Death Metal Vocals[views:20367][posts:76]_______________________________ [Oct 20,2008 3:36pm - timma ""] Just an opinion question here--are death/growl/gutteral vocals something that can be learned? Or is it something that you either can or cannot do? Sometimes I'll be listening to a song and I can't even fathom being able to make such a sound, especially without completely shredding my larynx to pieces. I can get a borderline decent range, but there are high and low ranges that I'd never be able to touch. Thoughts? |
| _______________________________ [Oct 20,2008 3:37pm - aril ""] takes a little time / practice to get a good sound. some people just can't do it. personally, I think if you smoke a cigar or a cigarette and drink water right before, it's easier, but that's just me. |
| ______________________________ [Oct 20,2008 3:40pm - Yeti ""] i think that with practice you can do just about anything with your voice, but there are certain factors that you are born with. for example, i have a wide range, but i can't do the ultra-gutturals, nor can i do anything ultra-high pitched. my voice isn't designed for higher octaves. i can get a pretty mean death growl, but as for like Devourment style, i can't do that. i can also do a fairly high blackish scream, but i couldn't go as high as the guy who sings on Gorgoroth's Pentagram. for someone like Peter Steele or Maynard James Keenan, you can take all the practice in the world but if you aren't born to do it, you won't be able. |
| __________________________________________ [Oct 20,2008 3:41pm - Notorious_D.U.G. ""] I'm sure some people are just naturals at it but it can be learned through practice. I never thought I'd be able to do it when I joined BoE and even though I was rough in the beginning (well the whole time actually) I figured out my own style and method. Working on inhales and the mighty squees now just for self gratification so it can be learned but you have to practice. |
| _______________________________ [Oct 20,2008 3:43pm - aril ""] "the guy who sings on gorgoroth's pentagram" ?? BLASPHEMY!! |
| _______________________________________ [Oct 20,2008 3:54pm - aaron_michael ""] when I think "death metal vocals" I definitely think of inhales and low end growls. the low end exhales are a lot easier to do and come a lot more naturally to people. inhales take a little more fine tuning. i've heard it takes a couple months before you get a sounds you're happy with. |
| _______________________________ [Oct 20,2008 3:58pm - aril ""] I would like to know how Corpsegrinder does his so easily. |
| _________________________________ [Oct 20,2008 3:59pm - Martins ""] I find inhales super easy. They're easy (as exemplified by the hoards of wiggercore teens posting videos of themselves doing it) and sound pretty good pretty quick. No one can beat Mr. Richards in a "Who Can Sound More Like A Sewer" competition when it comes to inhales. |
| _______________________________ [Oct 20,2008 4:06pm - timma ""] I'd agree with that...although my feeble attempts at vocals are pretty rough, my inhales sure as shit sound better than my exhales. But the exhales sound a lot "beefier" than the inhales. Guess I thought inhales was kind of a cop-out? Not sure how the hell else you get that kind of sound though. |
| _______________________________ [Oct 20,2008 4:08pm - aril ""] Not a huge fan of inhales here. Only exhales are real. |
| __________________________________ [Oct 20,2008 4:14pm - mortalis ""] i'm pleased with my inhales, i can get lots of different sounds with them, including growls that sound like exhales. i would like to be able to exhale low growls as well as my high ones, but i don't see it happening. i've tried a lot, but it just doesn't come to me. |
| ____________________________________ [Oct 20,2008 4:17pm - deathchick ""] I suck at inhales. Anyone have any tips? I prefer exhales anyway, but just curious how they are done. When I try inhales it sounds quiet and not very brutal, and I have practiced enough but haven't gotten better at them. But I can get kind of a cool high pitch sound. |
| _________________________________________ [Oct 20,2008 4:25pm - Conservationist ""] Manspurt on the vocal cords helps as well. |
| _________________________________________ [Oct 20,2008 4:25pm - Conservationist ""] aril said:I would like to know how Corpsegrinder does his so easily. He has gills. |
| ____________________________________ [Oct 20,2008 4:28pm - immortal13 ""] Just do as it sounds, do a guttural, and the inhale while doing it. Better off with exhales anyway, because I kind of agree that inhales are just a cop out for getting a dirty guttural, which is why I'm glad Steve doesn't do any inhales. |
| _______________________________ [Oct 20,2008 4:29pm - aril ""] best example of somebody who inhales for vocals: Dani Filth. you don't want to be like Mr. Filth, now, do you? |
| _____________________________________ [Oct 20,2008 4:30pm - Josh_Martin ""] aril said:Not a huge fan of inhales here. Only exhales are real. Inhales are gay and false. |
| _____________________________________ [Oct 20,2008 4:45pm - sacreligion ""] i was watching the studio diary of amon amarth's new record the other day and johan hegg says he uses different types of scotch/whiskey and eats potato chips before he does vocals. i suppose everyone has their own tricks. i like to make sure i have something to drink at all times and keep my vocal chords at a standard tension and not push them too hard. i haven't tried honey or tea or any of that, though, which i've heard is good for doing consistent guttural vocals. then again my vocal range is mainly mid-high as opposed to gutturals, and i've found that a mid-range "hardcore-ish" scream is easier to achieve then your typical death vox..but that's just my voice i suppose. |
| _________________________________________ [Oct 20,2008 4:48pm - Conservationist ""] aril said:best example of somebody who inhales bushels of cocks and buckets of semen: Dani Filth. So true! |
| ____________________________________ [Oct 20,2008 5:00pm - deathchick ""] immortal13 said:Just do as it sounds, do a guttural, and the inhale while doing it. Better off with exhales anyway, because I kind of agree that inhales are just a cop out for getting a dirty guttural, which is why I'm glad Steve doesn't do any inhales. Yeah, I'm gonna stick with exhales, they come much more naturally anyway. |
| _____________________________________________ [Oct 20,2008 5:15pm - MarkFuckingRichards ""] Inhales are definitely no cop-out if you DO THEM RIGHT. Exhales are a lot easier to perfect, or at least get comfortable with. There are too many lazy vocalists giving inhales a bad name. It's nearly impossible to describe how to do one correctly though. It hurts like fucking hell before you know what you're doing, and to get power, endurance, range and volume out of them takes a lot of time and practice. All the stupid YouTube videos of kids doing inhales are fucking retarded. All the vocalists that need to cup the mic when they do inhales are fucking retarded (same goes for people who need to cup the mic when they do exhales). The bottom line on that argument is that no matter what vocal styling you go for, you need to make sure you can get volume, power and endurance. I've been doing exhales and inhales for about 9 years, at about the same volume/power level, just consistently practicing any way that I can. Trying to sing along to your favorite death metal CDs in the car helps, or just making random noises while driving helps too. I've never really looked into proper vocal care, which I probably should do at some point, haha, but I've found that sugary drinks help me a lot. Hot chocolate gets my throat perfect for really wet, disgusting sounds. I've never gone wrong with water either though. |
| ______________________________ [Oct 20,2008 5:15pm - Mess ""] death metal vocals are the gayest thing about death metal in my opinion |
| ___________________________________________ [Oct 20,2008 5:23pm - FuckIsMySignature ""] Mess said:death metal vocals are the gayest thing about death metal in my opinion only if the microphones are replaced with cocks |
| ___________________________________ [Oct 20,2008 5:44pm - narkybark ""] I step away from the mic to breathe in |
| _________________________________ [Oct 20,2008 5:58pm - Martins ""] I step away from the dick to breathe out. |
| _______________________________ [Oct 20,2008 6:01pm - timma ""] I've just recently got the diaphragm "mechanic" down, but I can't sustain a constant vocal for very long...even though I'm taking in about as much oxygen as I possible can without imploding. Maybe I'll just stick to singing Journey in the shower and call it a day... |
| _________________________________ [Oct 20,2008 6:04pm - Martins ""] timma said:I've just recently got the diaphragm "mechanic" down, but I can't sustain a constant vocal for very long...even though I'm taking in about as much oxygen as I possible can without imploding. Take the deepest breath without your shoulders moving and you know you're getting the max amount of oxygen you can. Keep practicing that and your lungs will expand, increasing the amount of oxygen you can hold. |
| _______________________________ [Oct 20,2008 6:08pm - aril ""] i just put a couple of nice tubes in my lungs and now i'm growling better than ever. |
| _________________________________ [Oct 20,2008 6:16pm - Martins ""] truth is true |
| ______________________________ [Oct 20,2008 6:18pm - Mess ""] FuckIsMySignature said: Mess said:death metal vocals are the gayest thing about death metal in my opinion only if the microphones are replaced with cocks and yerrrrr bawwwwwllz iz replaced wit azzzzesss |
| ___________________________________________ [Oct 20,2008 6:22pm - FuckIsMySignature ""] my balls your chin |
| ____________________________________________ [Oct 20,2008 6:35pm - ConquerTheBaphomet ""] Inhales are friggin' gay and anyone who does them is weak. I learned to do them after repeated practices. It's a matter of how much force you're allowing on your vocal chords. |
| _____________________________________________ [Oct 20,2008 6:40pm - MarkFuckingRichards ""] I am not weak. I are strong. |
| _________________________________ [Oct 20,2008 6:43pm - Martins ""] ConquerTheBaphomet said:Inhales are friggin' gay and anyone who does them is weak. I learned to do them after repeated practices. It's a matter of how much force you're allowing on your vocal chords. Wait so...are you gay? ? |
| ___________________________________________ [Oct 20,2008 6:44pm - FuckIsMySignature ""] repeated practice = repeated dicksucking |
| _________________________________ [Oct 20,2008 6:48pm - Martins ""] Simple mathematics, I suppose. |
| ____________________________________________ [Oct 20,2008 7:15pm - ConquerTheBaphomet ""] Haha, look at all the butthurt. |
| ______________________________ [Oct 20,2008 7:21pm - Mess ""] FuckIsMySignature said:my balls your chin snot mah dick in yerrrr mouth |
| ___________________________________________ [Oct 20,2008 7:23pm - FuckIsMySignature ""] i didnt think anyone would get that reference |
| ______________________________ [Oct 20,2008 7:42pm - Mess ""] ha! |
| _________________________________ [Oct 20,2008 8:13pm - Martins ""] ConquerTheBaphomet said:Haha, look at all the butthurt. Butthurt? lolk |
| ____________________________________ [Oct 20,2008 8:17pm - handinjury ""] MarkFuckingRichards said: All the vocalists that need to cup the mic when they do inhales are fucking retarded (same goes for people who need to cup the mic when they do exhales). Amen brother! |
| __________________________________ [Oct 20,2008 8:23pm - mortalis ""] what if a mic cupping inhale vocalist sounds good? yeah, it's kind of "cheating," but the end product would be just as good. |
| _________________________________ [Oct 20,2008 8:42pm - Mcgunk ""] I used to sing with death metal vocals. |
| _____________________________________________ [Oct 20,2008 8:50pm - MarkFuckingRichards ""] mortalis said:what if a mic cupping inhale vocalist sounds good? yeah, it's kind of "cheating," but the end product would be just as good. Just as long as it's not cupping for the sake of cheating. Sometimes a "muffled" sound is cool, just as long as that's what you're going for. Perfect example is the band December, mainly on the CD "Praying. Hoping. Nothing." I just have beef with the vocalists that get all sorts of praise for how amaaaazing they are, yet they can't get the same intensity without cupping the mic. |
| __________________________________ [Oct 20,2008 8:53pm - archaeon ""] once you hear Mark Richards do inhales in person. It'll change you opinion on them. |
| ____________________________________________ [Oct 21,2008 4:12am - ConquerTheBaphomet ""] archaeon said:once you hear Mark Richards do inhales in person. It'll change you opinion on them. I'm looking at you, Mark. Prove to me inhales aren't gay. |
| __________________________________ [Oct 21,2008 7:10am - archaeon ""] His inhales are louder then most exhales. |
| _____________________________________________ [Oct 21,2008 8:09am - MarkFuckingRichards ""] If you like TYAG and Composted, then you like/have heard my inhales. |
| _______________________________ [Oct 21,2008 8:26am - timma ""] who? |
| _____________________________________________ [Oct 21,2008 9:22am - MarkFuckingRichards ""] Huey Lewis |
| _______________________________ [Oct 21,2008 9:48am - timma ""] Everytime I hear of Huey Lewis, I think of that scene in American Psycho when Bale smashes Leto in the dome with an axe. Classic. So anyway, back to the topic at hand... I do not want to be in any way associated by technique or otherwise with Dani Filth, as Cradle of Crap is the worst horse shit ever. I guess I'm struggling with the balance between power and sound, meaning that when I try to push out more volume I lose the sound I'm looking for (generally goes higher, obviously). Does power/volume come more from the throat/voicebox or controlling the air going out from your gut? |
| _________________________________________ [Oct 21,2008 10:43am - This_Is_Heresy ""] timma said: I guess I'm struggling with the balance between power and sound, meaning that when I try to push out more volume I lose the sound I'm looking for (generally goes higher, obviously). Does power/volume come more from the throat/voicebox or controlling the air going out from your gut? The way I developed my vox to get the combo of power and sound was first working on the sound. Just turned the mics up at practice and did my thing. As I got comfortable/good at that then I started to work on more powerful and diverse bits of low end. And that comes from the gut. At least for me. As for the high end shit... kind of the same deal. But that seems to me to be something you can either do or not do... At least as far as HOW high you can go. You can do high-er vox with practice, but sometimes how high is indeed the question. |
| ______________________________________ [Oct 21,2008 11:02am - ouchdrummer ""] archaeon said:His inhales are louder then most exhales. This statement is true. First time i met mark (and only time) he did some inhales outside of Obriens. GNARLY!!! It was great, good noises. Anyways, i don't do vocs. Never could, never will. But I feel that it doesn't matter how your doin it, inhale, exhale, all that matters is what it sounds like. I've heard plently of both styles, and enjoy plenty of both styles as well. It's mostly just gotta have variety, feel, and good rhythmic placement. If it had good tone, and did all these things, i wouldn't care if someone were doin it with armpit farts. Or real farts for that matter, i couldn't care less how they do it, AS LONG AS it's not a recording live, and someone is at least performing it. |
| _____________________________________________ [Oct 21,2008 11:08am - ConquerTheBaphomet ""] MarkFuckingRichards said:If you like TYAG and Composted, then you like/have heard my inhales. Yes, I have heard them then. Still not a fan of that technique. |
| ________________________________ [Oct 21,2008 11:10am - timma ""] Truth, I can dig that. I guess it's moreso a matter of personal gratification/satisfaction that knowing your vocal stylings aren't a lame joke. Thanks for all the input, gents. |
| _____________________________________ [Oct 21,2008 11:24am - immortal13 ""] timma said:I've just recently got the diaphragm "mechanic" down, but I can't sustain a constant vocal for very long...even though I'm taking in about as much oxygen as I possible can without imploding. Maybe I'll just stick to singing Journey in the shower and call it a day... Bad idea. If you inhale too much before a note (or gurgle in this case), you'll exhale a lot harder making it harder to hold a note (or gurgle). |
| _____________________________________ [Oct 21,2008 11:29am - immortal13 ""] MarkFuckingRichards said:Inhales are definitely no cop-out if you DO THEM RIGHT. Exhales are a lot easier to perfect, or at least get comfortable with. There are too many lazy vocalists giving inhales a bad name. It's nearly impossible to describe how to do one correctly though. It hurts like fucking hell before you know what you're doing, and to get power, endurance, range and volume out of them takes a lot of time and practice. All the stupid YouTube videos of kids doing inhales are fucking retarded. All the vocalists that need to cup the mic when they do inhales are fucking retarded (same goes for people who need to cup the mic when they do exhales). The bottom line on that argument is that no matter what vocal styling you go for, you need to make sure you can get volume, power and endurance. I've been doing exhales and inhales for about 9 years, at about the same volume/power level, just consistently practicing any way that I can. Trying to sing along to your favorite death metal CDs in the car helps, or just making random noises while driving helps too. I've never really looked into proper vocal care, which I probably should do at some point, haha, but I've found that sugary drinks help me a lot. Hot chocolate gets my throat perfect for really wet, disgusting sounds. I've never gone wrong with water either though. Best thing to do is not use your vocal chords, but rather use the roof of your mouth to make that raspy sound. Try talking like Marge Simpson, and then use that exact sound to go a growl. Also try it like your growling like a dog, and then turn it into a death metal growl. That way, you won't kill your vocal chords and you'll be able to speak. |
| _____________________________________ [Oct 21,2008 11:31am - immortal13 ""] ConquerTheBaphomet said:Inhales are friggin' gay and anyone who does them is weak. I learned to do them after repeated practices. It's a matter of how much force you're allowing on your vocal chords. Why would you learn them if you think they're gay? |
| _____________________________________________ [Oct 21,2008 12:04pm - ConquerTheBaphomet ""] I was referring to Death Metal vocals not inhales. Sorry for the confusion. |
| __________________________________ [Oct 21,2008 12:13pm - C.DEaD ""] I like how some of you think this takes actual talent. Its death metal, there is very little talent required to go "Huarrrrrrrrrrrrrgooooaaaaaaaaaaagggggggaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrr" or "Bree bree bree and then you can shit on me" |
| _____________________________________ [Oct 21,2008 12:34pm - immortal13 ""] Go join Limp Bizkit and land on a cock. |
| _________________________________________ [Oct 21,2008 1:04pm - archaeon@skewl ""] CTB, you must hear MFR vocals in person. you'll shit. |
| ____________________________________ [Oct 21,2008 1:06pm - RichHorror ""] When you hear it you'll shit bricks |
| _________________________________________ [Oct 21,2008 1:07pm - archaeon@skewl ""] DOUBLE NIGGER |
| ____________________________________ [Oct 21,2008 1:08pm - inject-now ""] Josh_Martin said: aril said:Not a huge fan of inhales here. Only exhales are real. Inhales are gay and false. |
| ___________________________________________ [Oct 21,2008 2:07pm - MikeofDecrepitude ""] mortalis said:what if a mic cupping inhale vocalist sounds good? yeah, it's kind of "cheating," but the end product would be just as good. Cupping just makes it easier to hold the mic when doing inhaled gutturals, at least in my experience. I don't see how that equates to "cheating", since they're still produced naturally and not by a pitchshifter or something. |
| __________________________________ [Oct 21,2008 2:10pm - mortalis ""] MikeofDecrepitude said: mortalis said:what if a mic cupping inhale vocalist sounds good? yeah, it's kind of "cheating," but the end product would be just as good. Cupping just makes it easier to hold the mic when doing inhaled gutturals, at least in my experience. I don't see how that equates to "cheating", since they're still produced naturally and not by a pitchshifter or something. i mean cheating in terms of volume. we used to fuck around and cover infecting the crypts and i did vocals. it sounded good, but i needed to cup the mic in order to get good volume. |
| ___________________________________________ [Oct 21,2008 2:12pm - MikeofDecrepitude ""] mortalis said: i mean cheating in terms of volume. we used to fuck around and cover infecting the crypts and i did vocals. it sounded good, but i needed to cup the mic in order to get good volume. Hey, whatever works, right? |
| ____________________________________ [Oct 22,2008 6:17pm - some tool ""] You can do anything with a mic. |
| ____________________________________________ [Oct 22,2008 8:15pm - aterribleguitarist ""] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-yuhPcCI9Q |
| _______________________________ [Oct 24,2008 10:37am - Yeti ""] aril said:"the guy who sings on gorgoroth's pentagram" ?? BLASPHEMY!! haha isn't his name Hat or something? i don't know how the fuck anyone does inhaling vocals. i can't even begin to imagine how to align the muscles to get a sound through inhaling. |
| _______________________________ [Oct 24,2008 10:38am - Yeti ""] so is inhaling just breeing? seems that inhales are definitely gay and false. |
| ___________________________________ [Oct 24,2008 11:39am - McGunk. ""] wow theres really a discussion about how to use your vocals, place mouth around cock and chock. I dare you to call me. I used to be in this band |
| _____________________________________ [Oct 24,2008 11:40am - immortal13 ""] and Chock? I believe the word you're looking for is choke. |
| ________________________________ [Oct 24,2008 11:46am - aril ""] COCK AND CHOCK YESS |
| ___________________________________ [Oct 24,2008 11:48am - McGunk. ""] no chock like chock express, you know, I used to be in this band |