Forum Home Forum Home > Progressive Music Lounges > Prog Recommendations/Featured albums
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - Looking for metal with semi-clean vocals
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

Topic ClosedLooking for metal with semi-clean vocals

 Post Reply Post Reply
Author
Message
Akuphex View Drop Down
Forum Newbie
Forum Newbie
Avatar

Joined: January 16 2015
Location: Somewhere
Status: Offline
Points: 12
Direct Link To This Post Topic: Looking for metal with semi-clean vocals
    Posted: November 25 2015 at 18:32
I've noticed that often there's either clean vocals or growling in metal. What happened to the entire spectrum inbetween?

I'm looking for (progressive) metal with semi-clean vocals, because I think it can sound really awesome. I rarely like growling in music, unless it's only a few seconds at a climax moment for example.
Soilwork - Martyr https://youtu.be/yeMq4_ZyrLM?t=1m46s A good example of what kind of vocals I mean, even though I don't like the song in particular that much. 
Another one: Devin Townsend Project - Rejoice https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCNx6vs7c2Y (from an album I do like, and the combined vocals with the female singer in the other songs works nice)

So I'm not talking about alternating clean and growling vocals, I really mean singing in a style that's somewhere in the middle. Anyone has some recommendations? Smile
Back to Top
Smurph View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: January 11 2012
Location: Columbus&NYC
Status: Offline
Points: 3167
Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 25 2015 at 19:06
This style you're talking about is called "felting" by me and my band as my singer uses it a lot but other than Devin Townsend and Hansi Kursch I'm running a blank. I'll come back if I hear something.

https://soundcloud.com/pseudo-sentai/12-march-of-the-selkies/s-h4X5N
If you hear the entire first verse on that one

https://soundcloud.com/pseudo-sentai/3-terraformed-transcendence/s-rj9o3
Or skip to about 30 seconds on that one and 1:40 and you'll hear what I mean.



Then I would also highly recommend listening to "Demons and Wizards" (Hansi on Vocals)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leCW7oeynsI&list=PL71658CA70ACD8045

And A Night at the Opera is a great start to hearing his vocals in Blind Guardian if you like metals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B84WS-WcQcM




Back to Top
TeleStrat View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: December 27 2014
Location: Norwalk, CA
Status: Offline
Points: 9319
Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 25 2015 at 20:03
I would recommend Corrosion Of Conformity with Pepper Keenan on vocals.
I would start with Deliverance, Wiseblood, America's Volume Dealer or In The Arms Of God.
I'm sure these are all on YouTube.
If you're looking for a more traditional Heavy Metal you might try their earlier album called Blind. It always reminds me of Testament.
Back to Top
Dellinger View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar
VIP Member

Joined: June 18 2009
Location: Mexico
Status: Offline
Points: 12581
Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 25 2015 at 22:21
Yeah, as far as I understand Devin Townsend may just do the trick for you... even if he does some real growling too. But somehow, even though I don't like growling at all, and it puts me off from many songs, Devin has done it in a way that, sometimes, I can even ejoy it. Plus, there are many times when he doesn't go all the way into growling, but just keeps it agressive. In the end, he can go from soft beautiful singing to full growling and shouting, and everything in between. The ones I have got from him, and I feel it's been the best way to start with his music, are "Terria" and the live album "Retinal Circus" (which covers all his career up to 2013, or something like that). Also, I guess Pain of Salvation may have some of those vocals you are looking for, the guy also goes all over the place with his singing... not going all the way to full growling, but he does get dangerously close to rapping (not too much though, so fear not about that).
Back to Top
UMUR View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator
Avatar
Honorary Collaborator

Joined: October 19 2007
Location: Denmark
Status: Offline
Points: 3009
Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 26 2015 at 01:53
Lots of US Power/thrash metal vocalists have a semi-gruff way of singing. Not really raw and still very melodic. Artists like Iced Earth, Nevermore/Sanctuary, Forbidden, Heathen, Cage, Lääz Rockit, Metal Church, Control Denied, Pharaoh, Vicious Rumors, Warlord, Helstar, Target, Realm...etc. Maybe you could get something out of looking in the US power metal section of PAs metal sister site MMA: http://www.metalmusicarchives.com/subgenre/us-power-metal
Back to Top
Akuphex View Drop Down
Forum Newbie
Forum Newbie
Avatar

Joined: January 16 2015
Location: Somewhere
Status: Offline
Points: 12
Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 02 2015 at 15:56
So I've looked up a couple of the bands:
Originally posted by TeleStrat TeleStrat wrote:

I would recommend Corrosion Of Conformity with Pepper Keenan on vocals.
I would start with Deliverance, Wiseblood, America's Volume Dealer or In The Arms Of God.
I'm sure these are all on YouTube.
If you're looking for a more traditional Heavy Metal you might try their earlier album called Blind. It always reminds me of Testament.
The "Blind" album sounds nice. It's not the exact type of singing I'm looking for, but I guess it's really hard to find in most music anyway.
Originally posted by UMUR UMUR wrote:

Lots of US Power/thrash metal vocalists have a semi-gruff way of singing. Not really raw and still very melodic. Artists like Iced Earth, Nevermore/Sanctuary, Forbidden, Heathen, Cage, Lääz Rockit, Metal Church, Control Denied, Pharaoh, Vicious Rumors, Warlord, Helstar, Target, Realm...etc. Maybe you could get something out of looking in the US power metal section of PAs metal sister site MMA:http://www.metalmusicarchives.com/subgenre/us-power-metal
Hm, I've checked some of them out, but I don't really like most power metal, except for a few Sonata Arctica and Nightwish songs. I'll check the rest of them out over time, maybe I'll get pleasantly surprised with one of the bands.
Originally posted by Dellinger Dellinger wrote:

Yeah, as far as I understand Devin Townsend may just do the trick for you... even if he does some real growling too. But somehow, even though I don't like growling at all, and it puts me off from many songs, Devin has done it in a way that, sometimes, I can even ejoy it. Plus, there are many times when he doesn't go all the way into growling, but just keeps it agressive. In the end, he can go from soft beautiful singing to full growling and shouting, and everything in between. The ones I have got from him, and I feel it's been the best way to start with his music, are "Terria" and the live album "Retinal Circus" (which covers all his career up to 2013, or something like that). Also, I guess Pain of Salvation may have some of those vocals you are looking for, the guy also goes all over the place with his singing... not going all the way to full growling, but he does get dangerously close to rapping (not too much though, so fear not about that).
I've just checked them out, and Pain of Salvation seems to have some really great instrumental parts, but I don't think it's the kind of vocals I was looking for. Having said that, the vocals are still pretty good.

Tool and Rishloo have some great moments where they use the vocals I'm thinking of. A lot of metal songs (especially modern metal) seems to have either very clean or growling vocals. There's so much potential in different vocal styles that needs to be tapped. I don't really mind a 3 second growl in a song, but having mostly growling or screaming vocals in a song doesn't work for me.
Favorite bands: Tool, Porcupine Tree, Dream Theater, Gazpacho, Tesseract, Amplifier, Riverside, Muse, Opeth, Karnivool, and more
Back to Top
Pastmaster View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: January 23 2015
Location: Spiderwood Farm
Status: Offline
Points: 1774
Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 02 2015 at 19:04
Originally posted by Akuphex Akuphex wrote:


Originally posted by UMUR UMUR wrote:

Lots of US Power/thrash metal vocalists have a semi-gruff way of singing. Not really raw and still very melodic. Artists like Iced Earth, Nevermore/Sanctuary, Forbidden, Heathen, Cage, Lääz Rockit, Metal Church, Control Denied, Pharaoh, Vicious Rumors, Warlord, Helstar, Target, Realm...etc. Maybe you could get something out of looking in the US power metal section of PAs metal sister site MMA:http://www.metalmusicarchives.com/subgenre/us-power-metal

Hm, I've checked some of them out, but I don't really like most power metal, except for a few Sonata Arctica and Nightwish songs. I'll check the rest of them out over time, maybe I'll get pleasantly surprised with one of the bands.


US Power Metal is completely different from the European Power Metal style of bands like Sonata Arctica, Blind Guardian, etc. It's much rawer and more aggressive.
Back to Top
cstack3 View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar
VIP Member

Joined: July 20 2009
Location: Tucson, AZ USA
Status: Offline
Points: 6710
Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 02 2015 at 21:52
Black Sabbath's "Heaven and Hell" with Ronnie James Dio is my favorite metal LP for vocals.  

I've read reviews saying it is the best metal LP ever made, and I'd agree with that. 

ps. RJD didn't growl much, but it was a very interesting aspect to his overall sound.  It was more of an accent than anything.


Edited by cstack3 - December 02 2015 at 21:53
Back to Top
Cristi View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator
Avatar
Crossover / Prog Metal Teams

Joined: July 27 2006
Location: wonderland
Status: Offline
Points: 40768
Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 02 2015 at 23:36
Morgana Lefay fits the discription.
Also Evergrey.
Back to Top
Dellinger View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar
VIP Member

Joined: June 18 2009
Location: Mexico
Status: Offline
Points: 12581
Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 03 2015 at 22:07
Originally posted by cstack3 cstack3 wrote:

Black Sabbath's "Heaven and Hell" with Ronnie James Dio is my favorite metal LP for vocals.  

I've read reviews saying it is the best metal LP ever made, and I'd agree with that. 

ps. RJD didn't growl much, but it was a very interesting aspect to his overall sound.  It was more of an accent than anything.



Dio was a real beast on vocals. One of my favourites. I still got to get some more albums with him.
Back to Top
GallowsGrove View Drop Down
Forum Newbie
Forum Newbie
Avatar

Joined: February 26 2017
Location: Dallas, TX
Status: Offline
Points: 1
Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 26 2017 at 21:14
That's actually a sound we're kinda going for! :)

Check us out and let me know what you think?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLQZLtIKqz0
Back to Top
peart_lee_lifeson View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: February 22 2009
Location: North Dakota
Status: Offline
Points: 305
Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 02 2017 at 21:37
I would definitely try Deadly Circus Fire.  Their "Hydra's Tailor" album is quite good.  Also, Mastodon?
PROG ON!!!
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down



This page was generated in 0.571 seconds.
Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.