spoken vocals vs screaming

Started by shearling, April 24, 2017, 03:10:19 PM

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shearling

obviously both have their merits, but when would you say spoken vocals are more appropriate versus screaming and vice versa? feel free to include examples.....

Kim V

As you say, both have their merits. I used to prefer screaming and consider spoken word not powerfull enough untill Am Not released Unpunished. The use of spoken word in the title track is what makes it so good imho.
you're just a victim of yourself

Andrew McIntosh

That fucking album is one of the best things to happen to Industrial in a while.

I think of Atrax Morgue and the variations between shouting his fucking head off and just harshly/horsely husking the vocals. Depends on the mood. Same with Brighter Death Now - Karmanik sometimes almost tries to sing on some spirals.

Perhaps a good example would be Whitehouse's "Daddo", which has whispering vocals at both start and end and classic Bennet squawking in between. I state that not as a fan of classic Bennet squawking but to make the example.

Depends on the message, perhaps. I can't imagine someone trying to convey the agony of dying in the same way as hatred of an enemy, but then again, there would be examples that disprove my imagination.

And again - the difference between Nicole 12's "Ballerina" and Grunt's "Project Eden" - from ultra-disturbing near-whispering to Black Metal sounding shouting.

Shit - this could go on all night.......
Shikata ga nai.

shearling


Kim V

Quote from: Andrew McIntosh on April 24, 2017, 05:15:47 PM
That fucking album is one of the best things to happen to Industrial in a while.

Hell yeah
you're just a victim of yourself

ricjaff

Quote from: Andrew McIntosh on April 24, 2017, 05:15:47 PM
That fucking album is one of the best things to happen to Industrial in a while.

FreakAnimalFinland

Thing what I often would like to hear more, is diversity. Especially among the current "ultra brutal" PE type of bands, there is one thing what is becoming flaw: Identical vocal style from track to track, from album to album. Often for example "shout as loud as you can" or such.
Of course we can say this has been present in many of the artists, long ago. But it feels as if there is now more than ever.

Different pace. Different pitch. Different usage of force, tone... and perhaps even creative use of effects? While I naturally appreciate sheer blunt brutality, it ain't always enough. It starts to become weakness, when flow of each sentence or scream is almost identical.

Some artists can make it work. I appreciated greatly for example Deathpile "G.R.". Guttural shouting without much processing works very well. But if there would be 3 more albums of that, maybe opinion would change? Often vocals what sounded odd or outrageous have turned out to survive time quite well. Ability to sometimes border on odd or ridiculous doesn't do damage. It's often the little spice what keeps it interesting.
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Cranial Blast

Quote from: shearling on April 24, 2017, 03:10:19 PMobviously both have their merits, but when would you say spoken vocals are more appropriate versus screaming and vice versa? feel free to include examples.....

I think a mix of both. Keith Brewer was the master of this type of vocal versatility and I sincerely hope more newer artists today are influenced by this type of vocal approach. He sometimes delivered the most horrid gut wrenching screams imaginable and at other times had this hard to hear creepy whispering type of vocals that was at times as visceral as some of his most abrasive violent and explosive type. It's all a preference thing, but I like a mix of vocals personally. Keith was amazing at this and often I feel like this part of his legacy is not spoken about enough.