Growls/Screams: Vocals Or Instruments?

[Draehl]

How do you view them?

I suppose there are two schools of thought on this subject. They are vocals that often just happen to be unintelligible or they are an instrument like any other called the larynx. Yes, to many this may simply sound like a semantic distinction, but changing my mental distinction from "vocals" to "instrument" is what helped me adapt many years ago to the style that was so very foreign/abrasive. To this day I don't really care what the lyrics are saying as I just don't see them as a lyric delivery system, and often enough if I do read the lyrics it somehow taints the song with foreign imagery that just isn't supposed to be there IMO. It's really quite similar to knowing the non musical details of any given artist...but that conversation was delved into more than enough in the Belus thread.

 

[SkeletonWitch]

metal nerd

 

[meaperson333]

They're definitely vocals, especially considering alot of growlers are still comprehensible.

 

[waif]

I consider them vocals, and I consider lyrics more important than most people do. Good lyrics can really add to the meaning and atmosphere of a song, and many growlers are quite comprehensible.

 

[Personified Hatred]

metal nerd

In this case, it would be a compliment. I mean, this is a fucking intelligent thread for this forum. I'll say my opinion about the topic later.

 

[astrofaes]

I consider them vocals, and I consider lyrics more important than most people do. Good lyrics can really add to the meaning and atmosphere of a song, and many growlers are quite comprehensible.

+1 There are some amazing writers out there - for example Dani Filth's lyrics on Cruelty And The Beast album were incredible and added infinitely to the atmosphere of the album.

 

[Lateralus14]

Well they're vocals but vocals are an instrument. I definitely don't care for most death/black metal lyrics and when you actually can understand them they better be pretty damn good.

 

[NocturnalNemesis]

I generally care more about the way a song sounds than the actual lyrics, but if you can understand the vocals, decent lyrical content always helps.

 

[Judzfell]

I consider them vocals, and I consider lyrics more important than most people do. Good lyrics can really add to the meaning and atmosphere of a song, and many growlers are quite comprehensible.

Cant the same be said for any instrument (vocals included) for a song?

But I still agree with your point. Some songs just deserve to be instrumental I will say though. When your mind is processing lyrics every song, It can sometimes make the music overall less enjoyable.

 

[SoundMaster]

I generally care more about the way a song sounds than the actual lyrics, but if you can understand the vocals, decent lyrical content always helps.

Yes.

 

[TheInsane]

Well growls are definately vocals but they might not be classified as singing.

Growls are rythmical vocals and might more accurately be described as the drums of vocals (no tone, focus is on rythm). While singing also incorporates melody like a string instrument.

 

[The Ozzman]

Vokillz and growls are instruments. They were the first instruments humans used to make music.

This is how I defend the vocals of metal to people. I tell them that I treat the vocals as another instrument that helps add to the atmosphere of the overall song and most people can understand that. The main school of thought with popular music is that you need to be able to understand the lyrics for the song to have any merit at all, which I think totally overshadows what music is in the first place.