Vocals meaning in metal (especially in death and black metal).

Authentic Metalhead said:
Death metal would be pointless without vocals. The whole point of death metal is to be aggressive and brutal (both musically and lyrically), and the intensity of the music adds to the dark mood of the music. I mean, think about it this way: would you really want someone with clean vocals singing:

Slicing through the flesh
A knife stuck in your neck
Stabbing out your eyes
Cutting through the spine

:erk:
Click to expand...

Do you think intensity is speed. Say you think that death metal is suppose to be fast or brutal or that just these things make intensity ?

I don't think death metal has to be fast or brutal to have a dark sinister atmospheric vibe. I think speed and over emphasis of being brutal can actually take those qualities away. I hate when a band overdoes something to the point it sounds ridiculous or pointless or even trendy.

You hear all these new tech DM bands with clicky drumming that actually do not capture any kind of death metal essense regardless being death metal, or bands simple not musically capable of capturing an atmosphere sounding like random noisy chuggy garbage.
 
death metal to me is intense blast beat drumming, combined with the fastest shredding and arm ripping guitar solos on top of gore lyrics and very deep vocals
 
Oh, well I didn't read the rest of the thread, so I didn't see your post.
 
You know, I was thinking the other day.... 'breathing whispers'.. could, also be used in Black Metal.

Don't know if they HAVE been used..
 
They've been used in Symphonic Black Metal for sure, I've heard it in a Cradle of Filth song (which I'm not sure which one). In true black metal? It might work if stradegistically placed... not sure. Going to have to wait on this one.

I personally believe the genre lies in a combination of how the vocals and instrumentals are worked. Change one and the genre changes.
 
Thasis said:
They've been used in Symphonic Black Metal for sure, I've heard it in a Cradle of Filth song (which I'm not sure which one). In true black metal? It might work if stradegistically placed... not sure. Going to have to wait on this one.

I personally believe the genre lies in a combination of how the vocals and instrumentals are worked. Change one and the genre changes.
Click to expand...
The bands we stated use all or mostly clean singing, not just a combination of screaming and singing. They are still black metal. Just like Children of Bodom used to be power metal, even though they used harsh vocals.
 
Tearstained.

Also, vocals won't change the genre of music. Clean singing + Death Metal riffing = Death Metal, or alternatively, Growling + Heavy Metal riffing = Heavy Metal.

Edit: Thrash is a great example of why vocals don't matter. You have bands like Heathen, Artillery, Holy Terror, Megadeth, and Overkill on one side, and Coroner, Kreator, Sodom, Sabbat, and Chakal on the other, but they're all Thrash Metal regardless.
 
It seems thrash is the only genre completey defined by riffage.

I thought Tearstained used screaming? I'll listen to them real quick.
 
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