Help me appreciate Growl Style Vocals

Help me appreciate Growl Style Vocals

Okay, here's what's cookin'...

I've tried so hard to get the groove of "Growl Style" vocals.
I've gone through a great many acts that employ them so regularly, that it just ends up sounding like a sawmill to my ears.

I LOVE it if it's used like a garnish, or frosting: Employ it occasionally, but not all the time.

So, here's the thing:
Please throw some ideas my way to help me start to appreciate this style.

Either full-on growl, or as a garnish, I'll give anything a try.

I'd be super, WAY excited if the bands have exceptional technical skill (I am a shredder, after all). For example, Christian Münzner with Obscura, Opeth, Rings of Saturn, etc.

Hey, help a fellow progger out! Please help me try to get into this style, because I feel like I might be missing out on some great music...

Thanks!!!

BTW, if you ever wondered what ol' Cylli looks like, here I am in 2007:

So here are some introductory entries I'd get you started on:

Nothing will help. You either like them or don't. You could acclimate to them, just as you could to, say, a Chipmunks album, but your tastes are your own. It's okay if you don't appreciate growl vocals. I don't and for some reason they make me laugh, like Chipmunk vocals.  

Edited by Grumpyprogfan - November 19 2021 at 09:33

Grumpyprogfan wrote: Nothing will help. You either like them or don't. You could acclimate to them, just as you could to, say, a Chipmunks album, but your tastes are your own. It's okay if you don't appreciate growl vocals. I don't and for some reason they make me laugh, like Chipmunk vocals.

I hear you, Will!
Mike (siLLy puPPy) also told me in another thread that it might be a case of my needing acclimatization to this style.

My favorite singers (that immediately spring to mind) would include Ray Alder, Einar Solberg, Daniel Gildenlöw, David Sylvian, and the late, great James (Jimmy) Dewar (Robin Trower).
[Big Edit]: I forgot to mention Chris Sampson from Azure. And (what a horrible omission on my part)
Marco Ciancaglini (Soul Doubt).
So, the growls are a bit difficult for me so far, but I feel like I gotta keep tryin'!


Edited by Cylli Kat (0fficial) - November 19 2021 at 10:45

This is also a "general music discussion" topic.

I am still not sold on the necessity of this style of vocal and find I am only tolerant of it in the setting of outrageously complex compositions. But I must admit this interview gave me a better understanding and appreciation of what goes into performing and recording this art form.

Warning! The video that is being referenced in this interview is definitely NSFW, which is why I am not embedding it in the post.

Kardavox Academy interview of Dickie Allen

Edited by Tapfret - November 19 2021 at 09:49

Opeth is my favorite, and one of the only bands in my collection to feature growling. Michael started out with nothing but growling, gradually introduced clean vocals and at one point ditched the growling completely on later albums.

Ghost Reveries is a good place to start with a combination of clean and growls. It’s also a fantastic album in my opinion.

Tapfret wrote: This is also a "general music discussion" topic. I am still not sold on the necessity of this style of vocal and find I am only tolerant of it in the setting of outrageously complex compositions. But I must admit this interview gave me a better understanding and appreciation of what goes into performing and recording this art form. Warning! The video that is being referenced in this interview is definitely NSFW, which is why I am not embedding it in the post. Kardavox Academy interview of Dickie Allen

Thanks, Ian!

You phrased it PERFECTLY here:
"I am still not sold on the necessity of this style of vocal and find I am only tolerant of it in the setting of outrageously complex compositions."

ok here is my two cents coming from somone who has struggled with growls his entire life and still does not enjoy them thoroughly:

Tapfret wrote: Mind_Drive wrote: ...so the moment this agressive and sometimes painful (in that it carries painful emotions) music is striking a chord within you, that doesnt make you feel grossed out about the fact this very emotion is so relatable to you, you can enjoy it... I don't know, man. Literally the same exact words can be used in reference to Whitney Houston's insidious wailing on The Bodyguard theme song, which I find even more difficult to tolerate than growls.

The secret is to understanding the point of growly vocals

Extreme metal is crafting a bleak and ugly soundscape

Would it really be effective if it used power metal vocals?