Clean Vocals or Death Growl? (Modern Prog)

What do you prefer? Extreme Metal with Heavy Growl's and screaming? Or Clean classic Vocals that don't scare me as much? Lol.

I prefer Clean. I'm a classic rock kinda guy. And I like modern prog, but I can't stand the Death Growl. It sounds really bad imo. I love to DT and Tool, (no screaming), I love Animals as Leaders (no words at all). But If I go anywhere else, Symphony X, Periphery, Cynic, I just have to shut it off as soon as they start... singing if you could call it that.

SO yeah, for you Modern Progressive Metal fans, what do you like?

P.S. I'm sure this question has been raised before.

I like both, but I prefer them according to the setting.
Some prog metal pieces would sound to calm or passive with clean vocals, while others may sound too harsh with growls.

But, I have to admit, I love Agalloch - mixing both for post-prog-folk-doom-metal pieces.

Originally posted by JonteJH Symphony X growling, wait what?

Early stuff, no. But have you heard there last album?

Yeah, even that annoys me. And I love the album (for the instrumental sections).

Boris the Spider by The Who makes me want to shoot myself.


Edited by Mushroom Sword - November 24 2010 at 19:51

 It took me quite awhile while listening to BTBAM, but I'm to the point where I'd rather hear a growling singer like Tommy Rogers than a screeching, high-pitched whine of a voice. And they're out there.

I don't think there's anyone that actually prefers one or the other... They each serve their purpose. 

Originally posted by Wanorak Clean all the way for me:) I think Opeth would be amazing if Akerfeld sang cleanly! I can't take the cookie monster growls seriously and it ruins the music.

Exactly this. There's some other bands, not so progressive, which I also like very much, but it's growling just ruins the experience for me.

Originally posted by Jake Kobrin I don't think there's anyone that actually prefers one or the other... They each serve their purpose.  For example, Yes would sound AWFUL with growling, but Jon Anderson's vocals would probably sound out of place in Morbid Angel...

O yes, I'm pretty sure there are lot's of people (me included) who not only prefer clean vocals, but even can't stand growling. On the other hand, there are many hardcore metalheads who just can't listen to music without growls, and even despise it as "too soft" or "music for girls" or whatever they may come to think.

I prefer clean vocals only because they're easier to sing along to and I'm a sucker for a kick-ass melody, but growling definitely has a place, too. You gots to have the light & shade!

I've never, ever been capable of listening to growler vocalists.  As a lyric-focused listener, it's usually pretty important to me that I can understand what's being warbled.  Moreover, I find the deep, sepulchral snarls of most metal bands to be deeply unsettling.  I feel like I'm plummeting through the earth's crust into some sort of Hieronymus Bosch-esque hellscape. 

But seriously, no disrespect to the growl fanciers.

Originally posted by octopus-4 I don't like standardised things, Standards arethe countrary of progressive. I like Riverside's growling and I don't like too much the clean voice of Artension but what matters is that the two things are functional to the song, not to the genre. Can we consider Pink Floyd's One of These Days the first example of growling?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8dSBWysmnM


Edited by Mushroom Sword - November 24 2010 at 23:44