Are You For or Against Clean Vox in Death/Black Metal?

[exorial]

Hey everyone, my first post here, thought I'd start with a poll.

In the past year or so it seems that a growing number of death/black bands are starting to use clean vocals. I saw a few other threads with people complaining about this trend towards cleaner vox (heading towards hardcore/nu-metal?) and decided to see what everyone else thinks. Are you for or against this trend, or could you care less?

Personally I think a lot of good bands have ruined their sound by adding clean vox to the mix. Some bands that that have really disappointed me lately due to clean vox are:

In Flames, Soilwork, Throne of Chaos, Satariel, Withering Surface, Solar Dawn, Mercenary, Sins of Omission, Auberon, Julie Laughs Nomore, Malefactor, Lilitu, Beyond the Embrace, Melancholic Silence

I applaud Dark Tranquillity for not sticking with clean vox after Projector (some of the worst clean vox ever!).

Now I'm not saying clean vox suck, just that I don't like them in my death/black metal. I like power metal, and the vox in pm bands suit the music just fine. But when you have heavy/aggressive/brutal music, clean vox just seems to detract from the sound. One of the very few clean vocalists in death metal that I can truly appreciate is the mighty Dan Swano. Everyone else pales in comparison...

 

[FaIIen AngeI]

I don't mind a few lines here and there with clean vox, it is a good contrast in my opinion. Although, I do think they should stick primarily with the growling, and dont overuse the cleanliness... and some of them shouldnt use it at all, because they cant sing, lol.

 

[WikkidGurl]

I am all for diversity in music.
Its' great to see someone growl good and that can sing as well.
I think it's good with 30% clean 70% growl.
I mean come on it still needs to be DEATHY
RRAAAAAAUUUURRRRR.

 

[Lord K]

Good points there Wikkid.
Who fucken cares as long as it sounds good?

Clean vocals aren´t true you say?
I say fuck you José.

To ride, shoot straight and fuck the true...eh...sure, you get it.

 

[WarHead]

I got confused when i first read this post.,.,.,first off in death metal there should be no singin at all.,.,in black metal i dont have a problem with it.,., if you are talkin about effects on vocals, then i think that there shouldnt be any effects on death metal vocals.,.,and once again i dont care if black metal uses vocal effects.,.,

 

[Timmeth]

Clean Vocals make for better music, my opinion...

 

[Tranquillian]

I am all for it because I think it adds to the diversity and the atmosphere. Many death/black vocalists are very versatile, i.e. Dan Swanö, Mikael Åkerfeldt, Mikael Stanne and Vintersorg (all swedes).

 

[alpha666]

what ever suits the band. i say this because i could never see obituary having clean vocals but it suits other bands.
so i say either or.... as long as it sounds killer then that is all that matters

 

[AngelWitch73]

I don´t really care either way... I think clean vocals are a good compliment to growls though. I enjoy them. What I don´t like is when a band has awesome growls and they put in some clean and then eventually it´s just all clean and no growls. In most cases I have been disappointed once they eliminate the growls.

 

[Wanderingblade]

I loved Projector. Guess which I voted for...

 

[~UlvedaL~]

I must admit that in my oppinion, most bands fuck it all up when destroying good music with baaaad clean vocals.. An example could be.... Hin Onde; with their "Songs Of Battle"... Great music, great atmosphere, but.... -Unspeakable bad "cleans"... What a shame.. Not every bands are messing up with cleans though. Sometimes it´s good with diversity -like cosmic opposives, grim/wonderful, harsh/clean, good/evil etc etc.

Therefore I voted "Don´t care", because it´s an individuel judgement as well as it´s the band´s individuel talents that´s on stake....

 

[xenophobe]

That all depends.

I am for anything that sounds right.

Unlike my avatar might suggest,

Keep the Bunnies, Rainbows, Kittys and flowers OUT of the vocals in DM.

No happy shit... Clean Vox are fine, no happy American Folk style lyrics over my DM though...

 

[Crimson Babe]

I don't care until it doesn't ruins the music...

 

[sigilofbaphomet]

well actually this is a very personal question:

for me clean vocals (even opera type) in black metal and growls(undecipherable kinda shit) in death metal.

 

[GrimSaviour]

i will go with .. whatever sounds cool. i like a bit of diversity, and i feel that borknagar and bal sagoth do well with a mix of clean and trad black metal vocals.

 

[Board]

I prefer clean vocals at anytime, but it might not fit black metal that well with clean vocals. One of the major things that does that I don't like clean vocals is that more or less NONE of the clean vocals I've heard in black metal was crap, as none of them can sing! An example of this is Dimmu Borgir's first record. Another example is Limbonic Art's first record. I think this is a great record, but I think the operatic vocals suck a little. Opeth is one of the only harder metal bands where I've heard clean vocals that sound good, but maybe this is because it's done in a more "clever" way and Mikael Åkerfeldt also has a decent voice too! I think they've done a good job putting clean vocals on the mellower parts and growls on the heavier parts and it mixes very well.
As I started out saying I prefer clean vocals though, as I listen to many other kinds of music than metal and listening to Marvin Gaye's golden voice gives me much more joy than listening to Varg Vikernes awful screaming (even though Burzum is some of my favorite black metal)! A good voice is always a plus I think.

 

[Board]

Oops. "One of the major things that does that I don't like clean vocals is that more or less NONE of the clean vocals I've heard in black metal was crap". This should of course be "more or less NONE of the clean vocals I've heard in black metal was good"!

 

[Wanderingblade]

Board: Next time, use the edit button please...

 

[LoboUivante]

Clean voice used in the right places is quite lifting.

 

[xenophobe]

I would like to hear Kittie type vocals with some good death metal...

The cool melencholy soft voice, almost like Tori Amos sometimes, busting into screams and growls...