Clean Vocals or Death Growl? (Modern Prog)

Peter wrote: Can't stand growling -- I find it absolutely ridiculous and extremely grating. Frankly, it blows me away that otherwise sane, well-adjusted people can derive any real pleasure from it.   What sort of "singing" will growling fans' kids listen to, to shock their parents? Vomitting? Torture? Noisy defecation?   Seriously.

? Growls are far from being the most grating sounds released as music, if you don't enjoy sounds "normal" people perceive as harsh and annoying, that is fine, but you also can't understand why someone would enjoy it so you can't really weigh in on it beyond your personal opinion.

Henry Plainview wrote: Peter wrote: Can't stand growling -- I find it absolutely ridiculous and extremely grating. Frankly, it blows me away that otherwise sane, well-adjusted people can derive any real pleasure from it.   What sort of "singing" will growling fans' kids listen to, to shock their parents? Vomitting? Torture? Noisy defecation?   Seriously. Growls are far from being the most grating sounds released as music, if you don't enjoy sounds "normal" people perceive as harsh and annoying, that is fine, but you also can't understand why someone would enjoy it so you can't really weigh in on it beyond your personal opinion.

For the first time EVER I agree with everything you said Henry.

Henry Plainview wrote: Peter wrote: Can't stand growling -- I find it absolutely ridiculous and extremely grating. Frankly, it blows me away that otherwise sane, well-adjusted people can derive any real pleasure from it.   What sort of "singing" will growling fans' kids listen to, to shock their parents? Vomitting? Torture? Noisy defecation?   Seriously.  Growls are far from being the most grating sounds released as music, if you don't enjoy sounds "normal" people perceive as harsh and annoying, that is fine, but you also can't understand why someone would enjoy it so you can't really weigh in on it beyond your personal opinion.

That's right -- very astute of you. Yet sometimes I do so anyway, to keep things lively, and provoke a response -- BINGO!

Edited by Peter - December 10 2010 at 22:25

 Okay, that does it: you're CLINICALLY INSANE  if you like growling (unless you work in a zoo), because I say so....

Edited by Peter - December 10 2010 at 22:43

Peter wrote: Henry Plainview wrote: Peter wrote: Can't stand growling -- I find it absolutely ridiculous and extremely grating. Frankly, it blows me away that otherwise sane, well-adjusted people can derive any real pleasure from it.   What sort of "singing" will growling fans' kids listen to, to shock their parents? Vomitting? Torture? Noisy defecation?   Seriously.  Growls are far from being the most grating sounds released as music, if you don't enjoy sounds "normal" people perceive as harsh and annoying, that is fine, but you also can't understand why someone would enjoy it so you can't really weigh in on it beyond your personal opinion. That's right -- very astute of you. Yet sometimes I do so anyway, to keep things lively, and provoke a response -- BINGO!   I'm not a logic machine, unfortunately -- I'm a human being. Lots of what I write here is mere opinion, and coloured by my experience (often outside the lines). Keep studying my posts to find more illogical, all-too-human inconsistencies, dear HP.   Sometimes I drop things, too.   Still though, I shovelled the driveway tonight  -- a passable job, with near-right angles, I'd say....

The problem is not with having an opinion but that your post could be read as questioning the sanity of people who listen to growls. See, it would be so easy for me to question the sanity and taste of the millions who listen to Susan Boyle's pop wash debut.  It just looks more sensible because so many people don't find anything wrong with that album, but they said you should never underestimate the power of stupidity in large numbers.   I question the judgment of those who would like to believe growls can cover every nuance of emotion that clean singing can, but would not dispute that for some kinds of music, they are eminently suitable, including UZed.

"So growl if you're glad to be gay,

I like mostly clean singing, but growls definitely have their place.  At first I couldn't stand them, but I really think it's just a matter of getting used to it.  I started with Opeth and was pleasantly shocked when I found I could understand the majority of what he was saying.  Considering that even clean singers can be hard to understand, this was pretty cool.  Since then I've slowly gotten used to growling and now really dig it in certain places.  Has to sound right though.  Just like there's good singing and bad singing, there is good growling and bad growling.

AtomicCrimsonRush wrote: Some bands wreck their songs with distorted guitar     There i have said it.   Its true -Their music is amazing but the distorted,  caustic chords are abysmal!   Clean guitar is the best, and take more skill.   i know some death head will get on  here and spout on about how amazing the electric guitar is, and how it takes so  much talent to shred - but it is not the case.

Seriously. The guitar was meant to be played acoustically. Anything else is completely unmusical and takes no skill to play.

Vocals shmocals. Give me instrumental music any day. 

I think the idea of HEAVILY distorted rhythm guitar is that it produces plesant sensations on a chemically (narcotic or alcoholic)  informed leisure oriented cerebrum. Another reason is why guitar solos dies a death about the time of Metallica's Reload. Even Clapton noticed that only his music on the radio had the only string bending around. Apparently good (lead) guitar playing is "dated and boring" according to the Metallica top two and their producer. That may have changed since.

Electric over driven sounds (Page) are good but detailed guitar work needs to be as clean as possible (Howe, Hackett. )

As for growls.... it's just a fad. No longer funny (unless some who can't growl do try (S. Wilson, FOABP tour.)  I had the "interesting" experience of listening to Cradle Of Filth recently. After I nearly died laughing (the growls made the lead singer (Bronski Beat on Steroids) sound real good -  I then nearly died of bordom at the blandness of it all. Oh well it wasn't my money down that drain. The metal was actually well done speed metal but it's kind of painted itself into a corner. Where does it go from there? More of the same I suppose.

And it's not some growling... it's a lot of growling. Every metal band every album? Gimme Miles Davis, FZ and Crimson any day. All day come to that...