COB style bands with clear vocals?

[Leo Chang]

Hi Guys,

I like metal bands with good musicianship, great melodies, and clear singing vocals.

Nothing against cookie monster growling... I enjoy that in occasional small doses, but I cannot stand it for regular listening. Which is very frustrating, because I like the instrumentation in a lot of melodic death metal bands, but I simply cannot stand their vocals.

(CLARIFICATION: I really am not sure how metal subgenres are defined anymore... but by "melodic death metal", I am referring to bands in the same style / milieu as Children of Bodom + Cadacross + Mors Principium Est + Imperanon . . . etc)

Yes, I know it's an acquired taste, but after several years of really trying to like that style of vocal... screw it, I am just gonna stick with vocalists who actually sing (I don't mean this in a judgemental way against cookie monster vocalists, just that I cannot get used to them)

Ie: I really like Alexi's guitar solos in Children of Bodom, but I cannot bear listening to the full songs because of the vocal style. Which is why I LOVE bands like Sinergy. I don't really like the singer's style either, but at least she does sing in the conventional sense.

I Youtubed a lot of the other subgenres of metal (Power Metal, Symphonic Metal, Black Metal etc etc... ) and in terms of compositional style, and especially the guitar work, I really gravitate towards the melodic death metal type of instrumentation... so if I can get that + clear vocals = perfect

Any and all band recommendations greatly appreciated


Thanks



- Leo.

[horns666]

I got a boatload for ya..I can't get into it right now. You may want to do a quick search for "True Metal VS Trends" ..it was a thread that I started but I've been much too busy at home to continue it.

For now you can check into Griffin "No holds barred". Alexi produced it and does a guest spot on it. Also there's a good Finnish band called Burning Point that sounds kinda like COB with clean vox. Then, there's bands such as Gallowglass, Manticora, Sonata Artica, Nocturnal Rites, Brainstorm, Evergrey, Lost Horizon, Heed, Hibria, Euroforce, Majestic..for starters.

Oh, if you like Arch Enemy's music but want clean vox check out Chris Amott's Armegeddon.

There is always my fave all-time fave..Nevermore..

[shadowcat]

Oh you already mentioned Sinergy...

ok, try Disillusion , might be clean enough for you (still quite aggressive though). Check out "Back To Times of Splendor".

Then I first thought of Aeveron, but that's still mostly cookie.

Latest Scar Symmetry album (Holographic Universe) has lots of clean vox.

Bottom line, if you're looking for melodic death metal with strictly clean vocals, good luck. IMO the whole definition of melodic death metal basically is "not really deathmetal, but death vox".

EDIT: ok Bill did already deliver, I can leave now.

[GinSonic]

As Horns mentioned, go here;

http://www.jcfonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=85448&highlight=trends

Lotsa' cool non cookie monster vocal suggestions in there.
Cheers!
G.

[Ben...]

Ever heard of Turisas? They're as corny as you can get, they split between harsh vocals and clean ones and they put hair on your chest. That said, they can be fun to listen to. How about Conception? Not really Melodeathy but the vocals are godly. As stated before, check out the Metal Vs. Trends thread. I contributed to that one some. It's got some great stuff.

[Leo Chang]

Ok, I'll go through the "True Metal vs Trends" thread again. First time through I got to maybe the 4th page, had more cookie monster vocals than I could stand, so sort of stopped there. I'll go through more of it this time

I'll also check out the other bands you guys mentioned, thanks!

[horns666]

Ok, I'll go through the "True Metal vs Trends" thread again. First time through I got to maybe the 4th page, had more cookie monster vocals than I could stand, so sort of stopped there. I'll go through more of it this time

I'll also check out the other bands you guys mentioned, thanks!

Also check out the beginning of "Bill's New home" in the Non related section. That thread got too big and basically died. It starts with an ongoing list of bands ALL with clean vocals. I wish I could copy and paste that list but its just too fuggin' big.

here it is.. http://www.jcfonline.com/forums/show...ght=bills+home

[toejam]

Sinergy rules!

[Leo Chang]

horns666: holy ****.... that's a BIG list

Awesome, then there are more of these bands to check out than I thought.

Thanks


- Leo.

[VitaminG]

before you get too excited, Bill's most excellent list is of good metal bands with clean vocals, not necessarily COB-style bands with clear vox. Still some awesome bands on that list. Bill has turned me on to a lot of great bands over the years.

[Rebirth]

try my band out at www.rebirthmetal.co.uk

The newer stuff is less cob due to departure of keys, but clear vocals and melodic death metal the older stuff is v v v bodom so much we had to change it"!

[Ben...]

That list is insane. I found a few bands from in when I first got here. Primarily the band Crystal Eyes. That led to Lost Horizon. That led to Kamelot which went to Conception then it just kept going on and on and now I listen to technical death metal and black metal...

I used to be exactly like you in the melodic guitar but no screamy vocals. Then I listened to the Kalmah album "The Black Waltz". That's the album that got me into growly stuff because it's really low and not screechy and you can just zone it out. Their older stuff is screechy though. You can also try Wintersun. Jari can make those vocals work and be completely understandable and he sings clean on a couple of songs.