Death Vocals?

[driz]

Hey,
I'm a pretty new Opeth fan and I couldn't be happier with them. But what's the story with the "death vocals"? How much is real and how much is computer generated? Also, Aaron from My Dying Bride does some very cool shit with his voice in case you havn't heard. He sounds like he's singing staright from Hell's gates.
driz

 

[Stormwatch]

Death vocals are not computer generated, they're real. Watch any death metal band live or on DVD and you'll see. Try watching Opeth's DVD "Lamentations", you should find a few copies on eBay.

 

[Inconium Guard]

They're real...but if you listen to "By the pain I see in others", the beginning definitely has some vox effect on it, and I was wondering what exactly that was...

 

[Demoke]

Death vocals are not computer generated, they're real. Watch any death metal band live or on DVD and you'll see. Try watching Opeth's DVD "Lamentations", you should find a few copies on eBay.

Your copy?

 

[Neil-o-Mac]

They're real...but if you listen to "By the pain I see in others", the beginning definitely has some vox effect on it, and I was wondering what exactly that was...

Sounds like a filter effect, draining away all the bass frequencies: the 'telephone voice' effect that Mike likes Steven Wilson to use here and there, but on death vocals rather than clean vocals.

 

[driz]

I do own Lamentations...but just because it's live doesn't mean it can't be computer generated. So who knows for sure? Is it fully real, partly real or fully fake?

 

[Inconium Guard]

I'm guessing its fully real....hell I can sort of do those vocals myself without the aid of anything but maybe a glass of water. Its not impossible to growl haha

 

[Stormwatch]

I do own Lamentations...but just because it's live doesn't mean it can't be computer generated. So who knows for sure? Is it fully real, partly real or fully fake?

Have you not watched the "In the studio" section yet?
Watch the Vader DVD "Night Of The Apocalypse" and see how it's done.

 

[Leper_/-\ffinity]

Yeah, I do death vox in my band, and it's done with no effects, except for maybe some compression (in the studio that is).

 

[Nefilim]

I doubt Opeth would use any computer generated effects for creating the growls (it would be easy to hear if they did, methinks), they have too much integrity for shit like that.

 

[driz]

I don't think it has anything to do with grace. More to do with what the human voice is able to do. I know for a fact that Mike has a very capable voice, but sometimes the death vocals sound a little too "satanic" to be fully real....but I'm just trying to verify.

 

[PureAphotic]

Nearly every non-metal fan, or newcomer i've met has always assumed the screaming was done with some kind of distortion

(including myself once upon a time)

 

[AbsentFriend]

@ Driz: People have tried to verify it ten times for you allready and you still go on and doubt if his death-vox are real???

THEY ARE REAL.

 

[Seth'Peth]

Hey,
I'm a pretty new Opeth fan and I couldn't be happier with them. But what's the story with the "death vocals"? How much is real and how much is computer generated? Also, Aaron from My Dying Bride does some very cool shit with his voice in case you havn't heard. He sounds like he's singing staright from Hell's gates.
driz

As far as I can tell...singing like that is no different than singing in a regular clean voice. In other words, if you know how to sing(from your gut/diaphram...etc), you can achieve those sounds without technological help. Otherwise, you'll get the same problem...cracking, off key and so on.

I used to have a decent voice before smoking got the better of it. Even had some coaching from a guy who was a Geoff Tate clone. Whenever I've tried to do any kind of growl or death vocal...my throat collapses...LOL! I was never a good singer, so certainly couldn't train my voice to do that. And was never a fan of those vox until MA changed my mind...

Seth

 

[Nuk3m]

Death vocals are not computer generated, they're real. Watch any death metal band live or on DVD and you'll see. Try watching Opeth's DVD "Lamentations", you should find a few copies on eBay.

Well some are to an extent, there usualy is reverb and other stuff added post production to alot of vocals, it helps. Im not sure about Opeth, but i know when Mike was singing for bloodbath i noticed alot of shit was done.

Oh yeh, Do we have a new found troll?

 

[Jinn]

Christ, why is this fucking thread dragging on like this??

Mike doesn't use computer generated effects on his vocals. It's easy to tell if you've ever seen him live. He just has a kickass voice.

If you want to hear aided growls, listen to Cradle of Filth's Streaks of Blood.

 

[Ermz]

As far as I can tell...singing like that is no different than singing in a regular clean voice. In other words, if you know how to sing(from your gut/diaphram...etc), you can achieve those sounds without technological help. Otherwise, you'll get the same problem...cracking, off key and so on.

I used to have a decent voice before smoking got the better of it. Even had some coaching from a guy who was a Geoff Tate clone. Whenever I've tried to do any kind of growl or death vocal...my throat collapses...LOL! I was never a good singer, so certainly couldn't train my voice to do that. And was never a fan of those vox until MA changed my mind...

Seth

I wouldn't say that. It's pretty easy to growl and have a shitty singing voice. Normal singing and growling share hardly anything in common (except the instrument).

My ability in both seems to fluctuate. I hit a point where I practiced the death growls alot and got semi-decent at them, but ever since stopping my throat is way too clean for that. You really need to decimate everything on the path to your digestinal tract to be able to growl well. Singing in any sense is alot easier for me when this isn't the case, so it's strange... sort of like a trade-off. I don't know how Mike is able to do both so well and seamlessly.

With production... whatever you hear on a modern metal studio recording is normally tampered with as all fuck. So what you're hearing is his voice, run through a trillion filters... EQ all over the place... definately compression... reverb galore etc.

Oh and btw, it's real. His voice creates that sound... post production only helps enhance it.

 

[Nico]

Bands that use distortion on vocals = all shit.

 

[Seth'Peth]

I wouldn't say that. It's pretty easy to growl and have a shitty singing voice. Normal singing and growling share hardly anything in common (except the instrument).

My ability in both seems to fluctuate. I hit a point where I practiced the death growls alot and got semi-decent at them, but ever since stopping my throat is way too clean for that. You really need to decimate everything on the path to your digestinal tract to be able to growl well. Singing in any sense is alot easier for me when this isn't the case, so it's strange... sort of like a trade-off. I don't know how Mike is able to do both so well and seamlessly.

With production... whatever you hear on a modern metal studio recording is normally tampered with as all fuck. So what you're hearing is his voice, run through a trillion filters... EQ all over the place... definately compression... reverb galore etc.

Oh and btw, it's real. His voice creates that sound... post production only helps enhance it.

I won't argue, but I think to a degree you're saying the same thing. Not that if only you can sing cleanly well...you can also growl well. What I mean is, in order to growl well...you have to have the same technique/practice/developement as you would to sing cleanly legitimately. At least from my experience...you can't try and do death vocals in a falsetto(sp?), straight from the throat way without major cracking and burning of the throat.

So IMO, someone with the capability and know how to sing, even if they can't sing cleanly very good...may still be able to growl well. If that makes any sense, MA can do both great which is amazing and I believe he needs no help, but I'm sure for recordings there's some filters of some sort. He sounds great live too.

Seth

 

[Nico]

but I'm sure for recordings there's some filters of some sort.

Why? Why are you convinced of this? Do you think that every death metal band on earth uses vocal filters or enhancements? Each DM vocalist is unique... there's a huge variety out there. The fact that you may think that Mike has "godlike" vocals has nothing to do the fact that he's just another growler.