounded; updated 13 November 2026.
Symphonic Metal artists
Sabaton
Nightwish
Powerwolf
Within Temptation
Beast In Black
Apocalyptica
DragonForce
Helloween
Stratovarius
Amaranthe
The symphonic metal artists most Trackify listeners have in their top fifty. Each opens on Spotify.
Sources
The definition is written for this site from open sources, and was checked against them on 13 November 2026.