Heavy Metal

[Saggy]

I think a lot of you know my stance on metal vocals; if it's not high pitched and piercing I don't' really like it that much. It's not so much that I'm particularly fond of that style over another moderate tone, however I just cannot stand very deep, guttural vocals.

 

People are always quick to defend this style, but I just want to know once and for all, what's the appeal to it? To me it just sounds corny, and I haven't really heard anything that can pull it off very well.

 

 

Here is a radical idea; abolish lyrics from metal. It's getting to the point where I wish people would do covers of Apocalyptica Covers so I don't have to hear the vocals.

 

Am I just nuts?

[TheJkWhoSaysNi]

yeah, I cant stand growled vocals either but listen to metal almost exclusively. With some bands the vocals are just about bearable but others I just cant listen to.

 

 

[Statutory Ray]

Am I just nuts?

Yes.

 

The majority of metal bands I listen to and enjoy have neither low, guttural screams or high shrieks.

[confront&destroy]

I like low pitched growls and screams. But it has to be tasteful imo. Some bands I dislike just because of the boring low pitched vocals. I think bands that mix vocal styles are my favorite. For instance Cattle Decapitations vocalist can throw out a variety of crazy ass screams. Neurosis as well has a tri-vocal assault that is intense as f*ck. For me if the vocals aren't good I can't listen to the music.

[Billy.The.Mountain]

Carcass are amazing. Listen to them.

[Moonshield]

Would you rather listen to Suffocation with Bruce Dickinson singing falsetto? I wouldn't. Gutturals (along with high-pitched shrieks, or any other nearly indecipherable vocal) provide a more instrumental quality to the music than true vocals. They add another facet to the music than just providing lyrics (which, to most, are often difficult to understand anyway). And let's face it, death metal was never the most vocally-driven music in the world (crushing drums, mayhaps?). The harsh vocals fit the music, whether it's some Patrick Mameli-esque shouting (which are more attributed to earlier death acts or more often heavier thrash bands), or flat out guttural growling.

[outcest]

 

Would you rather listen to Suffocation with Bruce Dickinson singing falsetto? I wouldn't. Gutturals (along with high-pitched shrieks, or any other nearly indecipherable vocal) provide a more instrumental quality to the music than true vocals. They add another facet to the music than just providing lyrics (which, to most, are often difficult to understand anyway). And let's face it, death metal was never the most vocally-driven music in the world (crushing drums, mayhaps?). The harsh vocals fit the music, whether it's some Patrick Mameli-esque shouting (which are more attributed to earlier death acts or more often heavier thrash bands), or flat out guttural growling.

 

Twang says:

also, you should go into that "metal vocals" topic and QFT Moonshield

 

But yeah. I don't go too much into the type of metal that uses gutterals, but I definitely don't think of it as someone's voice so much as another instrument. I mean, it's not like you listen to death metal to sing along about murdering virgins and chainsaw rape and such (broad generalization)...it's really all instrumental to me.

Edited September 20, 2007 by outcest

[Trows]

Pfft, I sing along to Lykathea Aflame

[Im Rick James B**ch!]

Personally, i do think of them as vocals. And some vocals can be too monotonus for my liking. Some dm bands for example. After 6-12 months it starts to wear a bit thin.

[Royds]

Not a huge fan of the deep bellowing metal gurgles.

 

& pig squeals, well they sound a little ridiculous.

[Saggy]

Would you rather listen to Suffocation with Bruce Dickinson singing falsetto? I wouldn't. Gutturals (along with high-pitched shrieks, or any other nearly indecipherable vocal) provide a more instrumental quality to the music than true vocals. They add another facet to the music than just providing lyrics (which, to most, are often difficult to understand anyway). And let's face it, death metal was never the most vocally-driven music in the world (crushing drums, mayhaps?). The harsh vocals fit the music, whether it's some Patrick Mameli-esque shouting (which are more attributed to earlier death acts or more often heavier thrash bands), or flat out guttural growling.

Actually, I'm a huge fan of Bruce Dickinson; not sure I recall the song you're talking about, though.

 

I've learned to simply avoid most death metal bands, but I still see it popping into thrash now ( more like it's been in thrash for years, but I have just been finding more bands with that vocal style that do thrash). Most thrash bands that I got into first tend to sing in a low to moderate tone, but when they get into that stage of growling and moaning, it just sends to clash with everything else for me. There are some that are more tolerable, like Kreator or Slayer, but something like Sodom is unbearable.

 

I think I trashed on Testament's vocals a couple of topics back, but it's a good example. Souls of Black, The New Order, The Gathering, all have great vocals ( some songs are less than great, but why split hairs). On the other hand, I can't listen to "Low" or "Demonic" at all.

[Statutory Ray]

Would you rather listen to Suffocation with Bruce Dickinson singing falsetto? I wouldn't. Gutturals (along with high-pitched shrieks, or any other nearly indecipherable vocal) provide a more instrumental quality to the music than true vocals. They add another facet to the music than just providing lyrics (which, to most, are often difficult to understand anyway). And let's face it, death metal was never the most vocally-driven music in the world (crushing drums, mayhaps?). The harsh vocals fit the music, whether it's some Patrick Mameli-esque shouting (which are more attributed to earlier death acts or more often heavier thrash bands), or flat out guttural growling.

Actually, I'm a huge fan of Bruce Dickinson; not sure I recall the song you're talking about, though.

So you'd listen to brutal tech death metal if Bruce Dickinson sang?

 

I would, too, but only for laughs.

[Scarface187]

Everyone knows I'm the biggest Iron Maiden/Bruce Dickinson fanboy here (that I know of at least) but even that sounds like it would suck ass. I can't see how you could incorporate vocals like his into death metal.

 

 

 

Moonshield hit the nail on the head.

 

 

However, some vocals that try to pull off that kind of sound just fail. Like Job for a Cowboy.

 

 

BREEE BREEE BREEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

Oh and just cause I said that I didn't mean Job for a Cowboy are death metal at all.

Edited September 20, 2007 by Scarface187

[Wolfwood]

 

Everyone knows I'm the biggest Iron Maiden/Bruce Dickinson fanboy here (that I know of at least) but even that sounds like it would suck ass. I can't see how you could incorporate vocals like his into death metal.

 

 

 

Moonshield hit the nail on the head.

 

 

However, some vocals that try to pull off that kind of sound just fail. Like Job for a Cowboy.

 

 

BREEE BREEE BREEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

Oh and just cause I said that I didn't mean Job for a Cowboy are death metal at all.

Now I do too.

 

 

Job For A Cowboy are interesting. I think they went with their old school influences, but also tried to be a bit new-age, and fit in with a big underground scene at the moment, the whole pig squels, the 'weebs', the 'brees' and God knows what else. Everyone has a different name for it.

 

You can't deny their talent though, they have some fantastic riffs and well, if they didn't have talent, they wouldn't be as known as they are. You can't forget that about any band, whatever it is that they have, it works. Saying that, I really didn't like JFAC's album, they tried to hard.

 

Oh, there's also this band for Lowe' here, they're so big underground now in a matter of months, all the sceney little emo kids suddenly dig the hell out of them, because it's the 'in-thing' to do; Annotations Of An Autopsy. I can't stand them, the riffs are so simple and the vocal work is horrendous, if you want to slate a band, it has to be this one. They didn't earn hype, the made it up and passed it along.

 

It could be just me, but I'm never a fan of all the grim terms in names, songs and lyrics.

Edited September 21, 2007 by Wolfwood