Poll: Screaming in music. Do you like it or not?

[TheAceTheOne]

Learning how to scream and growl and stuff seems like such a waste to me. If you have the potential to become a talented singer, why ruin your throat by screaming all day?

There's a few reasons: The style of music may sound better with distorted vocals than clean. Also, it could be done for effect, when there's a song like... Belle of the Ball, where clean vocals and acoustic guitar come in at the end after an entire song of riffs, breakdowns, and growls. Another reason is that screaming/growling is a way to get emotion across. Think about it: Dogs growl when they're angry. If you're doing vocals for an angry song and you're truly feeling the emotion so much that you need to get it all out, it helps to scream or sing.

Source? Personal experience as a "scream/growly" vocalist. I do clean vocals, too, it really depends on the part of a song I'm in.

 

[crudus]

I hate it was deadly passion. It is just noise that adds nothing to the music at best and makes it drivel at worst. Do you mean like heavy metal screaming or screaming just randomly during the song?

EDIT: Or maybe I'll just leave a bunch of white squares. Seriously, why the hell doesnt the Escapist have a code list anymore?

Spoiler: Fixed them for you

 

[Amnesiac Pigeon]

If a song builds up to a scream fair enough.

If it starts off screaming and continues to scream I can't stand it.

 

[KnightOfHearts]

Admittedly.... no, funnily enough I only started getting into more metal based music in the past year, I'm actually an acoustic guitarist whos favorite artists and influences are people like John butler, Andy Mckee, Tim Mcmillan and Miyavi.

I've become quite infatuated with prog and math metal bands along the lines of Tesseract and Dream Theater, neither of which really scream (Daniel Tomkins from tesseract more... yells... like a boss).


When it comes to full screams and grunts I can't really say I enjoy them
BUT!
I find it hard to imagine bands like epica, periphery and opeth without it.

At some points, for example in the song captain on by periphery; the singer (Specer Sotelo) comes straight of a scream into a rather impressive high note, I found that rather epic.

I have often wondered if I'd like the bands mentioned above more if they didn't contain screams or grunts or if taking that part of the music away would create and entirely new experience.
Either way, I can't say I really enjoy it, so long as their not ranting about spilling the blood of the innocent in the name of Satan or something then I guess I don't mind.

Friend of mine once said "just look at it as distortion for vocals".

 

[OmniscientOstrich]

If you recognise my avatar, then that should indicate that I love screamed/death growls vocals. When they are done well of course, I mean.

 

[dantoddd]

Screams are a skill that have to be developed, just like any other skill, including singing normally. Not just anybody can do it, at least without screwing up their vocal cords. It takes a lot of time and effort, which is, unfortunately, not truly appreciated by large portions of the community. I often hear it called 'just noise', which is far from the truth IMO.

I see screams as essential to metal music (Metal, not screaming shit for the sake of screaming). However, it has to be controlled, developed, and essential to the song. Screams offer a different sound and characteristic to a song than clean vocals would. If they're just screaming for the sake of screaming, then what's the point. I can't stand listening to those 'singers' that don't do it properly and destroy their vocal cords. You can tell rather easily they haven't put in the effort to learn how to perform a scream, and it ruins the song from a musically technical perspective, in my eyes.

Lamb of God's songs would not have the same effect on the audience if they were performed with clean vocals. That's not a dig at Randy Blythe's cleans, I really don't know how they would sound so I'm not going to comment. Their songs portray an emotion of frustration, anger, dissatisfaction at the world, that wouldn't have the same intensity with clean vocals.

That's not to say cleans are bad. I enjoy them as well, as well as a combination, such as Between the Buried and Me, or the Human Abstract, to name just two. Screams add a different layer to the music, as do growls, as do cleans, and as do other singing styles.

Here's three metal songs, each belonging to very different genres of metal. you can clearly hear the different is styles, and how the chosen vocals affect the song.

Combination of screams and growls, adding intensity to an already hugely technical song.
(Band: Born of Osiris. Song: Recreate)


Combination of screams, growls, cleans, and even a hymn-style choir.
(Band: Devin Townsend Project. Song: Planet of the Apes) P.s. Tommy Roger's vocal growls are heard from 6:36.


Screams, growls, and clean vocals for the chorus (which are really quite good, IMO)
(Band: Sylosis. Song: After Lifeless Years)

is devin townsend related to Pete Townsend

 

[shadow_Fox81]

because one of us was bound to turn up


I'm gonna call Zach dela rocha being more hard on listening than anyhting previously mentioned, but a better example of screaming or just yelling as musically valid.

"freedom" in a breath encapsulates more meaning through Zach's vocals than any Lennon inspired hippie anthem in the tradition of "give peace a chance"in its entirety. Because in this singular lyric is brutal,forceful emotion born out in pure musical tradition of the battle cry.

this kind of power is a truth a great many musicians understand.

so yeah i like it

(white riot for the win)

EDIT: not much love for the classics on this thread

EDITED:EDIT: really? i know punks dead and all but surely not all punks are dead, surely?

 

[OmniscientOstrich]

Double post. Please ignore.

 

[KnightOfHearts]

have you heard any of Periphery or Opeths stuff?
Spencer from Periphery has an absolutely incredible singing voice, I highly recommend checking out Light, Captain on and Jetpacks was yes!

Opeth (judging by the vids you posted) I'd be willing to guess you've already heard of, if not check out 'bleak'.

 

[Berserker119]

I like it. Usually I like the bands better when they don't, but it's a nice change of pace sometimes.

Spoiler

 

[DarkRyter]

Not fond of it in the slightest.

"Why is this singer yelling at me? What did I do to him? I'm so sorry!"

 

[Jibblejab]

I like it, but not if its the entire song. Songs need juxtaposition, light and shade otherwise its boring and abit weird.

For example I like:

but not like:

 

[theseworlds]

is devin townsend related to Pete Townsend

I wouldn't have the faintest of clues. Sorry mate. He's Canadian, if that helps.

 

[Fishyash]

I detest screaming. Some metal fans link me some videos for me to listen to (although I am not much a big fan of it), and some genuinely nicely sounding songs just feel ruined by the screaming.

I don't know, I guess in some cases it compliments the song, when the rest of the song is 'noisy' (for lack of a better word), but when someone puts a more 'melodic' sounding band behind the screaming it feels like a terrible conflict of sounds.

You are right, it is an acquired taste. I think ALL sounds are an acquired taste. Once you listen to something intently you will find it more enjoyable to listen to. I detested dubstep, for example, but the more I listened to it, I have developed a tolerance for the things I dislike about it and started to notice parts of the genre that I liked.

And It's the same for pop, jazz, metal, electronica etc.

Screaming is not a BAD thing. It's just another form of expression, and it takes time and effort to work well, like singing. Good singers will be able to make all sorts of sounds with their voice. Good singers are able to scream/growl AND sing well.

I don't know the effects of continuous screaming may have on your voice though, but I think it's a fun thing to play with now and then, just to widen your voice range and make it more flexible. I doubt it will do damage in the long run if you're doing it properly, warming up before doing it, not smoking/drinking etc.

 

[Zhandarr]

Protest The Hero. Rody Walker has a mindblowing vocal range. He can scream and growl incredibly and he is actually a bloody good singer. Same with Corey Taylor, great screams (losing their touch I have to say) and great melodic singing voice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypCdGNe3Bvs

Not my favorite Protest the Hero song (Probably Bloodmeat. Or Nautical. Or Blindfolds Aside. Or Tapestry. Good God I have no idea) but the best at showing his vocal abilities.

0:15-0:22:Screaming
0:22-1:00:Singing
1:00-1:10:Screaming and growling. Besides, at 1:10, the bassist is just win.

Edit: Also at 1:10 onwards, the singing for that verse is epic.

 

[someonehairy-ish]

I much prefer death growls, like the ones Michael from Opeth does, or the bloke from Septic Flesh. But there are also good scream-singers out there, like the one from Gojira:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eljjOJwlDY
(The vocals don't actually come in until 3 minutes in)

 

[TerribleAssassin]

As long as the song is generally good, I'm indifferent to the vocal content.

 

[Jandau]

99% of it is unneeded and usually serves to disguise vocal inadequacy in the singer. Pointless screaming is why I never got into many of the more hardcore subgenres of metal even while I was interested in that general genre. I loved the music and the theme, just when someone started to incoherently scream into the mic, it wasn't a song anymore, it was an arsehole screaming at me while I was trying to listen to a really awesome guitar solo.

 

[mussics]

OP , you should add a new option to the poll , " unbelievably stupid " . I'd get my town to vote it in the exchange of a nutella sandwich.