THE BEAST

Photo by Evgeniy Smersh on Unsplash

By Shawn Leonhardt for 30 Day Singer and Guitar Tricks

Not all singers are looking to croon, swoon, or wax poetic. Some want to growl, scream, wail, and shriek like a beast from an epic fantasy story. This death metal vocal approach is not going to be the same as regular singing lessons , in this case we are looking at more potential physical damage if we aren’t careful. Here are some metal vocal tips on how to deep-roar like the rest of them!

Breath Control

This is actually good advice for any singer of jazz standards, opera, or screaming black death coffin fodder music. You need to sing from the diaphragm and focus on taking deep and controlled breaths. Engage in activities like swimming as it helps exercise your chest or really any cardio will be helpful. Singing is an intense activity so you have to do the leg work to be prepared for it.

Pitch Study

Sit down at a piano and study your pitches, vocal range , and note intervals. This can be regular singing and music practice. Learn to play a harmonica, guitar, ukulele, or anything that will help you memorize your notes and chords. With a better music theory understanding your final vocal product will be more refined. Even when roaring and screaming we have to know what the audience wants to hear and we learn that by studying our notes and pitches.

False Chord and Throat Singing

Start by sighing as if you are bothered and let those vocal chords lower in pitch until they rumble and growl. This may feel awkward at first and your throat needs to get used to that vibration. This is a vocal fry example . Now start singing different pitches and changing as you sing through that growl from the vocal cord vibrations. When doing this the more control the better, just randomly growling will lead to hoarseness and irritated vocals. 

Falsetto

Now it may seem counterintuitive to sing in a high falsetto but any vocal cord training will give you more control over the final product. Start on a low note and start building as high as you can go until your voice “breaks” and jumps into the higher falsetto pitch. Like the low false chord growl it shouldn’t be painful if you practice easing into it slowly. Teaching our voice to sing in head voice vs chest voice will improve muscle and pitch control.

Vocal Fry And Compression

These are techniques that you have to be careful with as reading and copying exactly what needs done are two different worlds. When you are compressing your vocals to get the false chord you can create a very guttural sound. It’s similar to whispering but a much harsher tone. Start by singing lower and mid-range pitches through that compressed opening. As you get into higher notes it will begin to sound more like fry screaming. Either way as a novice taking beginner singing lessons , this shouldn’t feel too abrasive or scratchy in your throat. Build into these compressed screams slowly as a first timer.

Mouth Resonance

If we focus too much on the growl from the throat and vocal cords we may forget to keep an eye on the projection created with the mouth. Actually our entire bodies resonate the sound so keep an ear on how your singing may change through your mouth, head, chest, and nasal cavity. The way you open your mouth, clench your teeth, or alter your jaw can create a unique vibe. Remember as a singer your whole body is the instrument so use it appropriately. While it seems technical, these steps will teach you how to be a good singer for metal vocals.

Find Your Flow

Some death metal vocalists enunciate their words like a public speaker, others may slur their words together based on a rhythmic flow. You need to find what style fits your vocals and guttural sounds. If your music is halting and aggressive then you want the same in your vocals. Music that has more pop elements will sound better with a vocal line that smoothly moves along. Experiment with how you sing and say the words to see what flow may be best suited for your band.

Mimic Your Favorite Bands

Regularly practice and sing along to music of the bands you most want to sing like. This is the ultimate method of learning any type of music, simply copy who you like. This can be embarrassing, tedious, and time consuming especially if you are practicing over and over. But this is how most musicians succeed, they mimic those who they like and over time the skill builds!

Let Technology Help

One of the main ways to sing death metal growls is to focus on guttural rumblings in our throat and to maintain a proper pitch. But there is also a lot of technology that helps singers create their overall vibe. Even in a live situation you can use octaves, harmonics, or simple time delays like reverb to enhance your voice. Even the slightest vocal delay can add depth and bass. Refine and practice your vocals but don’t forget music is a show, let technology help you create a voice the audience will love.

Do Not Force Or Overdo It

Death and screaming vocals are extreme and hard to explain to someone who’s taking beginner vocal lessons , but the number one rule is to just not overdo it. As you strain and compress those vocal cords don’t force super low or high pitches through. You want to stretch and build muscle but destroying it does no good. Often in music people jump in too fast before they are ready, a proper growling death metal vocalist is going to ease into their workouts and not push it.

If you want to growl with the best death metal vocalists it will take a lot of practice with your throat and vocal cords. You will first want to hone your traditional singing, pitch, and breath control before attempting any difficult techniques. Copy the metal singers that you like best and slowly work towards sounding just like they do. Keep in mind that an injury will only mess your progress up so don’t rush it and that deep growl will eventually build to a roar!