Cookie Monster vocals..if you remember a few months ago, i

[Robert Burns]

Complained about these bands, that are just screaming... and unless
you read the lyrics later on...no way you understand what the guy is
saying..(i took allot of flak for this..but then im 53, so i can complain
and be a grumpy old man if i want to!) Today i heard on "hard attack"
Sirius satellite radio) a band named "Dope"... "Die Mutha fucka, Die!"
Not only a great name for tune..but nearly perfect metal imo!
The guy was a bad ass on vocals...came close to Cookie rasp, but
would always break away, and just command the stage, and kick ass!
So anyway...just wanted to rant, that imo i can be done right...and
sometimes is.. for even these 53, (soon to be 54) year old ears!
Cut me some slack! At least i check in on Buzzsaw, Hairnation, and
Hard attack everyday!

[horns666]

Robert, you gotta ween yourself into slowly with quality bands. There is SO much crap out there. It could seem impossible that they even exist..but they sure do. I started off with Coroner. That band got me into the harsher stuff and it just evolved from there. I'm old too..I have grey hairs all over my body. My wife sheers me like a sheep twice a year..except for my sack..I do that twice a week ...to keep it nice..for the people.

[akoch]

Saw Opeth the other night, they were playing before the Dream Theater. Mixed feelings... I mean I love metal, but the vocals kill it for me. The content is another rant, but I realize how it is all subjective etc

Another rant: not that I go to a lot of shows here but before coming to North America I went to shows like Pink Floyd, Malmsteen, Monsters of Rock with ACDC, Pantera, Metallica in the 90s etc. They all had great sound bordering CD quality, but with obviously greater impact. Now, recent shows I saw - G3, Dream Theater, a few others - all seem to have one things in common - really loud and really poor quality sound. One would think DT should be up there, but alas. Am I just getting old and 'it is always greener on the other side' syndrome kicks in?

[horns666]

Patera is a great band to get you into "heavier" things vocally..not "gruff" but harsh at times. Vocals should fit the music. I think Phil Anselmo is a pud, but the fucker is dynamic..reminds me a bit of my own singer. There is a big difference of quality "gruff" vocals. There's "hacks" that make up most of this shit. Then there's real singers with amazing range, power and dynamaics..they make the best "gruff" singers IMO. Also, nothing but harsh vocals can make a pretty tedious listen. Example, I like Lamb Of God..and Randy has his own "sig" which is cool..but I can't listen to a whole cd without grating on my nerves. Everything starts to sound "samey'..almost like a monotone robot..turning what could have been great music into a blur of growls..he's alot more dynamic than he used to be which is cool.

Aggressive music needs aggressive vocals..it should fit the music just like any instrument in the mix.

[slash-ed]

I agree completely about Anselmo.. pud and all That's one of the reasons why I love Pantera but can't stand some "heavier" style vocals that just growl n whatnot all the time. Phil may be a cock but he has some range, and good control of his vocal tone when he wasn't hopped up.

[Megadeth79]

I agree about Anselmo. Also though many old fans do not agree, I think the new Soilwork (also the previous one Stabbing the Drama) has a good balance of brutal and clean vocals.

[Rupe]

I have yet to hear "Cookie Monster" vocals that aren't cartoonish and lame. You can make a song heavy and get your point across without sounding like a reject from the Exorcist.

I can handle Anselmo but beyond that it's a joke IMO.

[Spivonious]

Are we considering all non-singing/shouting vocals cookie monster? Because I don't consider Opeth to be cookie monster. That's the band that got me past my dislike for growls. Akerfeldt said in an interview when asked why he doesn't sing all the time that he feels growls are the most aggressive vocals so he uses them in the most aggressive parts of the songs. Then I thought about it and agreed with him.

It's true though, most bands do cookie monsters because A) they're br00tal B)they can't sing.

[MSGfan]

I have yet to hear "Cookie Monster" vocals that aren't cartoonish and lame. You can make a song heavy and get your point across without sounding like a reject from the Exorcist.

I can handle Anselmo but beyond that it's a joke IMO.

+1000 and AMEN on that brother!!!!
Althought a lot of the bands videos you see on HeadBangers Ball are great musicians, their vocals SUCK A$$!!!!!!
Why ruin a kick A$$ metal song by having a singer that sounds like he gargles with gravel!!!

[MartinBarre]

I listened again to Morbid Angel's "Blessed Are the Sick" album - that's a good one to try if you don't like OTT cookie monster stuff. This album features intelligible lyrics - or maybe it's just cos I read them so much when I got the album years ago.
Anyway, they're not stupid vomiting sounds like Cryptopsy, give Morbid Angel a go!
Or even old Sepultura.

[Racerx2k]

I have yet to hear "Cookie Monster" vocals that aren't cartoonish and lame. You can make a song heavy and get your point across without sounding like a reject from the Exorcist.

I can handle Anselmo but beyond that it's a joke IMO.

I pretty much agree, but for me, why TRY to make a song heavy? I mean, if it is, it is. I can't stand most of these type of bands, for the same reason why I hate rap: Alot of b.s. posturing, trying to look like the hardest m.f.'ers alive. I learn a long time ago, the biggest dog bark the least.

[MartinBarre]

Okay, someone record me a version of a Nile song with vocals like Bruce Dickinson or Jon Bon Jovi.
Sorry, it just can't be done.
The vocals match the music. It's not about trying to act hard - that's just an incredibly stupid statement.
Why do Racer X have such silly guitar solos? It's to make Paul Gilbert think he's a hard man.
Nonsense. Paul Gilbert plays like that cos it fits the songs perfectly. Good death metal bands play like that cos it's what the music calls for.
If you don't enjoy it, fine, don't listen to it.
But to say it's "posturing" is just ridiculous. Have you any idea how most metal fans viewed Mr Big? It annoys me to see metal fans stereotyping other types of metal just because they don't get it.

[Megadeth79]

Okay, someone record me a version of a Nile song with vocals like Bruce Dickinson or Jon Bon Jovi.
Sorry, it just can't be done.
The vocals match the music. It's not about trying to act hard - that's just an incredibly stupid statement.
Why do Racer X have such silly guitar solos? It's to make Paul Gilbert think he's a hard man.
Nonsense. Paul Gilbert plays like that cos it fits the songs perfectly. Good death metal bands play like that cos it's what the music calls for.
If you don't enjoy it, fine, don't listen to it.
But to say it's "posturing" is just ridiculous. Have you any idea how most metal fans viewed Mr Big? It annoys me to see metal fans stereotyping other types of metal just because they don't get it.

Sorry but I do not agree. coz sometimes it is impossible to consider these brutal vocals as singing. It is not also screaming like Halford or Dickinson do. But as you sad maybe we just don' get it. Who knows.

[Inazone]

More traditional musical genres use the vocals to carry the melody. In death metal, the vocals are more of a rhythm instrument. In the melodic death metal genre (which some people consider an oxymoron) it's the guitars that carry the melody. To me, prime examples of that would be early In Flames or Dark Tranquillity. One of my recent favorites is The Novella Reservoir by November's Doom. There are some excellent vocals on there, both growled and sung.

As for the band Dope, well . . . seriously?

[OnlineStageGear]

Not to mention the fact the "Cookie Monster" vocals has about as much commercial success as New Coke.

Matt