Death grunts, also referred to as death growls, death vocals or harsh vocals^[1], is a vocalisation style usually employed by vocalists of the death metal musical genre, but is also occasionally used in a variety of other heavy metal sub-genres. Stylistic similarities in both vocal style and technique can be heard in grindcore and hardcore punk bands, among others. Melodic death metal, goregrind, doom metal and gothic metal bands tend to use the technique with substantial modification. Death metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal that evolved out of thrash metal during the early 1980s. ... Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed between 1969 and 1974. ... Grindcore, often shortened to grind, is an evolution of hardcore punk, most commonly associated with death metal and crust punk. ... Hardcore punk (usually referred to simply as hardcore) is a subgenre of punk rock which originated in the United States of America in the late 1970s. ... It has been suggested that Scandinavian death metal be merged into this article or section. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Grindcore. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... Gothic metal is a genre of heavy metal music that originated during the mid 1990s in Europe as an outgrowth of doom-death, a fusion genre of doom metal and death metal. ...

Death grunts are guttural and often difficult to decipher, particularly to listeners unfamiliar with the style. As such, most vocalists who employ the technique choose to vocalise indecipherably, examples being Sylvain Houde from Kataklysm and Lord Worm from Cryptopsy. However, some singers of the style vocalise their lyrics to remain intelligible, such as Karl Willetts from Bolt Thrower. Though currently few female vocalists make use of this technique, Lori Bravo of Nuclear Death and Angela Gossow of Arch Enemy are two examples of active women singers within the scene. In articulatory phonetics, the term guttural consonant is sometimes used to describe any of several consonantal speech sounds whose primary place of articulation is near the back of the oral cavity, specifically some velar consonants, uvular consonants, pharyngeal consonants, and epiglottal consonants (q. ... Sylvain Houde was the singer of the Canadian death metal band Kataklysm. ... Kataklysm is a Canadian death metal band. ... Lord Worm performing with Cryptopsy Lord Worm (real name Dan Greening) is the current vocalist of the Canadian death metal band Cryptopsy. ... Cryptopsy is a brutal/technical death metal band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ... Karl Willetts Karl Willetts (born 21 September 1966) is a death metal vocalist from the UK. He joined the British death metal band Bolt Thrower in 1988. ... Bolt Thrower are a death metal band from Coventry, England. ... Laura Bravo (more commonly known as Lori Bravo) is an avant garde musician, painter and photographer, from Glendale, Arizona. ... Nuclear Death are a Grindcore/Thrash metal band formed in 1985 in Phoenix, Arizona. ... Angela Gossow, 2006. ... Arch Enemy is a Swedish melodic death metal band, formed in 1995 by ex Carcass guitarist Michael Amott. ...

Technique

Contrary to popular belief, growls cannot be "synthesized" using any type of effect. Effects such as reverb or delay can make growls sound more full, as they can with any other type of singing, but melodious singing cannot be transformed by any means into growling. Vocal teachers will often introduce different techniques within their curriculum, but long-term use eventually wears the voice out, thus any actual technique is intended for "less harm" as opposed to "harmless vocalisation". Most "correct" growls use the false vocal cords or diaphragm instead. Laryngoscopic view of the vocal folds. ... Under surface of the human diaphragm. ...

History and variations

The use of growling, "monstrous" vocals for ominous effect in rock music can be traced at least as far back as "I Put a Spell on You" by Screamin' Jay Hawkins in 1956. Though humorous in intent, the 1966 novelty song "Boris the Spider" by The Who features deep, guttural, gurgling growls somewhat similar to those performed by modern death metal vocalists. In the early 1970s, songs such as "Iron Man" by Black Sabbath and "One of These Days" by Pink Floyd both contain brief passages of ominously growled, low-pitched (albeit studio-manipulated) vocals against a heavy background of rock riffs. The "Piltdown Man/Caveman" from Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield may also be considered in a similar vein. Another possible influence on modern growled vocals is Alice Cooper, who often utilized quite harsh bellows and screams in his songs. Cooper started pursuing this vocal direction as early as 1971 and examples include the mid-section of "Ballad Of Dwight Fry" from Love It to Death and the refrain of "You Drive Me Nervous" from Killer, although harsh vocals appear in virtually every one of his songs from the early 70s period; in fact, Alice refers to his screaming style as 'growling' in the documentary video Alice Cooper: Prime Cuts. This expressive style of rock screaming later appeared in many seminal punk bands, such as the Sex Pistols. Since Thrash metal has been influenced by punk, it is quite possible that this scene should also be considered an influence. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Rock and roll. ... I Put a Spell on You is a song written by Screamin Jay Hawkins, whose recording was selected as one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fames 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. ... Screamin Jay Hawkins Jalacy Hawkins, best known as Screamin Jay Hawkins (July 18, 1929 – February 12, 2000) was an African-American singer famed for his wildly theatrical performances of songs like I Put a Spell on You and Constipation Blues. // Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Hawkins originally set out... Year 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... A novelty song is a usually intentionally humorous song, usually in published or recorded form. ... Boris the Spider is a 1966 song by British Rock Band The Who, first released on the bands second album A Quick One. ... The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. ... Events and trends Although in the United States and in many other Western societies the 1970s are often seen as a period of transition between the turbulent 1960s and the more conservative 1980s and 1990s, many of the trends that are associated widely with the Sixties, from the Sexual Revolution... Iron Man is a signature song of Birmingham heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath. ... For other uses, see Black Sabbath (disambiguation). ... One of These Days is the opening track from Pink Floyds 1971 album Meddle. ... Pink Floyd are an English rock band that earned recognition for their psychedelic rock music, and, as they evolved, for their avant-garde progressive rock music. ... Riff is also an alternate spelling of Rif, a region of Morocco. ... Tubular Bells is a record album, written and mostly performed by Mike Oldfield (and later orchestrated by David Bedford for the Orchestral Tubular Bells version). ... Michael Gordon Oldfield (born May 15, 1953 in Reading, England) is a multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music and more recently dance. ... Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948), is a rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans four decades. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday. ... It has been suggested that Im Eighteen be merged into this article or section. ... Killer is the 1971 album by Alice Cooper. ... The Sex Pistols were an iconic and highly influential English punk rock band, formed in London in 1975. ... Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music, one of the extreme metal subgenres, that is characterised by its high speed and aggression. ...

The advent of the growl as it is used today coincided roughly with the gradual emergence of death metal, and it is thus difficult to pinpoint a specific individual as the inventor of the technique. Different vocalists likely developed the style over time. The band Death (and its precursor Mantas) with its two vocalists — initially Kam Lee and subsequently Chuck Schuldiner — have essentially been cited as being influential (although Schuldiner would eventually switch to a more high-pitched screeching). Possessed is considered by some to be one of the earliest bands to employ growls, as are Necrophagia and Master. Around the same time, bands such as Hellhammer, with Tom G. Warrior on vocals, and seminal act Massacre also employed a variation of the growl. Death was an influential American death metal band founded in 1983 and dissolved in 1999. ... Kam Lee is an American singer. ... Charles Michael Chuck Schuldiner (May 13, 1967, Long Island, New York – December 13, 2001) was an American musician. ... Possessed were a seminal death/thrash metal band formed in 1983 in El Sobrante, California, a San Francisco Bay Area suburb. ... Necrophagia was one of the first death metal bands, assembled in 1983. ... Master is an death metal band formed in Chicago, USA in 1985, founded by Paul Speckmann from the remains of Death Strike. ... Hellhammer was an early-80s extreme metal band, hailing from Switzerland and popular briefly in Europe in the mid-1980s. ... Tom Gabriel Fischer, also known by his stage name of Tom Gabriel Warrior, is a Swiss singer and guitarist. ... Massacre is an American Death metal band. ...

Vocalists from the British grindcore band Napalm Death — consecutively Nic Bullen, Lee Dorrian and Mark "Barney" Greenway — further developed the style in the late 1980s, by adding more aggression and deeper guttural elements to it, while also speeding up delivery of the lyrics. Around the same time in the United States, Chris Reifert (from Autopsy) began combining shrieks with his deep vocalistic grunts, while Chris Barnes (from Cannibal Corpse) was noted for having deepened his grunts to tones lower than those which had ever been recorded at that time. Some death metal bands such as Carcass, Exhumed, Dying Fetus, and Gorerotted experimented using two vocalists, alternating vocalization duties between lighter and heavier growls on their songs. The now-defunct Swedish grindcore band Nasum also utilised a similar arrangement, featuring two vocalists alternating between deep growls and high screeches. Grindcore, often shortened to grind, is an evolution of hardcore punk, most commonly associated with death metal and crust punk. ... Napalm Death is a grindcore/death metal band formed in the village of Meriden near Birmingham, England in 1982 by Nicholas Bullen and Miles Ratledge. ... Nicholas James Bullen (Nic) is one of the founders of the early grindcore band Napalm Death together with Miles Ratledge in 1982 then under the name Civil Defence. ... Lee Dorrian is a singer from Birmingham, UK. He started as the singer of Napalm Death and recorded one and a half albums with them, namely the second half of Scum and From Enslavement To Obliteration. ... Mark Barney Greenway, born July 13, 1969 in Kettering, is a British death metal vocalist, who has been a member of Napalm Death, Extreme Noise Terror and Benediction. ... The 1980s refers to the years of 1980 to 1989. ... Chris Reifert (born 1968) started out as the drummer of Death when Chuck Schuldiner moved to California. ... Autopsy were an influential death metal band founded in 1987 in the United States of America by Chris Reifert after he left Death. ... He was one of the founding members of Cannibal Corpse. ... Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band founded in 1988. ... Carcass was a British death metal/goregrind band formed by Napalm Death guitarist Bill Steer together with drummer Ken Owen in 1985. ... Exhumed is a deathgrind and death metal band from the San Francisco Bay Area. ... Cover of Stop at Nothing by Dying Fetus Dying Fetus is a death/grind/hardcore band formed in 1991 in Maryland, United States. ... Gorerotted is a British goregrind/death metal band formed in 1997. ... Nasum logo from the official site. ...

Vocalists of doom metal bands tend to put more emphasis on adding atmospheric and emotional overtones to their growls. Nick Holmes (from Paradise Lost), Darren White (from Anathema) and Aaron Stainthorpe (from My Dying Bride) were the main developers of growls within this context, circa the early 1990s. Stainthorpe was one of the first to combine growls and clean-singing, a technique which was developed further in large part by Opeth's Mikael Åkerfeldt. In gothic metal, the growls are typically contrasted by female operatic vocals. Nick Holmes (born England, January 7, 1971) is a British singer and current vocalist of band Paradise Lost. ... Paradise Lost are a heavy metal band formed in 1988 in Halifax, UK. Along with countrymates Anathema and My Dying Bride, they are credited for creating the subgenre known as doom/death metal. ... Darren White is an English-based musician best known as the first vocalist for the band Anathema. ... Anathema are an English band from the city of Liverpool, who - together with Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride - helped develop the doom death genre. ... Aaron Stainthorpe (born November 12, 1968) is My Dying Brides vocalist. ... My Dying Bride is a British doom/death metal band formed in 1990. ... Opeth is a progressive death metal band from Sweden. ... Mikael Ã…kerfeldt Mikael Ã…kerfeldt (last name pronounced Awk-kär-felt) (born April 17, 1974, in Stockholm, Sweden) is currently lead vocalist and guitarist of Opeth. ... The Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy. ...

Funeral doom metal bands have taken a different approach to growls; deep guttural vocals are often replaced by hoarser, sometimes practically whispered growls. Examples of such vocalists which make use of this technique are "Matti" of Skepticism and John Paradiso of Evoken. It has been suggested that sludge metal be merged into this article or section. ... Skepticism are a doom metal band from Finland. ... Evoken is an American death/doom band that is highly inspired by the Australian band Disembowelment. ...

There remains other genres which have their own individual and collective approaches to death growls, mainly consisting of deathgrind and brutal death metal. Here, vocals are often pushed to the extreme - being as deep, guttural and indecipherable as possible, usually without the use of any effects whatsoever. A few examples are Frank Mullen of Suffocation and John McEntee of Incantation. Finally, there is also an inhaled growl style; this technique is often referred to as "pig squeals" or (more plainly) "inhales". Examples of vocalists using this technique are Phlegeton of Wormed and Jamie Bailey of Brodequin. Deathgrind (also known as death-grind and death/grind) is a mixture of the intensity, speed, and brevity of grindcore and the complexity of death metal. ... ... Frank Mullen is the singer of the American Death metal band Suffocation. ... Suffocation is an American death metal band. ... Incantation is a US death metal band that was formed by John McEntee and Paul Ledney in 1989. ... Wormed is an experimental Brutal death metal band from Madrid, Spain formed in 1998. ... Brodequin is a death-grind band from Knoxville, Tennessee. ...

Key vocalists

Vocalists essential to the development of the growl and the bands they represent are:

• Chris Barnes (Cannibal Corpse, Six Feet Under, Torture Killer)
• Jeff Becerra (Possessed)
• Nic Bullen (Napalm Death)
• Lee Dorrian (Napalm Death)
• Martin van Drunen (Pestilence, Asphyx)
• Mark "Barney" Greenway (Benediction, Napalm Death)
• Nick Holmes (pre-1995 Paradise Lost)
• Sylvain Houde (Kataklysm)
• Dave Ingram (Benediction)
• Kam Lee (Massacre, Mantas/Death)
• Darren Moore (Mourning Beloveth)
• Frank Mullen (Suffocation)
• Chris Reifert (Autopsy, Abscess, The Ravenous)
• Chuck Schuldiner (Death)
• Aaron Stainthorpe (My Dying Bride)
• Bill Steer (Carcass)
• John Tardy (Obituary)
• Jeff Walker (Carcass)
• Darren White (Anathema)
• Karl Willetts (Bolt Thrower)
• Lord Worm (Cryptopsy)
• Mikael Åkerfeldt (Opeth, Bloodbath)

He was one of the founding members of Cannibal Corpse. ... Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band founded in 1988. ... Six Feet Under (often abbreviated as SFU) A side project band started by Chris Barnes of Cannibal Corpse and Allen West of Obituary. ... Torture Killer is a death metal band from Finland which started out in 2002 as a Six Feet Under cover band, but soon began composing and performing original material in the same vein. ... Possessed was a death metal band formed in 1983, in El Sobrante, California (slightly North of San Francisco), and have often been credited for creating and paving the way of this genre. ... Possessed were a seminal death/thrash metal band formed in 1983 in El Sobrante, California, a San Francisco Bay Area suburb. ... Nicholas James Bullen (Nic) is one of the founders of the early grindcore band Napalm Death together with Miles Ratledge in 1982 then under the name Civil Defence. ... Napalm Death is a grindcore/death metal band formed in the village of Meriden near Birmingham, England in 1982 by Nicholas Bullen and Miles Ratledge. ... Lee Dorrian is a singer from Birmingham, UK. He started as the singer of Napalm Death and recorded one and a half albums with them, namely the second half of Scum and From Enslavement To Obliteration. ... Napalm Death is a grindcore/death metal band formed in the village of Meriden near Birmingham, England in 1982 by Nicholas Bullen and Miles Ratledge. ... Martin van Drunen fronting Bolt Thrower Martin van Drunen is a Dutch death metal vocalist, who started out in the band Pestilence. ... Pestilence were a death/thrash metal band from the Netherlands founded in 1986. ... Asphyx is a Dutch death metal band. ... Mark Barney Greenway, born July 13, 1969 in Kettering, is a British death metal vocalist, who has been a member of Napalm Death, Extreme Noise Terror and Benediction. ... Benediction is a British death metal band from Birmingham. ... Napalm Death is a grindcore/death metal band formed in the village of Meriden near Birmingham, England in 1982 by Nicholas Bullen and Miles Ratledge. ... Nick Holmes (born England, January 7, 1971) is a British singer and current vocalist of band Paradise Lost. ... Paradise Lost are a heavy metal band formed in 1988 in Halifax, UK. Along with countrymates Anathema and My Dying Bride, they are credited for creating the subgenre known as doom/death metal. ... Sylvain Houde was the singer of the Canadian death metal band Kataklysm. ... Kataklysm is a Canadian death metal band. ... Dave Bjerregaard Ingram is a death metal vocalist from Birmingham, England. ... Benediction is a British death metal band from Birmingham. ... Kam Lee is an American singer. ... Massacre is an American Death metal band. ... Death was an influential American death metal band founded in 1983 and dissolved in 1999. ... Darren Moore is the an Irish singer and is currently the singer of the doom metal band Mourning Beloveth. ... Mourning Beloveth is an Irish doom metal band (actually doom death), along the lines of early Anathema and My Dying Bride (but stripped of all violins and keyboards). ... Frank Mullen is the singer of the American Death metal band Suffocation. ... Suffocation is an American death metal band. ... Chris Reifert (born 1968) started out as the drummer of Death when Chuck Schuldiner moved to California. ... Autopsy were an influential death metal band founded in 1987 in the United States of America by Chris Reifert after he left Death. ... Abscess is a hardcore punk influenced death metal band from Oakland, California. ... The Ravenous are an American death metal band. ... Charles Michael Chuck Schuldiner (May 13, 1967, Long Island, New York – December 13, 2001) was an American musician. ... Death was an influential American death metal band founded in 1983 and dissolved in 1999. ... Aaron Stainthorpe (born November 12, 1968) is My Dying Brides vocalist. ... My Dying Bride is a British doom/death metal band formed in 1990. ... Bill Steer (William Geoffrey Steer) (born December 3, 1969 in Stockton-on-Tees, England) is an English guitar player. ... Carcass was a British death metal/goregrind band formed by Napalm Death guitarist Bill Steer together with drummer Ken Owen in 1985. ... John Tardy is an American vocalist who is best known for his work with the death metal band Obituary. ... Cover of Cause of Death (1990) Obituary is a death metal band from Tampa, Florida. ... Jeffrey Walker is a bass guitarist and singer from Liverpool, UK. He is best known for his work with the death metal band Carcass for which he was also the main lyricist. ... Carcass was a British death metal/goregrind band formed by Napalm Death guitarist Bill Steer together with drummer Ken Owen in 1985. ... Darren White is an English-based musician best known as the first vocalist for the band Anathema. ... Anathema are an English band from the city of Liverpool, who - together with Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride - helped develop the doom death genre. ... Karl Willetts Karl Willetts (born 21 September 1966) is a death metal vocalist from the UK. He joined the British death metal band Bolt Thrower in 1988. ... Bolt Thrower are a death metal band from Coventry, England. ... Lord Worm performing with Cryptopsy Lord Worm (real name Dan Greening) is the current vocalist of the Canadian death metal band Cryptopsy. ... Cryptopsy is a brutal/technical death metal band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ... Mikael Åkerfeldt Mikael Åkerfeldt (last name pronounced Awk-kär-felt) (born April 17, 1974, in Stockholm, Sweden) is currently lead vocalist and guitarist of Opeth. ... Opeth is a progressive death metal band from Sweden. ... Bloodbath logo Bloodbath is a Swedish death metal band formed in 2000. ...

See also

• Clean vocals

This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

References

1. ^ The categorisation of death metal. metalstorm.ee. Retrieved on January 21, 2006.

January 21 is the 21st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

External links

• That's Good Enough for Me: Cookie Monsters of death-metal music from The Wall Street Journal OpinionJournal February 1, 2006

• Learn to do Death Metal Vocals from www.wikihow.com
• More Death Metal Vocals info from www.wikihow.com