A question for metal fans.

[SNIPERFOX ft. Harry P.Ness]

sabaton's lead singer has an awsome voice

 

[[.redacted]]

I usually dislike songs for exactly this reason, but in some situations I think it can really add to the song if used for effect.

Take In Flames, for example: the use of screaming outside of the chorus lends it a raised, powerful, controlled feel.

 

[Klumpfot]

Meshuggah treat the vocals as a rhythmic instrument. A lot of the more extreme bands do. I quite like growled vocals, as they can add a lot of intensity (when done right). It can detract from the music though, as is the case with a lot of the recent whatevercore bands. That said, I'm not against clean vocals, but I don't think having the lyrics sung instead of growled would have improved Meshuggah's Bleed, for instance. Quite the contrary.

Also, you may want to look up their lyrics. They are fantastic.

 

[Chased]

I used to listen to a lot of death metal (Death, Bolt Thrower, Gojira) but I've grown out of it. I love experimentation in music and though metal has some the vast majority of sounds incredibly similar to me. The issue with metal in general is that they sorta pigeonhole themselves into playing metal. Bands like Mogwai have metal influence but they don't feel the need to stick to that genre (which is why they're awesome!).

I like bands that just make music without even considering fitting into a genre. I saw an interview recently with Miike Snow and they were asked if they sat down and tried writing music to be in a certain genre and they said no. They just make what they enjoy listening too.

 

[Valkyrie101]

I'm a big metal fan, but I hate, absolutely hate harsh, unclean vocals. It sounds ridiculous and it obscures the lyrics (which for most of these bands isn't such a bad thing). I stick to proper metal with proper vocals. I can take some screaming, as long as it's artful screaming, appropriate and mixed with largely clean singing.

sabaton's lead singer has an awsome voice

That he does. Joakim Broden manages to give off a growly, aggressive feel without actually distorting the vocals or humanity too much (although technically the vocals are clean, he just has a stupidly deep voice). And the end result is impressive indeed.

 

[duktapeman90]

Any yahoo can scream.

Very much not true. That's like saying anyone can sing. Anyone can do it, but it takes skill to do it well. And if you can do both well and transition between the two well, than your awesome in my book.

 

[AVATAR_RAGE]

I agree to an extent. While some songs would be better without screaming vocals, for me it makes some songs worth listening to.

Take a band like, say, Amon Amarth. Their songs wouldn't sound right to me without the gutteral singing style.

Here's the song I'm talking about:


In my opinion the chorus would suck if sung normally.

I agree 100%. Death metal is not my favourite genre of metal but I do like a little bit of melodic death metal from time to time and Amon Amarth fills that gap. They project the emotion of the song though the music not the vocals which is very hard to do with a death metal song.

Honestly though I prefer power metal as my go to source of metal.

 

[Drakane]

I really like a lot of growling music... case in point Meshuggah, I think they are amazing. But I do have a cut off point. Bands like cannable corpse and the such are sometimes to much for me.



Ps... the redneck video is awsome imo

 

[AVATAR_RAGE]

I'm finding most metal far too heavy for my tastes at the moment. If the throaty vocals are in a song, I won't be listening.

My advice would be to listen to some power metal, bands like Symphony X, Firewind and Kamelot. These are very vocal based bands (as is all power metal) and in all three of them the lead singer has amazing voice.

 

[Irony's Acolyte]

I don't mind it. It can really add to a song. I can see how some people wouldn't like it, it's an aquired taste. But I just feel that certain songs aren't as good without these gutteral vocals. Metal's never been about being "soft". Sure clear vocals can make a good metal song, as many of the earlier and "classic" metal bands have rather clear vocals.

But some genres just seem better with these styles of vocals. They're supposed to be rather harsh and extreme in sound, why limit it to just the instruments?
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[Caspertjuhh]

music is mood sensetive.

if you are angry, you feel like listening to metal for exampel

 

[amoamaremetallum]

Screaming adds a level of barbaric ferocity which is really just required in metal. The guy who posted that AA song is exactly right, there are just some songs which need it.

 

[Nazz3]

Death growls can sound really awesome




Also, harsh vocals in metal are meant to fit in the music and in that they succeed in very well. And the Meshuggah track OP posted would have sounded a lot worse without the harsh vocals.

Another thing is that with black metal vocals the vocalist gets to really express his feelings

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

Well, I love metal, but I'm not the biggest fan of 'cookie monster' vocals. I can deal with more death metal/deathcore style vocals (a la Parkway Drive), especially if it's not constantly througout (Howard Jones is great at both styles), but I prefer more traditional metal singing, in the style of John Bush, James Hetfield or Phil Anselmo.

 

[Nazz3]

Also, I didnt like harsh vocals when I first started listening to metal but over time they grew on me more and more. Now, if done right, I really like them

 

[wastedyouth89]

I think one important bit of info is that there is A LOT of metal out there. I thought your Meshuggah example was a good way to say what you were thinking. Luckily for you, you aren't the only one out there with this feeling.

I personally love the death growls and screaming. I think that's part of the attitude. But the key is that you're looking into bands like Opeth and Meshuggah. That's part of who they are and it's part of what makes them work. Now I have 2 suggestions for you if you're looking for some quality metal that won't make your ears bleed.

1. Find some melodic death metal. These are bands where the music is heavy and the vocals are growly, but where they really add to the experience. Bands like In Flames, Children of Bodom, Amon Amarth, and even Dethklok use the growly vocals to build the music. All of the sounds combine together to make a great sound.

2. Expand your horizons. There's a band for everyone. One I think you'd be interested in would be Pelican. Same heavy metal aggression with prog rock feels, similar to Mogwai. And no vocals. Very good band. Some others you could check out are God Is an Astronaut, Russian Circles, and Explosions in the Sky. Also look into some prog metal bands who effectively use singers, like Mastodon, Tool, Porcupine Tree, King's X, and Death. You may find some stuff you like.

 

[koschei8]

Any yahoo can scream.

Very much not true. That's like saying anyone can sing. Anyone can do it, but it takes skill to do it well. And if you can do both well and transition between the two well, than your awesome in my book.

Very true indeed, for instance I've become rather good at the highs but my lows still need a lot of work. It's all about practice.

 

[Arsen]

To understand, appreciate, and enjoy the vocals behind metal bands that use a singing style that is "growling, screeching, or screaming" you have to acquire the taste for it. It also takes an open-minded route to want to understand that the harsh vocals and singing vocals are the exact same thing. Whenever I first joined the metal scene the only bands I listened to were Iron Maiden, Iced Earth, and Blind Guardian. I got into Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir afterwards, but couldn't get into the heavier styles of music. Nile, hypocrisy, Bathory, black metal and death metal in general, because I didn't "like" the vocals. However, the reason for it was because I was used to the thought process that singing only involved the typical, traditional sound behind it. I wasn't truly giving it a chance in other words.

Plus there is a spectrum of heaviness so to speak. Try getting into the popular acts if you wish, but make sure you're open-minded enough to understand the material at hand. It may sound like an ignorant method of using your voice to good instrumentals...but once you get passed that, metal takes on a whole new level of musical prowess.
"

 

[Korenith]

Nothing sounds as aggressive and raw as guttural vocals so if you want to create a sense of primal fury eg. bands like Amon Amarth who have the whole Viking battle theme then you go with harsh vocals. Then you've got Black Metal artists who go for a higher pitched shrieking style that feels more haunting an unnerving to go with their lyrical and musical style. It's all about fitting it together with the theme and feel of the music. I've heard "melodic" covers of heavier bands and it almost always sucks because the intensity is gone.

Also the theory that harsh vocals should mean unintelligible is bullshit. Sometimes it works out that way (Cannibal Corpse I'm looking at you!) but the best growlers in the business can still get the lyrics across without losing the harsh edge. For examples check out Dark Tranquility, In Flames (old stuff), Arch Enemy, Obituary and Vader. It takes some getting used to but in the end it's just like an accent, you listen to it enough you can pick out the words.

 

[Buck Wilde]

Thank you for mentioning this, it's been bothering me as well. 99% of the time I absolutely hate growling vocals, not sure why but I'm gonna say its because half of the time you have no idea of what the hell they are saying at all. If they are a small part of a song then I'll listen (Ex. Agalloch's Ashes Against The Grain) but that is really it. Its unfortunate that so many bands do this.