Depends on what you define as screaming. Otherwise, how well it works is purely circumstantial.
Something like this, it works.
A lot of other cases, it's just annoying.
I'm so sorry that my avatar doesn't appear fully in the shot, but the cat was threatening the photographer.Someone whose musical screams I've started to appreciate lately is James Brown. I have a Greatest Hits Album of his on my ipod, which I frequently just put on shuffle for background music, and that's made it much more noticeable how many of his songs either start with a scream or horn blast that's just as capable of jolting the listener. I've kind of decided this was specifically done to help his songs stand out right away on the radio - if you've just got something on as quiet background music, and suddenly the next song starts with "OWWWWWWWWW!"
, it kinda gets your attention.
edited 5th Oct '13 1:41:53 PM by MikeK
I also find I tend to like the Careful with That Axe sort of screaming more than songs that are just screaming throughout, though that's not always true.
I like screaming if it's soulful screaming (like the aforementioned James Brown), or maybe like an unearthly wail (e.g. Yoko Ononote ). I don't mind it in punk even if it's not too excessive or if it works and isn't just there for the sake of trying (and failing) to sound badass (e.g. The Casualties, who I've actually seen live and who kick ass live). I can't really get behind the kind of screaming a lot of modern, say, metalcore (and related genres) bands tend to do.
Insert witty 'n clever quip here.Yeah, that pretty much says it all.
(That's also part of why it took me so long to get into AWOLNATION's "Sail"—he's screaming the vocals like a grunge singer over a very peaceful electronic beat. The disconnect seemed way too jarring for me at first
)
edited 5th Oct '13 4:36:22 PM by Odd1
Insert witty 'n clever quip here.I hate some people's (Youtube commenters) closed minded responses to screaming in genres such as Death Metal, .eg. It takes no talent (let's see you do a 2 minute guitar solo, you ignorant sphincter), or you can't understand it.
I think that it should be considered another instrument entirely... It is not someone's failed attempt to imitate traditional vocal styles! Its not like they sit down and say "Man we've got these lyrics that we want people who don't want to /can't be bothered investing their time in the music to understand... I know, let's growl them!
I understand that some people are off put by constant growling, (Personally I think it is quite harrowing and amazing when done right.) I just hate people acting as if the whole song 'takes no talent' or something like that, as if popular music/jazz/classical/Power Metal is objectively better because extreme metal has some screaming.
Lyrics of many black/death metal bands (lyrics, not vocals) are quite poetic, as they don't have to worry about anything like singing along or people connecting with some crummy love song message. take Emperor for example; I'm not a big fan of theirs, but Have a look at some of their lyrics
, nothing like that would ever be in a pop song, and I think there is something to say for that.
edited 3rd Dec '13 3:07:14 AM by CardsOfWar
"I thought Djent was just a band" -Physical StaminaI don't really mind screaming in and of itself. After all, I listen to some bands and artists whose vocals are difficult to make out (e.g., most shoegaze bands) and I listen to some instrumental bands anyway so I'd be fine with treating the voice as another instrument. That being said, it just doesn't happen to show up in most of the music I listen to.
I don't know if I'd consider what Robert Plant does to be screaming - more like a high-pitched wail. He does let out a pretty legitimate and startling scream near the end of "I'm Gonna Crawl", but like what he does in "Immigrant Song" is more of a wailing cry.
We Are With You Zack Snyder
This I'm okay with screaming I like the screams at the end of Child in Time
and the beginning of Highway Star
from Deep Purple.
I just don't like Death Metal growling in music; I prefer clean vocals and you can still have screaming in music but as long as it is clean I'm okay with it.
edited 31st Dec '13 6:59:36 AM by Halberdier17
Batman Ninja more like Batman's Bizarre AdventureThat said, Plant copped and still cops shit for the wailing.
My favorite musical scream? Hands down, the one by Merry Clayton in "Gimme Shelter." The way her voice cracks at the final "Heyyyy! MURDER!" is just otherworldly. That is the true spirit of rock and roll.
How dare you disrupt the sanctity of my soliloquy?Screaming is a sonically and emotionally harsh, intense sound, but what that means can vary depending on the context: A howl of ecstasy, a shriek of pain, a roar from the throat of a mad animal. Music does not have to be overtly abrasive to include screaming or shouting, but the piece should be such that the screaming is necessary to properly convey the emotional and intellectual effect of the music. What is a gratuitous scream but a bit silly?
I'll hide your name inside a word and paint your eyes with false perception.When it works, it works. I love it when traditional heavy metal bands employ the "heavy metal scream", and I'm a fan of extreme metal, so I obviously have no problem with it. Don't like "screamo" vocals though, and it's even worse when they're used outside the style.
edited 30th Dec '13 2:47:53 PM by supergod
For we shall slay evil with logic...I like it, but I like it more when it's mixed with clean vocals for emphasis like such
I guess it's not that uncommon, but the band Cave In gradually evolved a Vocal Tag Team where one member does Harsh Vocals and another sings - I haven't heard all their albums, but it seems like this was used most extensively on the album Perfect Pitch Black, which had several tracks with both styles of vocals. I think this is the track
where that approach works best.

I thought it would be interesting to hear people's opinions on this, so I started a thread about it. What you think can be good about, what can be bad, who does it well, etc.