Decided to give Opeth a try... and...

[roadtonowhere08]

Quote:

Originally Posted by en480c4 ...to My Arms, Your Hearse, which for me is their strongest album, lyrically, musically, conceptually and as it turns out, vocally, where the use of the mostly growls w/ great distant clean vox is perfectly suited to the theme of the disc...

And the funny part is, Mikael recorded that album while he had a cold. I can definitely hear it on some parts. Regardless, MAYH is my favorite Opeth album as well for the same reasons.

 

[Beach123456]

i've been through those four stages in a matter of minutes QUOTE]
Lucky.
It took me something like 2 weeks, and it would have taken longer, but that was all my friend played when I was hanging out at his house, so I eventually started to like it. (The Song was After Dinner Payback by From Autumn to Ashes)

 

[Enverxis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chri5peed Metal has got too many genres.

I know >-<

 

[Nacher]

It took me possibly even years to slowly reach the "fourth level of undestanding extreme vocals". For some time it did disturb me, and I stick with band like Sentenced with clean/rasp vocals, but with time, it grow on me. However, this somehow didn't apply to Cradle of Filth - Dusk and Her Embrace. That was one of the first dark metal albums I heard, and I instantly liked it. I didn't really appreciate the vocals, but I thought they fit the music well, and never had any problem with them. Still it took like two more years to discover how good Opeth was, strange...

 

[Enverxis]

took me 9 months

 

[eyeteeth]

Wow I'm suprised it took so long for so many to appreciate extreme vocal styles. I wasn't being a smart-ass when I said it was instantaneous for me.
Blackwater Park was my first DM CD, purchased without having heard a minute of the genre, and I locked right in. Listen to 'Bleak'! What other vocal could ever fit it better? None, it's perfect.

Now, later, the Opeth vocal roar isn't my favourite type of extreme vocal. I now think it's the least skilled type.
I prefer a higher toned, raspy, phlegmy, lung cancer style.
I most prefer someone like Dimmu Borgir's Shagrath or middle period Mayhem's Maniac. Emperor's Ihsahn, an immortal fav, is about as high pitched as I can go.

Cradle of Filth's Dani makes me want to call the Humane Society and get that chihuahua neutered.

 

[eyeteeth]

Quote:

Dimmu Borgir's Shagrath

I adore some of the clean-ish vocals on Death Cult Armageddon. The clean and extreme aren't night and day like with Opeth but have lots of shades of gray between. And the clean vocals are deep voiced not high, pristine, airy, fairy. Heavenly Perverse has a great deep gravelly nearly spoken vocal near the begining, love it!

 

[Enverxis]

my favourite extreme metal vocalist is Mark Jansen of Epica, best of both worlds as he can grunt and rasp extremely well.
Take a look at Consign to Oblivion, although only three songs contain extreme vocals, especially the last track, but

they are

 

[Beach123456]

I like the 'growling' type lyrics in general, but for the most part I dont like really high pitched 'growling' type lyrics. The only exception I can find to this so far is Avenged Sevenfold. That guy sounds like a demon, and I cant get enough of it!

Mostly, though, I like Atreyu's and It Dies Today type vocalists.

 

[Masonjar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beach123456 I like the 'growling' type lyrics in general, but for the most part I dont like really high pitched 'growling' type lyrics. The only exception I can find to this so far is Avenged Sevenfold. That guy sounds like a demon, and I cant get enough of it! Mostly, though, I like Atreyu's and It Dies Today type vocalists.

What I find kind of cool about Avenged Sevenfold is how they're bringing back Priest/Maiden style dual-lead guitar solos. Even though they're very modern, they also nod back to their influences and aren't afraid to include them. You would have never heard Maiden sounding riffs in an "alternative" type band 10 years ago. Now, anything goes. Crap, I can't even begin to count all the influences I hear in Coheed and Cambria. One minute it's Rush, the next minute it's the Cars... go figure!

-jar

 

[Masonjar]

I was spinning Death Metal and Grindcore on college radio back when Carcass and Cannibal Corpse (w/ Chris Barnes) were decent. Grave and Atheist. Napalm Death and Suffocation. Yea, a lot of them sounded the same, but it was a fun time. So, the death grows of Opeth are nothing new to me, though I have to admit, that on some level, I feel that more people would get into them if they toned down the barking.. but I like it just fine. Their music is really incredible. However, for a band like Katatonia, I really think their current vocals fit the music much better than the death vocals did.

-jar

 

[Beach123456]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Masonjar What I find kind of cool about Avenged Sevenfold is how they're bringing back Priest/Maiden style dual-lead guitar solos. Even though they're very modern, they also nod back to their influences and aren't afraid to include them. You would have never heard Maiden sounding riffs in an "alternative" type band 10 years ago. Now, anything goes. Crap, I can't even begin to count all the influences I hear in Coheed and Cambria. One minute it's Rush, the next minute it's the Cars... go figure! -jar

What Ive been liking about them the most lately is the drum parts from Sounding The Seventh Trumpet. Completely crazy!

 

[MikeB06]

I just downloaded "Blackwater Park" after reading all of this commentary. After being very well prepped for the vocals by reading this thread, Opeth is very easy to get into. I remember downloading one or two of their songs last year after reading people talking about them on here, without really knowing what to expect at all, and being like What??? I thought the vocals just ruined the music and haven't listened to them since then. Now I listen through Blackwater Park and am addicted. I just got Still Life, and so far it is VERY good. Any suggestions on where to go from here in the Opeth catalog?

 

[roadtonowhere08]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeB06 I just downloaded "Blackwater Park" after reading all of this commentary. After being very well prepped for the vocals by reading this thread, Opeth is very easy to get into. I remember downloading one or two of their songs last year after reading people talking about them on here, without really knowing what to expect at all, and being like What??? I thought the vocals just ruined the music and haven't listened to them since then. Now I listen through Blackwater Park and am addicted. I just got Still Life, and so far it is VERY good. Any suggestions on where to go from here in the Opeth catalog?

My Arms, Your Hearse. It's their best album, IMO.

 

[Nacher]

The whole Opeth catalogue is fantastic, though Damnation is stylistically completely different. It's a mellow album without any growls. Opeth albums could be divided stylistically by :

Old (dueling guitars, more straightforward sound, very technical) : Orchid, Morningrise.

Classic (More massive, dark and epic sound, deepest growls, the most evil era of Opeth. Often considered as the best) : My Arms Your Hearse, Still Life, Blackwater Park

Modern (more progrock elements, a bit more mellow and not so evil) Deliverance, Damnation and Ghost Reveries.