How important are vocals to you?

[Vilden]

Well, caring too much about vocals and owning 3 Fire+Ice albums doesn't make sense, so I guess they aren't too important.
Good vocals can really lift an album though, like Drawing Down the Moon or everything Manowar has done for example.

BTW, I love the vocals on Twilight of the Gods.

 

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

vocals are a big deal but what really matters in metal is BASS.

No bass = no heaviness = yawn

So you hate BM?

 

[cookiecutter]

Vocals are mostly just very nice bonuses for me. They rarely ruin the music. The only case where they really bother me are when they are mixed too high and bad.

 

[sevag00]

The vocals are the most important thing for me. Bad vocals may completely ruin the album, but if the other parts of the music is great, then i can handle the bad vocals. Example would be Funeral Mist's Salvation.

 

[Ender Rises]

In order:

Vocals
Guitars
Drums 'n' bass
Keys or other shit

Vocals are pretty fucking important for me. Bad vocals can kill an album easily, but mediocre vocals with some great instrument work will get the job done.

 

[Donnie Darko]

Its important to me that they're well done & fit well with the music. I see the vocals as another instrument so they should add to the music, regardless of style

 

[SouthernTrendkill]

Extremely important. Voice is my favorite instrument.

In metal it's much less important, because metal actually delivers instrumentally where every other genre fails to do so. When it comes to all other genres, I'm 100% about the vocals and the lyrics. Metal is the only genre that I listen to for the instrumentals. But the sound of the voice is still important to me in metal.

 

[TheAnonymous]

For me, basically all the parts in the music form a pyramid and vocals are on top. It doesn't mean that they're necessarily more important, because if not for what's beneath it it would all collapse, but the vocals are the face of the music. Good vocals lift the music to entirely new levels and bad vocals can completely ruin it (there's nothing more sad than a song with awesome music but horrible vocals).
And also, the interesting thing about vocals is that they're more opinion based. Good guitars for example are more universally acknowledged (though not entirely) than vocals are. A certain vocalist can be detested by some and loved by others, and instrumentalists rarely are.

 

[Discovery]

Vocals have never ever put me off liking an album, so for me they are the least important piece. To fully appreciate the different varieties of metal i think you need to put that to the side and concentrate on the music more. The only exception is when bands sing in bad english and the words are understandable, that really irritates me.

 

[~Derek~]

or Gorgoroth....i honestly don't know how anyone can stand them...they can play their instruments...and the vocals suck....

I like Gorgoroth's vocals, at least when Gaahl's doing them.

 

[Vegard Pompey]

The importance of vocals depends on what band we're talking about. In most of the music I listen to, the instruments play just as big a part as the vocals (generally seems to be the case for progressive and power metal) but for some extreme metal bands, the vocals are almost irrevelant.

I don't really like music that's entirely vocal focused. I prefer bands that maintain a balance (Dream Theater would probably be a good example of a perfect balance)

 

[Einherjar86]

I like Iced Earth lyrics.

I suppose they're definitely not as bad as others; but some of their fantasy lyrics are humorous, I think.

I think some bands lose a lot in their lyrics when they try and sing in English. I mean, I understand the marketing appeal of singing in English, but it's very harmful to the song sometimes, especially when the translating process isn't done perfectly. Blind Guardian and Sonata Arctica suffer from this terribly, I think. Other singers, like Ilja Jalkanen and Roy Khan, have a much better understanding of the English language (or at least they seem to from their lyrics).

 

[Omni]

I'll listen to music with vocals as long as they don't annoy me, and I'll listen to instrumental music as long as I don't find myself wishing it had vocals.

 

[Life Sucks]

They are not that important. I think it is hard to distinguish who is a good death/metal vocalist and who is a bad one, and it is largely a matter of opinion. I however don't like hardcore vocals, and death metal bands with hardcore-ish vocals would be better with normal dm vocals. I don't have anything against clean vocals, but I don't like typical power metal vocals, and I especially dislike the multi voice vocal harmonies so commonly found in power metal.

 

[King Richard]

I find it pretty easy to distinguish between good and bad death metal vocalists.

 

[Addo_Of_Nex]

Whenever I listen to music, I don't pay attention to what each instrument is doing. Instead, I focus on the complete sound that the music gives forth, and look for atmospheric and/or aesthetic value. Vocals are really just another instrument, and their quality depends solely on how well they benefit the complete sound of the music they are contributing to.

 

[~Neurotica]

Very important.

I can't listen to a band if I don't like vox, even if their music is great.
Examples: Behemoth, Nile, Cynic.

 

[The Ozzman]

Very important.

I can't listen to a band if I don't like vox, even if their music is great.
Examples: Behemoth, Nile, Cynic.

Yeah, that's why I don't like Entombed or Autopsy

 

[Manic Ferocity]

I can tolerate most hardcore vocals but some do get a bit grating on the ears. I also can't stand whiney clean vocals for the most part.

 

[~Neurotica]

I can't stand female vocals in metal.