Clean Vocals: automatically equal cheesy song?

[Einherjar86]

I've read a few different responses to different topics on these threads that have led me to believe that some people consider certain bands/songs with all clean vocals to be "cheesy." Now, I'm not going to call that argument wrong, because I think that cheesy is a matter of opinion. I just wanted to ask everyone what YOU consider cheesy in a metal band and if it all has to do with vocals or not. I personally feel that some of the best and most badass bands use clean vocals; but I'm a fan of harsh vocals too. I merely am open to and accepting of the idea of clean vocals, if a band does them well. Now, as I said before, cheesy is a matter of opinion, and there are certainly a few bands that I would sometimes (or all of the time) lump into that category (i.e. Freedom Call, Rhapsody, Sonata Arctica, Dragonforce, etc.). However, I still love to listen to all those bands (once in a while...). That said though, I'll also list the bands who I think are not cheesy but still use clean vocals:

Kiuas (badass motherfuckin' band)
Falconer (good melodies, good lyrics)
Sabaton (singer has a great voice and strong delivery)
Kamelot (trained voice, emotional, and great lyrics)
Sieges Even (powerful singing backed by great instrumentation)
Pyramaze (closest thing to cheesy without being it, I say; dark subject matter and good melodies/harmonies)

I'd probably throw Iced Earth and Blind Guardian (most of the time) in there as well.

There are also a lot of bands that I like who use a mix of clean AND harsh vocals, but I'll save them for later in the discussion (as I'm sure they'll be mentioned). So I leave the rest of you with the question: what makes a band "cheesy?"

 

[supseudonymous]

Cheesy bands are flashy, tacky, and lack any sort of raw feel to them. No single element makes a band cheesy, but rather a combination of them, which can include certain vocal styles, keyboards/symphonics, certain production, etc.

 

[V.V.V.V.V.]

Good post, kil. Cheesy usually refers to an incongruous or silly level of pomp, pretense or ridiculousness in terms of vocals, fanfare-like keyboards, silly lyrical themes etc etc. It's definitely more of a combination than any one thing, especially clean vocals. Manilla Road, for example, is a band which uses clean vocals, but isn't cheesy at all. Sounds epic, sinister and interesting. Maybe because they don't use silly keyboards or have perfect, goofy production.

 

[Gold]

cheesy is when the lyrics seem like they were written 20 before the song was

 

[SouthernTrendkill]

Well, I love clean vocals in non-metal music, but in metal I like it to have harsh vocals. The main exception, of course, being Pantera. But the deeper I get into the darker, harsher stuff, the less I like everything that's lighter and has clean vocals. It's far from exceptionless, but if a band has clean vocals then I am likely to not respect them as much, and view them as somewhat archaic. Actually, though... I think it might just be coincidence. The music of the bands with clean vocals that I can think of is less dark, less extreme. But if the music was as dark and extreme as it would be for the hars vocal'd bands I listen to, I'd respect it as much.

 

[rms]

Cheesy = power metal lyrics and generic death metal lyrics.

 

[zabu of nΩd]

If clean vocals make music cheesy, that means extreme metal is essentially the only non-cheesy form of music in existence. I don't see how anyone could even take a claim like that seriously, much less believe it to be true.

 

[Gold]

best example of cheesy lyrics go tooo

http://darklyrics.com/lyrics/trivium/thecrusade.html#1

 

[Rabid Headbanger]

Cheesy = power metal lyrics and generic death metal lyrics.

If you ain't got the balls to take it, you sir, can leave the hall.

GTFO.

 

[Life Sucks]

Clean vocals don't make a band cheesy, but a lot of cheesy music has clean vocals. For instance, all power metal is cheesy (including stuff like Jag Panzer), but there is a lot of clean vocal metal that is not cheesy (some trad metal, some clean vocal doom, some clean vocal thrash, etc.). Just because something is cheesy doesn't mean I don't like it or it isn't good. Maiden and Priest are often pretty cheesy, but I like them.

 

[mutantllama]

I can't even describe how stupid someone would be to think just because it has clean vocals it means it's cheesy.

 

[rms]

If you ain't got the balls to take it, you sir, can leave the hall.

GTFO.

Dont hate either genre, but saying power metal is cheesy but standing by every death metal band concetrating on basically the same lyrical topics is retarded

 

[Matt]

all power metal is cheesy

bullshit

 

[Life Sucks]

hey hey hey. I didn't say that cheesy means bad. Music can be cheesy and good (like Arghoslent, for instance).

 

[rms]

What's with the ridiculous amount of obscure bands on this forum? lol

 

[Rabid Headbanger]

We're kvlt as fukk, thats what.

 

[Zephyrus]

Clean vocals in black metal, at least in the bands I've heard, are rarely cheesy. Later Borknagar is borderline, but before Vintersorg joined, Garm and Vortex boasted the best clean vocals in the genre.

 

[Rabid Headbanger]

Clean vocals in black metal, at least in the bands I've heard, are rarely cheesy. Later Borknagar is borderline, but before Vintersorg joined, Garm and Vortex boasted the best clean vocals in the genre.

Nokturnal mortum makes me laugh.

"And the wales where not afwaid..."

 

[Zephyrus]

I like Nokturnal Mortum's clean vocals. They allow the pagan element to shine through.

 

[Rabid Headbanger]

I do to.

They were also the first band I heard use keyboards for something other then gayness.