Originally Deathrock was a term used for certain bands that came out of the Los Angeles and New York Punk scenes in the late 70's and early
80's. These were bands that were morbid, darker, and maybe even esoteric when compared to the more straight forward Punk bands. It was essentially America's counterpart to England's Positive Punk (later called Gothic) scene. In the 90's the term "Deathrock" disappeared as more and more
American bands adopted the Euro
Goth look and sound. Positive Punk, Deathrock, and Gloom & Doom merged under the "
Goth" banner. But from the late 90’s to present day, the
Goth scene became polluted by Techno, Cyber Culture, EBM and Nu-Metal.
Goth had all but lost its Underground rock & roll roots as well as it's meaning. It became another watered down trend to the mainstream, and Techno Disco to the underground. Deathrock became a world wide term for traditional
Goth as a response to all this. New guitar
based bands sprouted up all accross the globe, continuing the legacy of Bauhaus, Joy Division, Christian
Death and The Misfits. Deathrock returned as an alternative for modern Goths fed up with the tainted modern Goth scene.
West Coast Deathrock: Christian
Death, Kommunity FK, 45 Grave.
East Coast Deathrock: Samhain, Mourning Noise, New
Math
Positive Punk (Early
Goth): Ausgang, Southern Death Cult, Sex Gang Children
Modern Deathrock: Bloody Dead and Sexy, Cinema Strange, The Brides
