Screaming (music)
Encyclopedia
Screaming is a vocal technique that is most popular in subgenres of heavy metal
, punk
and hard rock
, including metalcore
, deathcore
, post-hardcore
, groove metal
, black metal
, and grindcore
. While intensity, pitch, and characteristics vary from vocalist to vocalist, screamed vocals generally accompany fast paced music, and are associated with more aggressive musical themes or styles.
Some composer
s have employed screaming in avant garde works in the twentieth century, typically in the post-World War II era, as composers began to explore more experimental compositional techniques and nonstandard use of musical instrument
s (including the voice). Composers who have used shouting or screaming in their works include Luciano Berio
, George Crumb
, and Karlheinz Stockhausen
. The use of hoarse vocals in choral and orchestral works continues today in some productions such as film scores; mainstream examples include some works by Don Davis
and Wojciech Kilar
.
and Howlin' Wolf
.
and hardcore punk
. Early punk was distinguished by a general tendency to eschew traditional singing techniques in favor of a more direct, harsh style which accentuated meaning rather than beauty. The logical extension of this aesthetic is shouting or screaming, and in hardcore, vocals are usually shouted in a frenetic manner similar to rapping or football chant
s, often accompanied by "gang vocals" in which a group of people shout along with the vocalist (this style is very common in punk rock, most prominently Oi!
, streetpunk and hardcore punk).
since the genre's dawn in the late 1960s (with singers such as Robert Plant
, Ian Gillan
and Rob Halford
employing the technique frequently), screaming as a normal method of lyrical delivery first came to prominence in heavy metal as part of the thrash metal
explosion of the 1980s. Thrash metal was influenced both by heavy metal and by hardcore punk
, the latter of which often incorporated shouted or screamed vocals. The first instance of screaming used as a constant delivery of lyrics was Chuck Schuldiner
of the band Death. Musicologist Robert Walser
notes, "The punk influence shows up in the music's fast tempos and frenetic aggressiveness and in critical or sarcastic lyrics delivered in a menacing growl." It should however be noted that the vocal delivery of thrash metal is incredibly diverse; some bands such as Anthrax
use much cleaner vocals, early Metallica
uses very hardcore punk influenced vocals while other bands such as Slayer
use more "evil" shouts and yells, bearing little resemblance to hardcore punk. More recent bands within metal's various subgenres, such as Whitechapel
, are known for making use of multiple variations of screaming and growling.
Screaming in some subgenres of heavy metal music is typically demanding and guttural
. The death growl
is common in death metal
.
Separate forms of extreme metal vocalization can be found in black metal
, which has a higher-pitched sound, and deathcore
, which uses either a low growl or a high pitched scream.
Death metal, in particular, is associated with growled vocals. Death metal, which tends to be darker and more morbid than thrash metal, features vocals that attempt to evoke chaos and misery by being "usually very deep, guttural, and unintelligible." Natalie Purcell notes, "Although the vast majority of death metal bands use very low, beast-like, almost indiscernible growls as vocals, many also have high and screechy or operatic vocals, or simply deep and forcefully sung vocals." Music sociologist Deena Weinstein has noted of death metal, "Vocalists in this style have a distinctive sound, growling and snarling rather than singing the words. Making ample use of the voice distortion box, they sound as if they had gargled with hydrochloric acid
."
The progressively more forceful enunciation of metal vocals has been noted, from heavy metal to thrash metal to death metal.
music in particular has a definitive "screaming" style which constitutes a vast majority of the genre's vocal work, though this is done in varying degrees. Some black metal acts use this approach as a simple rasping sound, but others use a louder, more "grim" scream to emulate the cold, evil, and frightening atmosphere black metal would portray. Vocalists like Ihsahn of Emperor
, Grutle Kjellson of Enslaved
and Pest of Gorgoroth
utilize loud screaming in their vocal work, while other vocalists take differing approaches; for example: Dani of Cradle of Filth
uses a high-pitched screeching style, Shagrath of Dimmu Borgir
once used a style on par with loud roaring around the band's Enthrone Darkness Triumphant
days, and Pasi of the Finnish band Darkwoods My Betrothed
used a style that sounded more like wailing mixed with the genre's present screams.
music is usually imbued with a vulnerable, emotional vocal tone. Bands such as Sleeping With Sirens
and Pierce The Veil
use primarily clean vocals and add high pitched screams in the chorus or to start a verse. Early post-hardcore groups (such as Rites of Spring
and Embrace
) often featured screamed vocals that were more or less similar to that of '80s hardcore punk
and anarcho-punk
. In contemporary genres, screams are considered by some to be more accessible; one very common technique is that of metalcore
and later hardcore punk subgenres, shouting in a distressed, raspy manner. Howard Jones
of Killswitch Engage
and George Pettit
of Alexisonfire
are examples of this; the former screaming in a husky tone and the latter using a higher yell. Some bands such as We Came As Romans
scream in a much deeper harsh-sounding tone, while Jeremy Mckinnon of A Day to Remember
goes a step further, employing death growls. Davey Havok
of AFI
employs screaming, with more of a high-pitched scream in earlier albums and a more growling tone in Decemberunderground
. Daryl Palumbo
of Glassjaw
uses various types of screams, ranging from highs to midrange. Many bands do what is called a pig squeal, which is a low guttural vocal resembling the sound of a pig. Despised Icon
is a prime example of this technique, although they are more accurately described as deathcore
.
By the early 2000s, the amount of screaming in any given song or album could vary widely from band to band, with some bands eschewing the technique altogether or using it very infrequently, often at climaxes of songs. Thursday
, My Chemical Romance
, Thrice
and Story of the Year
are examples of bands achieving widespread success who only occasionally made use of screaming, as opposed to bands like Funeral for a Friend
, The Used
, Escape The Fate
, and From Autumn To Ashes
, whom use screaming rather frequently. Post-hardcore bands such as Hawthorne Heights
and Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows use screaming strictly as backing vocals to compliment the more prominent clean vocals in order for their music to have a more "hardcore
" sound.
sometimes employs screaming. It also includes shouting and rapping
as well as various other styles of vocals. Jonathan Davis
screams in most of Korn
's earlier songs. Linkin Park
's singer, Chester Bennington
, also screams in certain Linkin Park songs such as "One Step Closer
", "Lying From You
", and "Faint
". Screaming is used prominently on Limp Bizkit
's debut album Three Dollar Bill, Yall$
where Fred Durst
can be heard frequently utilizing a high pitch scream. Chino Moreno
of Deftones
is famed for his high-pitched, aggressive screams.
Many other nu metal bands employ a stronger use of screaming in their music as well as more concrete metal influences (often groove metal
and industrial metal
) such as Spineshank
and Ill Niño
.
American nu metal band Otep
frontwoman Otep Shamaya
is also known for her usage of death growls as well as high pitch screaming - thus being one of the more "heavy" classes of nu metal bands.
In industrial music, some bands like to combine screaming techniques with clean vocals to create a concrete sound with a noticeable change in tone. Examples include Waylon Reavis
of Mushroomhead
, Edsel Dope
of Dope
, Burton C. Bell
of Fear Factory
, Jamey Jasta
of Hatebreed
, and Corey Taylor
of Slipknot
. This technique is also sometimes vaguely known as "yelling".
Most of the tracks on Nirvana's
first album, Bleach
feature Kurt Cobain
employing intense screams into the melodies. They are also accompanied by vocal cracking in some cases which can either indicate improper technique, stylistic choice, or a combination of both. Cobain later adopted a screaming style which was less raspy and perhaps more representative of the "proper" technique.
Some tracks of the album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
by The Smashing Pumpkins
such as "Zero
", "XYU", "Bullet with Butterfly Wings
", "Tales of a Scorched Earth", and "Jellybelly" featured lead singer/guitarist Billy Corgan
screaming in a high-pitched vocal tone.
Experimental music
genres often feature screamed vocals if vocals are employed in the music, as a form of alternative expression rather than conventional singing. Noise music
is notable for screamed vocals, an example being the well-known noise artist Masonna.
Some Folk Noir bands (often ones that have come from the black metal scene originally) use guttural growls and shrieks occasionally, mostly for dramatic effect. Examples include Empyrium
and Uaral.
Aggrotech bands such as Aesthetic Perfection
, Psyclon Nine
, Combichrist
, Unter Null
, Angelspit
, and Amduscia
and have used screaming vocals, as well as more mainstream industrial metal
groups, such as Skinny Puppy
and Ministry
.
, formerly of the band From First to Last
, who had to leave his role as vocalist in the band due to the damage it was causing to his vocal chords, which required surgery to repair. He then embarked on a currently extremely popular solo career under the name of Skrillex, creating electro house and dubstep
music.
However, with proper technique, screaming can be done without harm to the vocal cords. Melissa Cross
is a vocal teacher who specializes this, and has taught many vocalists such as Randy Blythe
and Angela Gossow
.
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
, punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
, including metalcore
Metalcore
Metalcore is a subgenre of heavy metal combining various elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. The name is a portmanteau of the names of the two genres. The term took on its current meaning in the mid-1990s, describing bands such as Earth Crisis, Deadguy and Integrity...
, deathcore
Deathcore
Deathcore is an extreme metal music genre that combines elements of death metal with elements of metalcore or hardcore punk, or both. It is defined by an "excessive" use of death metal riffs, blast beats and use of hardcore punk breakdowns...
, post-hardcore
Post-hardcore
Post-hardcore is a genre of music that developed from hardcore punk, itself an offshoot of the broader punk rock movement. Like post-punk, post-hardcore is a term for a broad constellation of groups...
, groove metal
Groove metal
Groove metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It was often used to describe Pantera and Exhorder.- Characteristics and origins :Pantera's Cowboys from Hell album from 1990 was described as "groundbreaking" and "blueprint-defining" for the groove metal genre...
, black metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
, and grindcore
Grindcore
Grindcore is an extreme genre of music that started in the early- to mid-1980s. It draws inspiration from some of the most abrasive music genres – including death metal, industrial music, noise and the more extreme varieties of hardcore punk....
. While intensity, pitch, and characteristics vary from vocalist to vocalist, screamed vocals generally accompany fast paced music, and are associated with more aggressive musical themes or styles.
Modern art music
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
s have employed screaming in avant garde works in the twentieth century, typically in the post-World War II era, as composers began to explore more experimental compositional techniques and nonstandard use of musical instrument
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
s (including the voice). Composers who have used shouting or screaming in their works include Luciano Berio
Luciano Berio
Luciano Berio, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian composer. He is noted for his experimental work and also for his pioneering work in electronic music.-Biography:Berio was born at Oneglia Luciano Berio, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI (October 24, 1925 – May 27, 2003) was an Italian...
, George Crumb
George Crumb
George Crumb is an American composer of contemporary classical music. He is noted as an explorer of unusual timbres, alternative forms of notation, and extended instrumental and vocal techniques. Examples include seagull effect for the cello , metallic vibrato for the piano George Crumb (born...
, and Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. Another critic calls him "one of the great visionaries of 20th-century music"...
. The use of hoarse vocals in choral and orchestral works continues today in some productions such as film scores; mainstream examples include some works by Don Davis
Don Davis (composer)
Donald Romain Davis is an American film score composer, conductor, and orchestrator. Best known for his work on The Matrix, he has worked on a variety of films, from horror to comedy.- Early life :...
and Wojciech Kilar
Wojciech Kilar
Wojciech Kilar ; b. 17 July 1932 in Lwów, Poland) is a Polish classical and film music composer.-Biography:Wojciech Kilar is one of Poland’s esteemed composers. Born in 1932 in Lwów . His father was a gynecologist and his mother was a theater actress...
.
Blues
Kansas City, blues musicians began shouting in order to be heard over music in the loud dancehalls. Rather than tell a story, the shouted voice became their own kind of instrument. Key members of this movement include Big Joe TurnerBig Joe Turner
Big Joe Turner was an American blues shouter from Kansas City, Missouri. According to the songwriter Doc Pomus, "Rock and roll would have never happened without him." Although he came to his greatest fame in the 1950s with his pioneering rock and roll recordings, particularly "Shake, Rattle and...
and Howlin' Wolf
Howlin' Wolf
Chester Arthur Burnett , known as Howlin' Wolf, was an influential American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player....
.
Punk rock
Yelling and shouting vocals are common in punk rockPunk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
. Early punk was distinguished by a general tendency to eschew traditional singing techniques in favor of a more direct, harsh style which accentuated meaning rather than beauty. The logical extension of this aesthetic is shouting or screaming, and in hardcore, vocals are usually shouted in a frenetic manner similar to rapping or football chant
Football chant
A football chant or terrace chant, is a song or chant sung at association football matches. They can be historic, dating back to the formation of the club, adaptations of popular songs, or spontaneous reactions to events on the pitch. They are one of the last remaining sources of an oral folk song...
s, often accompanied by "gang vocals" in which a group of people shout along with the vocalist (this style is very common in punk rock, most prominently Oi!
Oi!
Oi! is a working class subgenre of punk rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The music and its associated subculture had the goal of bringing together punks, skinheads and other working-class youths ....
, streetpunk and hardcore punk).
Heavy metal
While occasional screaming has been used for effect in heavy metalHeavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
since the genre's dawn in the late 1960s (with singers such as Robert Plant
Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
, Ian Gillan
Ian Gillan
Ian Gillan is an English rock music vocalist and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lyricist for Deep Purple. During his career Gillan also fronted his own band, had a year-long stint as the vocalist for Black Sabbath, and sang the role of Jesus in the original recording of Andrew Lloyd...
and Rob Halford
Rob Halford
Robert John Arthur "Rob" Halford is an English singer-songwriter, who is best known as the lead vocalist for the Grammy Award-winning heavy metal band Judas Priest. He is nicknamed the "Metal God" as a tribute to his influence on metal, and after the Judas Priest song of the same name from 1980's...
employing the technique frequently), screaming as a normal method of lyrical delivery first came to prominence in heavy metal as part of the thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
explosion of the 1980s. Thrash metal was influenced both by heavy metal and by hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
, the latter of which often incorporated shouted or screamed vocals. The first instance of screaming used as a constant delivery of lyrics was Chuck Schuldiner
Chuck Schuldiner
Charles Michael "Chuck" Schuldiner was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist.Schuldiner was the singer, songwriter, and guitarist of the band Death, which he founded in 1983, initially under the name Mantas. He also recorded as guitarist and songwriter with his other band, Control Denied...
of the band Death. Musicologist Robert Walser
Robert Walser (musicologist)
Robert Walser is an American musicologist associated with the "new musicology". He is author of the book Running With the Devil: Power, Gender, and Madness in Heavy Metal Music, concerning heavy metal music...
notes, "The punk influence shows up in the music's fast tempos and frenetic aggressiveness and in critical or sarcastic lyrics delivered in a menacing growl." It should however be noted that the vocal delivery of thrash metal is incredibly diverse; some bands such as Anthrax
Anthrax (band)
Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981. Founded by guitarists Scott Ian and Danny Lilker, the band has since released ten studio albums and 20 singles, and an EP featuring Public Enemy. The band was one of the most popular of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
use much cleaner vocals, early Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
uses very hardcore punk influenced vocals while other bands such as Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
use more "evil" shouts and yells, bearing little resemblance to hardcore punk. More recent bands within metal's various subgenres, such as Whitechapel
Whitechapel (band)
Whitechapel is an American deathcore band from Knoxville, Tennessee. The group comprises vocalist Phil Bozeman, guitarists Ben Savage, Alex Wade, Zach Householder; bassist Gabe Crisp and drummer Ben Harclerode. Their band name is derived from a district in the built-up inner city of London, known...
, are known for making use of multiple variations of screaming and growling.
Screaming in some subgenres of heavy metal music is typically demanding and guttural
Guttural consonant
Guttural is a term used to describe any of several speech sounds whose primary place of articulation is near the back of the oral cavity. In some definitions this is restricted to pharyngeal consonants, but in others includes some but not all velar and uvular consonants...
. The death growl
Death growl
A death growl, also known as death metal vocals, guttural vocals, death grunts, and harsh vocals among other names, is a vocalisation style usually employed by vocalists of the death metal and black metal music genre, but also used in a variety of heavy metal and hardcore punk subgenres.Death...
is common in death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
.
Separate forms of extreme metal vocalization can be found in black metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
, which has a higher-pitched sound, and deathcore
Deathcore
Deathcore is an extreme metal music genre that combines elements of death metal with elements of metalcore or hardcore punk, or both. It is defined by an "excessive" use of death metal riffs, blast beats and use of hardcore punk breakdowns...
, which uses either a low growl or a high pitched scream.
Death metal, in particular, is associated with growled vocals. Death metal, which tends to be darker and more morbid than thrash metal, features vocals that attempt to evoke chaos and misery by being "usually very deep, guttural, and unintelligible." Natalie Purcell notes, "Although the vast majority of death metal bands use very low, beast-like, almost indiscernible growls as vocals, many also have high and screechy or operatic vocals, or simply deep and forcefully sung vocals." Music sociologist Deena Weinstein has noted of death metal, "Vocalists in this style have a distinctive sound, growling and snarling rather than singing the words. Making ample use of the voice distortion box, they sound as if they had gargled with hydrochloric acid
Hydrochloric acid
Hydrochloric acid is a solution of hydrogen chloride in water, that is a highly corrosive, strong mineral acid with many industrial uses. It is found naturally in gastric acid....
."
The progressively more forceful enunciation of metal vocals has been noted, from heavy metal to thrash metal to death metal.
Black metal
Black metalBlack metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
music in particular has a definitive "screaming" style which constitutes a vast majority of the genre's vocal work, though this is done in varying degrees. Some black metal acts use this approach as a simple rasping sound, but others use a louder, more "grim" scream to emulate the cold, evil, and frightening atmosphere black metal would portray. Vocalists like Ihsahn of Emperor
Emperor (band)
Emperor was a Norwegian black metal band formed in 1991. They dissolved in 2001, but reunited in 2006 and again in 2007 for a few festival dates and brief US tours. The group was founded by Samoth and Ihsahn .-Biography:...
, Grutle Kjellson of Enslaved
Enslaved (band)
Enslaved is a progressive black metal band formed in June 1991 in Sveio, Norway, and currently based out of Bergen, Norway.-History:Enslaved was formed in June 1991 by Ivar Bjørnson and Grutle Kjellson when they were 13 and 17 years old, respectively. The band name was inspired by an Immortal demo...
and Pest of Gorgoroth
Gorgoroth
Gorgoroth is a Norwegian black metal band based in Bergen. Formed in 1992 by Infernus , the band is named after the dead plateau of evil and darkness in the land of Mordor from J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. The group is currently signed to Regain Records and have released...
utilize loud screaming in their vocal work, while other vocalists take differing approaches; for example: Dani of Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band, formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic black metal, and other extreme metal styles, while their lyrical themes and imagery are heavily...
uses a high-pitched screeching style, Shagrath of Dimmu Borgir
Dimmu Borgir
Dimmu Borgir is a Norwegian black metal band from Oslo, Norway, formed in 1993. Dimmu borgir means "dark cities" or "dark castles/fortresses" in Icelandic, Faroese and Old Norse. The name is derived from a volcanic formation in Iceland, Dimmuborgir...
once used a style on par with loud roaring around the band's Enthrone Darkness Triumphant
Enthrone Darkness Triumphant
-Chart performance:The album was a chart hit in a number of countries, in particular, it reached #3 in the German Albums Chart. It also peaked at #26 in the Finnish Albums Chart.-Personnel:*Shagrath - lead vocals, lead guitar...
days, and Pasi of the Finnish band Darkwoods My Betrothed
Darkwoods My Betrothed
Darkwoods My Betrothed are a black metal band from Kitee, Finland.Formed in 1992 as Virgin Cunt, they set out to be the "most blasphemous black metal band in Europe", in a rather tongue-in-cheek sense. After recording a couple demos under this name, the band started to take themselves a lot more...
used a style that sounded more like wailing mixed with the genre's present screams.
Post-hardcore
Post-hardcorePost-hardcore
Post-hardcore is a genre of music that developed from hardcore punk, itself an offshoot of the broader punk rock movement. Like post-punk, post-hardcore is a term for a broad constellation of groups...
music is usually imbued with a vulnerable, emotional vocal tone. Bands such as Sleeping With Sirens
Sleeping with Sirens
Sleeping with Sirens is an American post-hardcore band from Orlando, Florida currently residing in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Formed in 2009 by members of For All We Know, Broadway and We Are Defiance...
and Pierce The Veil
Pierce the Veil
Pierce the Veil is an American post-hardcore band from San Diego, California. Formed in 2006, the group was founded by brothers Vic and Mike Fuentes after the disbandment of the group Early Times which was formed out of the San Diego punk rock scene...
use primarily clean vocals and add high pitched screams in the chorus or to start a verse. Early post-hardcore groups (such as Rites of Spring
Rites of Spring
Rites of Spring was an American post-hardcore band from Washington, D.C. in the mid-1980s, known for their energetic live performances. A part of the D.C. hardcore punk scene, Rites of Spring increased the frenetic violence and visceral passion of hardcore while simultaneously experimenting with...
and Embrace
Embrace (U.S. band)
Embrace was a short-lived post-hardcore band from Washington, D.C., which lasted from the summer of 1985 to the spring of 1986 and was one of the first bands to be dubbed in the press as emotional hardcore, though the members had rejected the term since its creation...
) often featured screamed vocals that were more or less similar to that of '80s hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
and anarcho-punk
Anarcho-punk
Anarcho-punk is punk rock that promotes anarchism. The term anarcho-punk is sometimes applied exclusively to bands that were part of the original anarcho-punk movement in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s and early 1980s...
. In contemporary genres, screams are considered by some to be more accessible; one very common technique is that of metalcore
Metalcore
Metalcore is a subgenre of heavy metal combining various elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. The name is a portmanteau of the names of the two genres. The term took on its current meaning in the mid-1990s, describing bands such as Earth Crisis, Deadguy and Integrity...
and later hardcore punk subgenres, shouting in a distressed, raspy manner. Howard Jones
Howard Jones (heavy metal musician)
Howard Jones is an American lead singer for the band Killswitch Engage. He was also the lead singer of Blood Has Been Shed before moving onto Killswitch Engage.-Blood Has Been Shed:*I Dwell on Thoughts of You...
of Killswitch Engage
Killswitch Engage
Killswitch Engage is an American metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1999 after the disbandment of Overcast and Aftershock. Killswitch Engage's current lineup consists of vocalist Howard Jones, bassist Mike D'Antonio, guitarists Joel Stroetzel and Adam Dutkiewicz, and drummer...
and George Pettit
George Pettit
George Pettit , is a Canadian musician best known as the former lead vocalist of the post-hardcore band Alexisonfire.-Biography:George grew up in the 'Gateway to Niagara' town of Grimsby...
of Alexisonfire
Alexisonfire
Alexisonfire was a five-piece, Juno-nominated post-hardcore band that formed in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada in 2001. The band consisted of George Pettit , Dallas Green , Wade MacNeil , Chris Steele , and Jordan Hastings .They describe their music as "the sound of two Catholic high-school girls...
are examples of this; the former screaming in a husky tone and the latter using a higher yell. Some bands such as We Came As Romans
We Came as Romans
We Came as Romans is an American rock band from Troy, Michigan. Formed in 2005, the band signed to Equal Vision Records in April 2009 and have released two EPs, Demonstrations and Dreams , and two full-length albums, To Plant a Seed and Understanding What We've Grown to Be...
scream in a much deeper harsh-sounding tone, while Jeremy Mckinnon of A Day to Remember
A Day to Remember
A Day to Remember is an American rock band from Ocala, Florida. Founded in 2003 by guitarist Tom Denny and drummer Bobby Scruggs, the band has released four studio albums, nine singles and eight music videos...
goes a step further, employing death growls. Davey Havok
Davey Havok
David Paden Marchand , more commonly known by the stage name Davey Havok, is the lead vocalist of the American rock band AFI and the electronic music band Blaqk Audio....
of AFI
AFI (band)
AFI is an American alternative rock band from Ukiah, California that formed in 1991. They have consisted of the same lineup since 1998: lead vocalist Davey Havok, drummer and backup vocalist Adam Carson, with bassist Hunter Burgan and guitarist Jade Puget, who both play keyboard and contribute...
employs screaming, with more of a high-pitched scream in earlier albums and a more growling tone in Decemberunderground
Decemberunderground
Decemberunderground is the seventh studio album by American alternative rock band AFI. The album was released on June 6, 2006 through Interscope Records. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, selling 182,000 in its first week. The album certified Gold by the RIAA on August 30, 2006 and has sold...
. Daryl Palumbo
Daryl Palumbo
Daryl Palumbo is an Italian American musician, , grew up in Bellmore, New York. He is the frontman of the bands Glassjaw and Head Automatica. As a youth he was a member of the Long Island straight edge band XbustedX, however he has since rejected that philosophy...
of Glassjaw
Glassjaw
Glassjaw is a four-piece rock band from Long Island, New York. The band is fronted by vocalist Daryl Palumbo and guitarist Justin Beck, and have undergone numerous line-up changes since their inception...
uses various types of screams, ranging from highs to midrange. Many bands do what is called a pig squeal, which is a low guttural vocal resembling the sound of a pig. Despised Icon
Despised Icon
Despised Icon was a Canadian deathcore band from Montreal, Quebec. Formed in 2002, the band is notable for the use of two vocalists; Alexandre Erian, takes use of a mid-range screaming technique, and Steve Marois for the low growling vocals, and high pitched screamed vocals...
is a prime example of this technique, although they are more accurately described as deathcore
Deathcore
Deathcore is an extreme metal music genre that combines elements of death metal with elements of metalcore or hardcore punk, or both. It is defined by an "excessive" use of death metal riffs, blast beats and use of hardcore punk breakdowns...
.
By the early 2000s, the amount of screaming in any given song or album could vary widely from band to band, with some bands eschewing the technique altogether or using it very infrequently, often at climaxes of songs. Thursday
Thursday (band)
Thursday were an American rock band from New Brunswick, New Jersey. Formed in 1997, the group has released six full-length albums, their most recent being No Devolución, which was released in April 2011 on Epitaph Records...
, My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance is an American alternative rock band from New Jersey, formed in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, guitarists Ray Toro and Frank Iero, and bassist Mikey Way and have a diverse sound incorporating elements of punk, emo, glam metal, and progressive rock...
, Thrice
Thrice
Thrice is an American rock band from Irvine, California, formed in 1998. The group was founded by guitarist/vocalist Dustin Kensrue and guitarist Teppei Teranishi while they were in high school....
and Story of the Year
Story of the Year
Story of the Year is an American rock band formed in St. Louis, Missouri in 2000. The band was initially named 67 North but was then changed to Big Blue Monkey...
are examples of bands achieving widespread success who only occasionally made use of screaming, as opposed to bands like Funeral for a Friend
Funeral for a Friend
Funeral for a Friend are a Welsh post-hardcore band, from Bridgend. Formed 2001, they have released five studio albums, seven EPs, sixteen singles, one DVD, and one compilation album.-Formation and Early Years:...
, The Used
The Used
The Used is an American rock band from Orem, Utah. The band was founded in 2001 and signed to Reprise Records the same year. They rose to fame in June 2002 after releasing their self-titled debut album. They followed up with their second album, In Love and Death, in September 2004 and their third...
, Escape The Fate
Escape The Fate
Escape the Fate is an American post-hardcore band from Las Vegas, Nevada formed in 2005 and originally from Pahrump, Nevada. They have released three EPs and three full-length studio albums. Dying Is Your Latest Fashion was the band's debut album and only album to feature vocalist Ronnie Radke...
, and From Autumn To Ashes
From Autumn to Ashes
From Autumn to Ashes was a NY melodic hardcore band that formed in Long Island in 2000. While the band had gone through many line-up changes, the members include Francis Mark , Scott Gross , Benjamin Perri , Brian Deneeve , Mike Pilato , Rob Lauritsen , and Jeff Gretz From Autumn to Ashes was a NY...
, whom use screaming rather frequently. Post-hardcore bands such as Hawthorne Heights
Hawthorne Heights
Hawthorne Heights is an American rock band from Dayton, Ohio, formed in 2001. Their line-up currently consists of lead-singer and rhythm guitarist JT Woodruff, lead-guitarist and vocalist Micah Carli, bassist and backing vocalist Matt Ridenour, and drummer Eron Bucciarelli...
and Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows use screaming strictly as backing vocals to compliment the more prominent clean vocals in order for their music to have a more "hardcore
Melodic hardcore
Melodic hardcore is a subgenre of hardcore punk with a strong emphasis on vocal melody. The genre is commonly defined with fast hardcore drum beats, complex guitar riffs and melodic singing with occasional screaming and shouting.-History:...
" sound.
Nu metal
Nu metalNu metal
Nu metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It is a fusion genre which combines elements of heavy metal with other genres, including grunge and hip hop...
sometimes employs screaming. It also includes shouting and rapping
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
as well as various other styles of vocals. Jonathan Davis
Jonathan Davis
Jonathan Houseman Davis is the lead vocalist and frontman for the nu metal band Korn. Davis was ranked 16th on Hit Parader 's list of "Heavy Metal's All-Time Top 100 Vocalists".-Early life:...
screams in most of Korn
Korn
Korn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The current band line up includes four members: Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, and Ray Luzier. The band was formed as an expansion of L.A.P.D.The band released their first demo album,...
's earlier songs. Linkin Park
Linkin Park
Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. Formed in 1996, the band rose to international fame with their debut album, Hybrid Theory, which was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2005 and multi-platinum in several other countries...
's singer, Chester Bennington
Chester Bennington
Chester Charles Bennington is an American musician, singer-songwriter and actor. He is best known as the lead vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Linkin Park....
, also screams in certain Linkin Park songs such as "One Step Closer
One Step Closer (Linkin Park song)
"One Step Closer" is a song by the American rock band Linkin Park. It was released as the first single and second track of their debut album, Hybrid Theory. This song is also featured in the game Rock Band 2....
", "Lying From You
Lying from You
"Lying from You" is a song by American rock band Linkin Park, released on March 16, 2004. It is the fifth single from their second album, Meteora, which was released at March 25, 2003. It was released as an airplay-only single...
", and "Faint
Faint (song)
"Faint" is a song by Linkin Park from their second studio album Meteora. The song was released as the album's second single in mid-2003 and entered the top thirty on the majority of the charts it appeared on, including the Hot 100, in which it peaked at #48. The song reached #1 on the U.S. Modern...
". Screaming is used prominently on Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit is an American rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. Formed in 1995, the group's lineup consists of Fred Durst , Wes Borland , Sam Rivers , John Otto and DJ Lethal . The band achieved mainstream success with their second studio album Significant Other, released in 1999...
's debut album Three Dollar Bill, Yall$
Three Dollar Bill, Yall$
Three Dollar Bill, Yall$ is the debut album by American nu metal band Limp Bizkit, released July 1, 1997 through Flip/Interscope. It was produced by Ross Robinson and was certified 2x Platinum by the RIAA in July 2001 in the US...
where Fred Durst
Fred Durst
William Frederick "Fred" Durst is an American musician, director, producer and actor, well known as the frontman of the band Limp Bizkit.-Early life:...
can be heard frequently utilizing a high pitch scream. Chino Moreno
Chino Moreno
Chino Moreno is an American musician. He is best known as the lead singer and contributing guitarist of Deftones. He is also a member of the side-project bands Team Sleep and Crosses....
of Deftones
Deftones
Deftones are an American alternative metal band from Sacramento, California, founded in 1988. The band consists of Chino Moreno , Stephen Carpenter , Chi Cheng , Frank Delgado , and Abe Cunningham . Currently Sergio Vega is standing in on bass while Cheng recovers from a car accident...
is famed for his high-pitched, aggressive screams.
Many other nu metal bands employ a stronger use of screaming in their music as well as more concrete metal influences (often groove metal
Groove metal
Groove metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It was often used to describe Pantera and Exhorder.- Characteristics and origins :Pantera's Cowboys from Hell album from 1990 was described as "groundbreaking" and "blueprint-defining" for the groove metal genre...
and industrial metal
Industrial metal
Industrial metal is a musical genre that draws from industrial music and many different types of heavy metal, using repeating metal guitar riffs, sampling, synthesizer or sequencer lines, and distorted vocals. Founding industrial metal acts include Ministry, Godflesh, and KMFDM.Industrial metal's...
) such as Spineshank
Spineshank
Spineshank is an American Grammy-nominated alternative metal band. The band has sold over 540,000 records, and has released 3 studio albums.-Formation, Roadrunner Records years :...
and Ill Niño
Ill Niño
Ill Niño is an American six-piece metal band from New Jersey founded in 1998. The band has sold over 3.3 million units worldwide; they have 5 studio albums and 10 music videos.-History:...
.
American nu metal band Otep
Otep
Otep is an American heavy metal band formed in 2000 in Los Angeles, California by Otep Shamaya.-History:Otep originally was a four-piece nu metal band that began in Los Angeles, California in early 2000...
frontwoman Otep Shamaya
Otep Shamaya
Otep Shamaya is an American singer-songwriter, the lead vocalist of the metal band Otep. She made her debut in 2000 with her band and released the full length albums Sevas Tra, House of Secrets, The Ascension, and Smash the Control Machine in June 2002, July 2004, October 2007, and August 2009...
is also known for her usage of death growls as well as high pitch screaming - thus being one of the more "heavy" classes of nu metal bands.
In industrial music, some bands like to combine screaming techniques with clean vocals to create a concrete sound with a noticeable change in tone. Examples include Waylon Reavis
Waylon Reavis
Waylon Reavis is the vocalist for American alternative metal and industrial metal band Mushroomhead as well as the Cleveland based band Tenafly Viper and former singer of 3 Quarters Dead.-Biography:...
of Mushroomhead
Mushroomhead
Mushroomhead is an American industrial metal band from Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in 1993 in Cleveland Warehouse District, the band's music can be described as a synthesis of alternative music, heavy metal, and electro-industrial...
, Edsel Dope
Edsel Dope
Edsel Dope is the lead singer and main songwriter for nu metal/industrial metal band, Dope, originally from New York City. Dope was founded on December 10, 1997 by Edsel and his brother, Simon Dope .Edsel co-produced all of Dope's albums...
of Dope
Dope (band)
Dope is an American rock band from Villa Park, Illinois, formed in 1997 in Chicago, Illinois.To date, the band has released five full-length studio albums, their most recent being No Regrets which was released on March 10, 2009.-History:...
, Burton C. Bell
Burton C. Bell
Burton Christopher Bell is an American musician. Bell is best known as the frontman of the metal band Fear Factory where he is the only consistent member. His singing style mixes clean vocals with death growls.-Fear Factory:...
of Fear Factory
Fear Factory
Fear Factory is an American industrial metal band. Formed in 1989, they have released seven full-length albums and a number of singles and remixes. Over the course of their career they have evolved from a succession of styles, as well as steadily pioneered a combination of the styles death metal,...
, Jamey Jasta
Jamey Jasta
Jamey Jasta is an American musician from New Haven, Connecticut, best known as the lead vocalist of the hardcore band Hatebreed and sludge metal band Kingdom of Sorrow...
of Hatebreed
Hatebreed
- History :Hatebreed was formed in 1994 in Bridgeport, Waterbury and New Haven. They began by recording a three song demo and selling it to locals. Those three songs would eventually be released on a split seven inch with New York's Neglect in 1995...
, and Corey Taylor
Corey Taylor
Corey Todd Taylor sometimes known by the number 8, is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist of Slipknot and Stone Sour. Taylor was raised by his single mother. He developed a fond feeling toward classic rock after his grandmother introduced him to it...
of Slipknot
Slipknot (band)
Slipknot is an American heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa. Formed in 1995, the group was founded by percussionist Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray...
. This technique is also sometimes vaguely known as "yelling".
Other genres
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
first album, Bleach
Bleach (album)
Bleach is the debut album by the American rock band Nirvana, released in June 1989 through the independent record label Sub Pop. The main recording sessions took place at Reciprocal Recording in Seattle, Washington between December 1988 and January 1989...
feature Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain was an American singer-songwriter, musician and artist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana...
employing intense screams into the melodies. They are also accompanied by vocal cracking in some cases which can either indicate improper technique, stylistic choice, or a combination of both. Cobain later adopted a screaming style which was less raspy and perhaps more representative of the "proper" technique.
Some tracks of the album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness is the third album by American alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins, released October 24, 1995 on Virgin Records. Produced by frontman Billy Corgan with Flood and Alan Moulder, the twenty-eight-track album was released as a two-disc CD and triple LP...
by The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins are an American alternative rock band that formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1988. Formed by Billy Corgan frontman and James Iha , the band has included Jimmy Chamberlin , D'arcy Wretzky , and currently includes Jeff Schroeder Mike Byrne , and Nicole Fiorentino The Smashing...
such as "Zero
Zero (song)
"Zero" is a song by American alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins. It was the third single from their third album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, and was a return to the familiar angsty rock of the first single, "Bullet with Butterfly Wings". This style of their music was called...
", "XYU", "Bullet with Butterfly Wings
Bullet with Butterfly Wings
"Bullet with Butterfly Wings" is a song by American alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins. It was the lead single from the band's 1995 double album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. The song won the 1997 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance. This song was the band's first Top 40...
", "Tales of a Scorched Earth", and "Jellybelly" featured lead singer/guitarist Billy Corgan
Billy Corgan
William Patrick "Billy" Corgan, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional poet best known as the frontman and sole permanent member of The Smashing Pumpkins. Formed by Corgan and guitarist James Iha in Chicago, Illinois in 1987, the band quickly gained steam with the...
screaming in a high-pitched vocal tone.
Experimental music
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
genres often feature screamed vocals if vocals are employed in the music, as a form of alternative expression rather than conventional singing. Noise music
Noise music
Noise music is a term used to describe varieties of avant-garde music and sound art that may use elements such as cacophony, dissonance, atonality, noise, indeterminacy, and repetition in their realization. Noise music can feature distortion, various types of acoustically or electronically...
is notable for screamed vocals, an example being the well-known noise artist Masonna.
Some Folk Noir bands (often ones that have come from the black metal scene originally) use guttural growls and shrieks occasionally, mostly for dramatic effect. Examples include Empyrium
Empyrium
Empyrium is a German symphonic folk/doom metal and neofolk/dark folk band.- Band's history :Empyrium was founded in 1994 by Markus Stock and Andreas Bach, but later many other participated....
and Uaral.
Aggrotech bands such as Aesthetic Perfection
Aesthetic Perfection
Aesthetic Perfection is an American electronic-industrial musical project created by Daniel Graves in 2000. The style is reminiscent of many aggrotech, industrial, dance music bands, while also leaning towards other styles such as alternative music....
, Psyclon Nine
Psyclon Nine
Psyclon Nine is a musical group formed in 2000 in the San Francisco Bay Area. While their early efforts are generally categorized as aggrotech, their more recent material has incorporated a disparate set of musical and aesthetic influences, notably industrial metal. The group took a hiatus at the...
, Combichrist
CombiChrist
Combichrist is a Norwegian Aggrotech band formed in 2003 by Norwegian Andy LaPlegua based in Atlanta.-Formation:The first material LaPlegua wrote was a few powernoise/techno crossover tracks under the moniker DRIVE...
, Unter Null
Unter null
Unter Null is an Aggrotech music project formed in 1998 by the then 17 year old Erica Dunham, in Seattle, USA. , she is based in Portland, Oregon.-Overview:...
, Angelspit
Angelspit
Angelspit is a cyberpunk band from Sydney, Australia. The band was formed in 2004 by vocalists/synthesists Destroyx and ZooG...
, and Amduscia
Amduscia
Amduscia is an aggrotech band from Mexico consisting of Polo Amduscia and Edgar "Amduscia" Acevedo .-History and Origin of Name:Amduscia was founded in 1999 in Mexico City...
and have used screaming vocals, as well as more mainstream industrial metal
Industrial metal
Industrial metal is a musical genre that draws from industrial music and many different types of heavy metal, using repeating metal guitar riffs, sampling, synthesizer or sequencer lines, and distorted vocals. Founding industrial metal acts include Ministry, Godflesh, and KMFDM.Industrial metal's...
groups, such as Skinny Puppy
Skinny Puppy
Skinny Puppy is a Canadian industrial musical group, formed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1982. The group is widely considered to be the founders of the electro-industrial genre....
and Ministry
Ministry (band)
Ministry is an American industrial metal band founded by lead singer Al Jourgensen in 1981. Originally a synthpop outfit, Ministry changed its style to industrial metal in the late 1980s. Ministry found mainstream success in the early 1990s with its most successful album Psalm 69: The Way to...
.
Health concerns
Some "screaming" vocalists have had problems with their throats, voices, vocal cords, and have even had major migraines from screaming when doing it incorrectly. Some vocalists of metal bands have had to stop screaming, or making music altogether, or even undergo surgery due to screaming in harmful ways that damage the vocal cords. One example is Sonny MooreSonny Moore
Sonny John Moore is an American electronic dance music producer who is widely known by his professional name Skrillex. Moore is also a former frontman for the American band From First to Last. In late Autumn of 2007 he embarked on his first tour as a solo artist, the Team Sleep Tour with Team...
, formerly of the band From First to Last
From First to Last
From First to Last was an American rock band based out of Los Angeles, originally hailing from Valdosta, Georgia and Tampa, Florida. The band released their first EP titled Aesthetic in 2003 with vocalist Phillip Reardon, followed by Dear Diary, My Teen Angst Has a Body Count in 2004 and Heroine in...
, who had to leave his role as vocalist in the band due to the damage it was causing to his vocal chords, which required surgery to repair. He then embarked on a currently extremely popular solo career under the name of Skrillex, creating electro house and dubstep
Dubstep
Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in south London, England. Its overall sound has been described as "tightly coiled productions with overwhelming bass lines and reverberant drum patterns, clipped samples, and occasional vocals"....
music.
However, with proper technique, screaming can be done without harm to the vocal cords. Melissa Cross
Melissa Cross
Melissa Cross is a voice teacher from New York City. She was a student for many years at Interlochen Arts Academy and the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in England. Though her background lies in theater and traditional opera, she is the creator of The Zen of Screaming Instructional DVD, a DVD that...
is a vocal teacher who specializes this, and has taught many vocalists such as Randy Blythe
Randy Blythe
David Randall "Randy" Blythe is the vocalist of American groove metal band Lamb Of God and side-project band Halo of Locusts. He is known as D. Randall Blythe on Lamb of God's albums....
and Angela Gossow
Angela Gossow
Angela Nathalie Gossow is the lead vocalist for the Swedish melodic death metal band Arch Enemy. Her previous bands include Asmodina and Mistress. She is considered to be one of the few successful female metal singers to use growling as her primary singing style...
.