Voice Teacher explains Opeth's growls: Do Mikael Akerfeldt's screams hold up?

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5 жыл бұрын

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Back once again with a new reaction-style video, but this time I answered your comments about Opeth! By request, I take a look at Mikael Akerfeldt past and present and we compare his screams from old to new. I also give you my insight into what style of screams I think he's doing. As usual I used a lot of live footage.

Пікірлер: 464

@voicehacks Жыл бұрын

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@NolanVoid 5 жыл бұрын

Whether he was/is having vocal issues, I think he probably just got tired of doing it and wanted to pursue his band's progressive side alot more.

@thomas.cloutier-guay 5 жыл бұрын

he was having issue live when he changed to in ear monitor, he told in an interview that he had to relearn to scream because of that. now he just want to experiment with other stuff.

@jacobg8162 4 жыл бұрын

Nolan Void in a recent interview he said he doesn’t get inspired by death metal anymore, it’s not that he can’t growl anymore

@shailendraahangama3627 4 жыл бұрын

@@jacobg8162 well at least he still performs the old stuff live... As much as a love post Heritage era Opeth

@markogjorgiev4912 Жыл бұрын

@@shailendraahangama3627 Saw them yesterday, he can still growl like he did before.

@canismajoris6733 Жыл бұрын

Well they were much more prog in the 2000s than now

@Christian-vq8rd 5 жыл бұрын

Mikael Akerfeldt is still Dave Grohl's Swedish brother.

@voicehacks 5 жыл бұрын

😆😆 This wins the internet today 😆

@starman6468 3 жыл бұрын

Lol he even looked like him during their first albums, before he became skinny Mike

@arturmalachowski8949 3 жыл бұрын

Dave Growl!

@Christian-vq8rd 3 жыл бұрын

@@arturmalachowski8949 lol

@daniellekaessner5767 5 жыл бұрын

His growls are what made Opeth one of my favorite bands. I could listen to Still Life all day long. I was worried that he wouldn’t growl anymore at live shows in the post-Heritage world. But when I saw them last year, it was just as awesome as it was when I saw them pre-Ghost Reveries. I still love Opeth, even if their last few albums haven’t had as big an impact on me. \m/

@Hooga89 5 жыл бұрын

Still Life is probably one of the greatest concept albums of all time, if not one of the greatest albums period.

@DevoutionAura 5 жыл бұрын

@@Hooga89 Check out Terminal Redux by Vektor for an amazing concept album!

@NICO9000 5 жыл бұрын

They did a couple of shows to commemorate the 10th anniversary of "Ghost Reveries," and that was the first time I heard Mike growl again since 2010. The Red Rocks DVD has some old songs on it, so I think he's starting to do it live again.

@StuTheMoose 5 жыл бұрын

NICO9000 The only tour he hasn't done growls on was the Heritage tour. I've seen Opeth every tour since Watershed and his growls have been great every time I've seen them. I've not seen a youtube vid or even a DVD since The Roundhouse Tapes that has done his live growls justice at all.

@NICO9000 5 жыл бұрын

@@StuTheMoose Thank you. I missed the Sorceress tour for some reason, and I'm sorry I did if that Red Rocks DVD is anything to go by. Mike says there's a new album this year - looking forward to it, as always. One of the most remarkable bands of the last 20 years.

@Vahisofficial 5 жыл бұрын

Mikael was godlike in Bloodbath.

@TheWaruiSama 5 жыл бұрын

And katatonia

@tuncelcel 5 жыл бұрын

In Everything

@slowpace1984 5 жыл бұрын

Tägtgren is tighter

@williamowen169 5 жыл бұрын

What bloodbath song is that?

@slowpace1984 5 жыл бұрын

@@williamowen169 Nightmares made flesh

@seybsnilksz 5 жыл бұрын

Although he sounds fine now, in my opinion he was at his peak around 2006-2007. On the Roundhouse Tapes DVD and on the Unblessing the Purity EP by Bloodbath he sounded absolutely inhuman, and there was a lot of texture to his sound. Nowadays you can hear a lot more of his speaking voice coming through, almost as if he's talking in a monotone voice, and he rarely does long high screams. I was at a QnA for the release of their latest DVD/Bluray, and there he said that the more he invests in developing his singing voice, the less he does for his growls/screams. He has also stated in interviews that when they changed to in-ear monitoring, he could hear himself maybe too clearly, which made his growl/scream technique change. You can hear that difference in this video (although KZfaq audio converted converted to mono and then put up as a KZfaq video again isn't ideal hehe), but the most obvious to me is when comparing The Roundhouse Tapes to the Royal Albert Hall DVD. These are all my personal observations and opinions. To me, Opeth can't really seem to stop making great music. But it is also my opinion that Mikaels growls/screams don't sound as good as they once did.

@cafpow2282 5 жыл бұрын

what bugs me sometimes is, that People seem to imply how great they are (now). In my Opinion, they were always great, and honestly, i can't agree with the Statement that the Stuff they do now is way more complicated. The old stuff was also really great, different, but also awesome.

@Sevenstringmachine 5 жыл бұрын

Great tahe Johan, I have seen opeth 12 times and can tell you that in the mid 2000s it seemed like the the whole band was not into playing screaming kind of songs. Demon of the fall was always on their playlist but it was almost just to please the fans. They are tired of being that band. I really can't blame them.

@raz0rcarich99 3 жыл бұрын

His peak was early 2004.

@explosivx43 3 ай бұрын

it is not an opinion, his growls are not good as they once were, period. He cannot project all the energy he did in his early screams or else it hurts bad, he puts very small glimpses of them nowadays in their live shows but there's no comparison. 2007 is also certainly past his prime, it is precisely in the roundhouse tapes you can hear the beginning of the (bad) change, although he still sounds great there, with subsequent years being a bit terrible honestly when he's still trying to replicate his "undamaged" screams but fails in doing so, really obvious in wacken 2008 and not so much in royal albert hall (the good thing here is that at least on those shows, he still had that evil energy/atmosphere that characterized the band). His prime is hard to say but he sounded godlike all the way until 2004 as far as I could find, with a very slow decay until 2007 I'd say. Have a listen to deliverance in metalmania 2003 or demon of the fall in hultsfred same year, and you'll notice immediately that roundhouse tapes vocals are simply not as good. But I'll say the overall audio recording and energy of RHT is top quality, making it arguably their best recorded show to this date. my personal favorite remains Lamentations.

@user-yu5wp7rr5m 5 жыл бұрын

Could you kindly do a video about Chuck Schuldiner's vocals, in particular, the Symbolic and TSOP eras. Edit* Please. How dare I forget my manners.

5 жыл бұрын

It would be amazing

@TheLightweaver777 5 жыл бұрын

More upvotes. This needs to be at the top.

@pallbearer1175 5 жыл бұрын

His vocals are phenomenal no matter what album

@GreyBandanna 5 жыл бұрын

VOTE THIS

@bedofroachesofficial4958 5 жыл бұрын

100% this

@JudgeLazar 5 жыл бұрын

Michael has the best growls of anyone. Clear and understandable while being so brutal. He definately did have a period where they were starting to fade, but watch Garden of the Titans and you will see they are back in full force. Akerfeldt doesn't get the recognition he deserves as a composer. I mean of course, people know he's awesome, but do they REALLY understand?

@shailendraahangama3627 4 жыл бұрын

Dude I love his growls and I'm really not that much of a death metal fan or growling vocals usually....that itself speaks volumes doesn't it? I mean I love their new stuff as well but pre Heritage era Opeth was just magnificent and brought in beauty to metal unlike any other band could ever do with metal, let alone death metal...

@timg2727 4 жыл бұрын

His composition skills are astonishing for someone who doesn't really know music theory. His musical intuition is incredibly sophisticated and advanced.

@shailendraahangama3627 4 жыл бұрын

@@timg2727 I feel that's what makes Opeth a unique band in not just metal... But in music as a whole. Mikael Akerfeldt is incredible.

@AndreBigBoi Жыл бұрын

Well, full force would be something else, his false chord has faded and is not as thick and strong as it was before, however its definetly not sh$t.

@Bunbunfunfun 7 ай бұрын

He should get way more recognition as a somg writer. Saw a docu last night about the recording of Heritage and he had all the songs for the album done in demo form for the band to hear. Keyboards guitars drums all of it. Woth the exception of one song written during the studio sessions he had it all written out all parts. Thats astounding. Alot of the time the main song writer of band shows up with songs on their perspective instrument not all the omsttuments in the band , amazing.

@carlstawicki1915 5 жыл бұрын

I'm an Opeth fan and not an expert on the subject. I don't see how a death metal vocalist can sing like that their whole lives, so I don't hold it against anyone for eventually giving them up or at least cutting back. That said, to my ears Akerfeldt's harsh vocals sounded fine the last time I saw them live a couple of years ago.

@calatwork7308 3 жыл бұрын

Well, I'm not sure if you've read up on the subject since you posted, but essentially what allows these vocalists to scream day in day out is the technique. They aren't actually screaming. As far as I understand it, one of the techniques they use is flapping their false cords to create that white noise. This doesn't damage the vocal chords, and allows them to do these vocals without wrecking their voice.

@ZachRice 5 жыл бұрын

Mikael has said in interviews that he is still progressing as a musician. He reached a point with his screaming where there was nothing left to do and was no longer very interesting, while he still had a lot of room for improvement with his singing and enjoys progressing as a singer.

@Big_Uncle_Randy 5 жыл бұрын

Mikael's always had good low screams and growls..the Watershed album was a great example of a good mix of both screams and melodic singin ...I like the screams but overall i like his singing voice the best..to me imo using the screams /growls in strategic areas complements the melodic vocals adding to the story dynamic of the song...awesome guys too... got to hang out with them after the show in Seattle 2008

@danield.5688 5 жыл бұрын

You gotta hang out with them?? That's awesome do you have meet and greet tickets or something?

@MrSuvam 5 жыл бұрын

Same thing that was performed in the Ghost Reveries album

@Big_Uncle_Randy 5 жыл бұрын

Nope...no tickets..it was at the Showbox Market..a smaller venue...High on Fire opened...met them too ..they just hung out after...

@danield.5688 5 жыл бұрын

@@Big_Uncle_Randy My fault I didn't read your comment correctly, I thought you're going to hang out with them but you already did. Anyway that's pretty cool! I Hope I get the chance some day too

@FalloutWanderer-uq5sh 5 жыл бұрын

I didn't get to hang out with Opeth but I was fortunate to have met the band at a meet n greet at the Sounds of the Underground festival in Philadelphia, Pa.I had them autograph my Sill Life CD! It was back right before Lopez left the band, sadly Lopez looked sickly, way too thin, I'm so happy to see that Lopez is looking much healthier and doing music again. His band Soen are amazing, I highly recommend checking them out. Cont. --> Also got to meet Steven Wilson and most of the band after Porcupine Tree performed at the Keswick Theatre in Glenside, Pennsylvania. Got a pic taken with Wilson along with my mom (converted her into a fan of Opeth and PT/Wilson) and my ex-GF. These are great memories, unfortunately I lost both the picture and signed CD of Still Life years ago during a move :-( but I'll never forget!

@CoolWhipp-hy1qu Жыл бұрын

He mentioned somewhere that he hurt his voice during the watershed tour after he switched to in ear monitors. You can hear his voice going out one of those recordings. His new growl is much thinner and is just less brutal. He is also much shorter of breath if you’ve really compared the two eras it’s noticeable.

@AndreBigBoi Жыл бұрын

Well that makes sence

@AndreBigBoi Жыл бұрын

So after he hurt his voice he just didn't want to risk doing that again which is why he isn't projecting that hard?

@mahtiel 5 жыл бұрын

Mary, I am not even a singer, just a music lover, but I still find your analysis and reactions absolutely fascinating. Great work!!

@harryxiro 5 жыл бұрын

Listen to Opeth's first album, his vocals are like satan

@stephengitau1830 3 жыл бұрын

Even satan himself wouldn't agree, he is better than SATAN.

@klatix100 5 жыл бұрын

You should have compared Roundhouse Tapes to Live at Red Rocks. Great growls and much better live audio quality

@s.Klebold 5 жыл бұрын

Klata I was at the red rocks show omg so amazing

@fearmynaturalgas 5 жыл бұрын

Saw them live at red rocks, gojira blew them away(sorry)

@hondaridgelineenduser5934 5 жыл бұрын

Death vocals are badass, to me it sounds the same but older

@colonelinfernal5004 5 жыл бұрын

I have to disagree with her opinion on the 2017 clip. Mikael is very talented though I believe his growls are suffering as of late. They sound more strained with less range. He noo longer has the powerful barrel chested sound like he did in the past. I believe he can get back to his former self with some strength exercises and retrain his body to get take back his beastly sound. His technique is different now and i can tell because he seem to emphasize more of his focus in the throat and not where the sound naturally begins and originates all with the projection of wind and intensity. In my opinion, he has either damaged his vocal chords or now has a weaker diaphragm and core and cannot generate the same power as before. I still love opeth. I enjoy bloodath and katatonia when he was with them as well. Im not fond of new opeth and my hope is that they can return to their roots. Regardless of that theyre still one of my all time favorites and I have great memories of seeing them live back in 2009 with enslaved.

@Slaytallidethrax1 5 жыл бұрын

I totally agree man, and I hope most people can watch this and notice it enough to disagree with what's stated in the video.

@planetejump9250 5 жыл бұрын

Infernal Affinity absolutely!

@joecoats3336 4 жыл бұрын

Yeah. His growls just aren't up to par anymore.

@thecrypticstench 3 жыл бұрын

This is just a theory, but I think the reason his growls aren’t the same is cause when he recorded “The Fathomless Mastery” he was coughing up blood several times so I think he damaged his vocal chords, hence why the growls up until now aren’t the same and he’s since changed the technique to compensate

@Bunbunfunfun 7 ай бұрын

Growls are not a chest voice thing. Growls come from upper folds of the larynx , the deepness comes from combining a small amount of chst voice with majority comes from the throat and shaping of the mouth and to gue to extend. Many think bcuase its " low" sounding its all chest voice . That would be incorrect.

@icedbirth8821 5 жыл бұрын

Amazing video you did an amazing job explaining this was quite interesting, love some Opeth!

@Red-Brick-Dream 5 жыл бұрын

Great video Mary! Enjoyed a professional's perspective on my favourite singer. Happy New Year!

@icemancometh74 5 жыл бұрын

He's still one of the best growlers out there. I've seen him live 4 times in the last 9 years and he has always sounded brutal enough to scare the shit out of Satan himself. And at the same time his clean vocals sound increasingly angelic. I've also met him in person and he was super nice and friendly. One of the supreme musical geniuses of our time and my favorite musician along with Devin Townsend and Steven Wilson.

@gordiannot77 5 жыл бұрын

His vocals on Orchid are INCREDIBLE❤

@alexandremarchand8815 5 жыл бұрын

What about age and time ? I would believe it is pretty normal that a vocalist who screams and growl for more than 25 years sustain some type of dommage over the years. Also, I saw Opeth live 5 times in the last few years and it was a blast each time :)

@xenogardien 5 жыл бұрын

I would love to see a video about Greg Puciato from Dillinger!

@luliby2309 5 жыл бұрын

Mikael has said that the reason why his growls were weird sounding for a while was due to switching to using inner ear monitors or something like that and he had to get used to doing harsh vocals with them in. Good to hear he wasn't doing anything improperly. I wish he wouldn't smoke being such a good singer (I don't know why people would risk it honestly), but it's nice to hear to that his harsh vocals are back to good quality. Surprised that he would be doing frys. Death metal and death growls often go with the false cord sound. Also nice to hear someone supporting the creative change in Opeth. They always want to stand out and be different, and this is one of the best ways, when so many of these heavier bands nowadays aren't doing a lot of interesting things.

@luliby2309 5 жыл бұрын

Did he stop? Good for him! I wouldn't want to do anything rough for my voice if I had one like he does!

@travistotle 5 жыл бұрын

@@luliby2309 He did indeed quit smoking, let's hope he keeps it up! Also, while he did say there were issues with him hearing his own voice while performing with those IEMs which led to his growls sounding "off", some of his growls during that time sounded pretty awesome. From what I remember, he had just started using those new ear monitors while performing at their Albert Hall concert, and I think his growls sound BADASS on that live album. Might be my personal preference, but I think it sounds pretty cool.

@BestUsernameIGot 5 жыл бұрын

Being the singer in a metal band and having recently switched to in-ears, I support the theory that his vocals briefly changed due to that. Growling feels vastly different when using in-ears, you're used to having to overpower the band but all of a sudden you can hear yourself very clearly and it feels super weird to begin with.

@luliby2309 5 жыл бұрын

Travistotle: Oh that's good. Glad to have more confirmation that he has stopped. Yeah, not every growl was bad, but some did sound odd during that time. BestUserName: Thanks for the insight. I would imagine that he just needed to adjust to hearing himself so much better than before.

@luliby2309 5 жыл бұрын

I think that's just patently untrue.

@debhenry4334 5 жыл бұрын

I don't remember how exactly I wandered over to this video, but you're a badass.

@theHolmezilla 5 жыл бұрын

First video of yours I've watched. Subscribed. Great message about stylistic change at the end. I'll be checking out more of your content, as I am trying to learn to do distorted vocals better.

@DasShoPahRo 5 ай бұрын

This was sooooo helpful! I'm still getting use to clarifying false vs fry on other vocalist!

@codasticpark 5 жыл бұрын

I loved how you get pleased by hearing a great growl

@viviencheneveau1648 3 жыл бұрын

Wow, I really thought he only used false cords, even for his mids and highs (I'm thinking of Blackwater Park era) ! This means that, as a fry screaming beginner, I can start working on my low frys by learning some Opeth songs ! Thank you ! ;)

@voicehacks 3 жыл бұрын

It’s weird, I know! But start by doing a regular high fry on a “yaaaaa” the. slowly round it into an “oo” and watch the pitch drop

@AnnoBathory 5 жыл бұрын

loved his music then, love his music now, will forever love his music.

@BirdNoise77 5 жыл бұрын

I think what I would say the main difference between his new screaming and old screaming would be that he's projecting less as of late. Granted, I'm not good at screaming/growling and singing in general but that's what it sounds like to me

@ohtwo23 5 жыл бұрын

Morningrise vocals will always be my favorite. Like a mellow, inside voice level sounding growl. All time favorite growling and I've heard a TON of records.

@raz0rcarich99 3 жыл бұрын

People underestimate the impact that audio quality has on screams. Earlier videos have more muffled audio and the screams can be interpreted as being more raw.

@StuTheMoose 5 жыл бұрын

Thank you Mary! Great to hear someone who actually knows what they are talking about explaining that his Growls are just fine still. i'm sick of people saying his growls are shit now based on youtube vids and festival appearances. Anyone who's seen Opeth live at their own gigs in the last 10 years knows full well his growls are awesome still. He had one sub par period when he first changed to in ear monitors (as seen on the Albert Hall DVD) Apart from that every time I've seen Opeth his growls have been excellent. Loving your vids Mary, keep up the good work!

@ArkhaneMusicOfficial 4 жыл бұрын

They were deeper, but they weren't as gravelly and well rounded as they were in the early 2000's. Which is likely the basis of the complaint.

@illlanoize23 5 жыл бұрын

New to the channel and I am in love with you. Mikael is without a doubt my favorite harsh vocalist ever. I’ve always been interested in harsh vocal techniques but when I hear false chord and all that I’ve always been confused maybe one day

@dohoeijmans2432 5 жыл бұрын

He still does the Growls and he does them very good. FGo check them live! You’ll hear for yourself.

@JonteTheMan1 5 жыл бұрын

Live at Red Rock sounds like a disaster. He doesn't want to growl and you can hear that.

@HillsSilent 5 жыл бұрын

@@JonteTheMan1 He has said before he was over the more extreme stuff years ago, he has been having trouble off and on for a while it's not that he doesn't want to growl when they do the older music they are known for. He was pretty decent when I saw him @ the Sydney Opera House in 2017. The Royal Albert Hall show for the 20th anniversary was worse, I remember reading an interview with him saying he has had trouble with inner ear monitors. I haven't listened to the Red Rocks show enough to quite remember.

@anightmare2remember 5 жыл бұрын

There’s an interview here in KZfaq where Mikael says after a live performance with opeth (after coming back touring with bloodbath) he felt a really bad sore throat since his ear monitor wasn’t working he couldn’t hear himself and wasn’t doing his vocal technique properly and ever since he couldn’t do his growls that great, although he’s was impressed how great his clean vocals turned out, his clean vocals impresses me more how great he improved it. How is that possible? Did mikael took clean vocal classes? Or he got them already and just needed to do it properly?

@Bunbunfunfun 7 ай бұрын

Thats odd becuase every cocal coach will,say to growl/scream you should work on strengthening your clean voice. Somhis cleans get way better his growls should at least stay the same. Thats the vocal theory.

@mehdycornwallis7010 5 жыл бұрын

This is perfect !

@TheModernHermeticist 5 жыл бұрын

Saw them live last year, he can definitely still growl... he just doesn't anymore because his personal interests outweigh the interests of the fans that launched them into their popularity.

@brockmackin8913 4 жыл бұрын

I saw Opeth in Houston on Feb 28, 2020, and yes, dude can still growl!

@bustedhammer1212 2 жыл бұрын

Their new stuff is just as good

@Radio-Loud 5 жыл бұрын

Stumbled across your channel today. Thanks for talking about Mikael and Opeth. I just started listening to them a couple months ago. I prefer their newer stuff. Mikael has a nice singing voice and it works well with their music.

@doobiouscannibis 5 жыл бұрын

I've been a fan of opeth since since '06. I've had the fortune of seeing these guys 4 times from '06 to '10. I consider Ghost Reveries one of my personal favorites. The two shows in' 06 and one in '08 sounded good. Then in '10, when I saw them in NYC during the Evolution XX tour (7 hour drive totally worth it) I noticed something was a bit off with the growls and you can notice it in the Royal Albert Hall dvd. His tone went into a lower key that didn't fit the music. I also noticed his voice was very bassy in interviews. Maybe his vocal chords just matured in what should have been his late 30's I think? He's still such a strong singer. Good chance he noticed that and, with his passion for 70s prog, decided to make a stylistic change. It's also known that during that period, he wrote some material that got completely deleted because he and Mendez didn't think it was any good with Mendez commenting "if this is where it's going, we're in trouble".

@archemedes2533 5 жыл бұрын

THANK YOU

@grantmcmahon8735 4 жыл бұрын

Does Mikaels vocals hold up? Uh he is literally the greatest of all time

@Kaddock 5 жыл бұрын

24 years of amazing vocals... When you compare that live performance from 2017 to his dynamic range from high to low screams in that same song from Deliverance, he sounds like he just can't do it anymore. He's blown his voice out. I love you Michael, drink some warm soup and relax.

@lormill4851 5 жыл бұрын

The first scream sounded like it had a bit more voice overtones to me, though. Still awesome. I respect people's opinions, but I dislike when people start to get possessive over people's carrer. Maybe it's just a matter of opinion, but there's so many other bands out there. No point struggling over one band or musician. I personally like it all. Bloodbath came back with more of a black sound, btw. Which is also cool.

@aramkaizer7903 5 жыл бұрын

What do you mean by "Black" sound?

@lormill4851 5 жыл бұрын

Black metal.

@aramkaizer7903 5 жыл бұрын

Bloodbath has literally nothing to do with Black Metal

@lormill4851 5 жыл бұрын

Not at that point, but their new album has a pretty strong black metal influence.

@aramkaizer7903 5 жыл бұрын

I disagree

@ignatiusj.reilly2124 4 жыл бұрын

Akerfeldt's harsh vocals were at their best -- and were, in my opinion, the absolute best in the genre, back in Morningrise and Brave Murder Day. He had that hollow quality that's full of character, very clear and discernible, not very growly, but oh-so-powerful.

@inawinchester 5 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for saying that it's ok for bands to musically and artistically evolve. It should be such a no brainer, but people tend to not even give it a chance. So thanks for emphasizing that 💖

@Jaymzmiller 5 жыл бұрын

I've seen Opeth live a ton of times over the last decade and the transition happened around the time of Pale Communion. I think he'd been working in his clean voice so much that there was a small change in what he's most comfortable doing. It sounds like he's doing low notes now with distortion over them, rather than the pure raspy sound (but still low!) that he was doing for years. It's weird to hear at first, but it still works.

@cafelinasha299 5 жыл бұрын

I think that Mikael is super talented musician. And has the best beauty and the beast concept (clear & growl) at the entire metal scene. Thank you for this lady! Got quite tired of all the "fans" unstoppable complaining about his change in vocal and musically evolving. Everything is changing. And more gratitude is needed!

@yotam6x7 5 жыл бұрын

Maybe another video on Opeth? - Analyzing vocals from Orchid (their first studio album) - Comparing vocals of the same songs (studio version to live at the red rocks, songs like Demon of the Fall or Ghost of Perdition)

@travisk7959 5 жыл бұрын

There's some written interview with Akerfeldt out there where he talks about recording Orchid and how Swano put some good pressure on him and basically told him his vocals would make or break the album and then was absolutely impressed and ecstatic with his performance. It still surprises me how Akerfeldt didn't feel confident enough (or didn't quite have the technique yet) to not only sing a range but even delve into the low growls and mids until the fourth album. His tone and enunciation are one of a kind but you can replicate his low vocal style through inhale lows with practice.

@Insanalyst 5 жыл бұрын

Michael wore a retainer for a number of years. His voice changed a little once he stopped wearing it. I’ve seen Opeth many times over the last 18 years and I can definitely tell.

@KindOldRaven 4 жыл бұрын

Hey, I would just like to say your analysis of his extreme vocals appears spot on. Based on your instructions and this video in particular I managed to pretty much nail his sound (for a cover for friends ;p) when it comes to the extreme vocals! Thanks and keep up the vids! (If anyone's interested for proof, you can ask me, but I won't simply post links on other's content)

@voicehacks 4 жыл бұрын

WHOA thank you!! That’s rad

@KindOldRaven 4 жыл бұрын

@@voicehacks You're welcome! Thanks for getting me back on track! ;p Sometimes a certain mindset and way of thinking during practice can make a huge difference. A resonating low mixed fry scream resulted in something quite nice. If you're at all curious you can find the copy-paste here (watch?v=_rAoieW21nE). Wanted to PM it together with the thanks message, but apparently I've been gone from KZfaq too long and those options no longer exist.

@mattman1127 5 жыл бұрын

There's some isolated vocals of their album Blackwater Park here on KZfaq that I would love for you to hear. Idk if it's video worthy but it's cool to hear all of the bits of the voice that get buried in the music

@photinodecay 5 жыл бұрын

Art is only art if you're creating something new. I think that's a great sentiment. You may not like everything someone creates every time, but that's the point of taking a creative risk. And it can be subjective, too.

@stefanfyhn4668 5 жыл бұрын

It's actually a funny scenario. Metal is totally about not 'selling out'. And Michael and the rest of Opeth is not doing that by sticking to their creative direction, which has always been in movement. Not two albums sound alike, and they are constantly pushing new themes, songs and even genres. I've never heard anything like Opeth, and even Opeth doesn't sound like Opeth from album to album. Yet they still sound like themselves, despite the genre shifting. So I find it funny that fans are asking their favorite metal band to 'sell out' to them by sticking to the style of their older material. I have only respect for their choice for pushing their band through their musical journey. Though they are losing some hardcore fans by shifting what they perform live. At the same time they have already written masterpieces, and not listening to those because their new album 'sucks' is hypocritical. If you like it, then listen to it. It's not politics or rocket science, but instead quite simple. Listen to what you love.

@MusicVersa 5 жыл бұрын

Really interesting video. I've never been much of a growl/scream fan and couldn't get into Opeth until their later work when Mikael switched to mostly clean vocals. Sorceress was one of my favourite albums of 2016, and Mikael is such a strong clean singer that I'm glad he's switched styles. Blackwater Park still exists if you love the growly Opeth.

@bencarter1666 5 жыл бұрын

Michael is the king of growls

@jedinxf7 3 жыл бұрын

The Leper Affinity is such a great fucking song

@mikedixon8830 5 жыл бұрын

Bloodbath. Near and dear to my heart. Good video enjoyed this!

@Rose.Of.Hizaki 5 жыл бұрын

I prefer the old growls/screams. that was one of the reasons that made opeth so good. Their songwriting being the second thing, third thing was Martin Lopez -- absolutely great drummer. Axe is also very very good though. I loved how the music constantly shifted from quiet to LOUD. Mikael would have these smooth clean vocals but shift to growls that would get up all in your face along with the music. I have no idea how i got into opeth. I honestly cant remember. I think It was through MTV or Scuzz TV - that I heard about opeth. The Grand Conjuration came on while i was hanging around my friends house and I instantly fell in love. listening to their first few albums... Mikaels vocals were so ferocious that i almost had a panic attack by listening to them. That era of Opeth was just some of the greatest moments of my youth and I look back at them very fondly. I learned to play a lot of their songs on guitar and my own playing and songwriting was heavily influenced by them. Id come up with some semblance of a song and the singer of my band was impressed soon found out that I was either (A)playing an opeth song or (B)playing a self written similar to opeth song I was absolutely mesmerised by them in every way.

@mikaelakerfeldt4379 5 жыл бұрын

I still got it

@rafecolii 5 жыл бұрын

I noticed in Opeth’s newer live videos that the camera spends little to no time during his growl sections, but during his clean vocals the camera is almost glued on him. I theorize that he’s lip syncing during the growls.

@dannyjames7911 5 жыл бұрын

your studio setup is pretty interesting

@jasonkmiec8870 5 жыл бұрын

Dudes a beast and a great singer as well...fuck death core

@elbajomundo 5 жыл бұрын

For me the difference between the older growls and the new grolws is for a logical reason. Mikael is taking care of his voice! I think it´s really hard to do growls without any damage. I mean, the most of metal singers learning to sing for his own without any profesional supervision, so that implies that there may be unintentional damage in the process of learning. I think that Mikael preferred to protect his clean voice, which improves every day, to the detriment of his old growl voice, because otherwise his clean voice would be damaged in terms of health. For me, basically, it's a vocal health issue. Of course I prefer the older growls, but I also like his clean voice... So I hope Mikael can continue singing with the same quality for a long time....

@arkivuo5284 5 жыл бұрын

he growled like boss when I saw them 2 years ago

@StealerAG 5 жыл бұрын

In my opinion what's changed is the body strength...It's not just only about technique...as you said, physicality is very important...all the core muscles play an incredible role in how much stability, power and depth you can put into certain animalistic sounds... The most dramaticly effective muscles involved are the back muscles, the shoulder muscles, neck muscles, the pectorals and the abdominals. Strong muscles can hold much better some certain positions required to give a stable, strong and even air flow...which results in an extended possibile range... He definitely looks a little bit less intimidating nowadays than he used to look like in 2003 or so...he used to headbang more (that gives you a little more strength in the muscles of neck, shoulders and back) and was way more into an animalisticly strong approach to performances, though he never moved much. That's what I see...I believe I am right... You could also check Peter Steele in 1999 and then in the latest performances as an example of how much a different body muscularity can affect skills... I'm not talking about body mass, I'm talking about effective muscular strength and stamina.

@spencerjacobs6292 5 жыл бұрын

On his vocal depth, he has a somewhat deeper voice than usual, so that probably adds to the effect.

@connercampbell9086 5 жыл бұрын

Love her Rogue-hair.

@alexdotluna 5 жыл бұрын

Can you do a video on Kyo, from DIR EN GREY? That guy range is amazing! Low, high pitch, inhuman shrieks, operatic vocals, falsetto, etc. It would be very interesting.

@Nick.Barnes 5 жыл бұрын

Great opinions! I think when I listen to them live between new and old the biggest difference is he was more open to high and mid screams in their earlier days, especially listening to their first two albums, that's all it is almost. Moving towards the present he started going lower and lower, maybe because it's easier? or maybe because its what he prefers... but I think on their last screaming album Watershed he had hit the lowest he could go and is probably a reason why he wanted to scratch the screams all together. My guess is, as he gets older he doesn't choose to do all the high and mid fry screams anymore and he's just sticking with the lows on the old songs and that's why they sound so different to us as the listener. Great band, still my favorite!!

@katarinanokami2718 5 жыл бұрын

PLEASE Do Kyo from Dir en Grey next!!! plsplspls!

@u.martin6917 5 жыл бұрын

plz bos

@katarinanokami2718 5 жыл бұрын

@@u.martin6917 ey b0ss

@cooltechnician 5 жыл бұрын

I really would like to see her reacting to DEG... Diabolos or Vinushka

@radical_tempo7864 5 жыл бұрын

YEEEEEEEESSSSSS

@PieterKleij 5 жыл бұрын

I was at that 2017 show.

@LenaVideos 5 жыл бұрын

Love the casket robbery shirt

@jonn9953 5 жыл бұрын

New opeth album in 2019. Confirmed by Fred

@TheMTalMilitia 5 жыл бұрын

Who's Fred ? :o

@jonn9953 5 жыл бұрын

@@TheMTalMilitia Fredrik Åkesson, the lead guitarist.

@TheMTalMilitia 5 жыл бұрын

FAK YES

@VortechBand 5 жыл бұрын

Meh, their prog albums have been a pale apparition compared to Damnation, which is one of my favourites from them. It seems like all their songwriting left with the parting of Peter Lindgren.

@KoSaxPrO 5 жыл бұрын

@@VortechBand but Peter didnt write literally anything, Mikael always was writing like 95% of all their stuff

@VEGANzUmebies 5 жыл бұрын

The whole music has changed not just the vocals alone.

@VEGANzUmebies 5 жыл бұрын

Also just seen Opeth in 2016 he sounded great.

@theangrychairman 5 жыл бұрын

Great stuff! You should do one about Corey Taylor.

@eoindunne4764 2 жыл бұрын

If anything I think his heavy vocal has improved, considering that even though he spoke about his loss of love for it (hence albums like Sorceress) he still absolutely kills it with the old material live to this day. Also I must mention, just to be an ass, that I was lucky enough to see Bloodbath's second ever gig with Mikael in France in 2010, mind blowing

@jefferydarnell9396 5 жыл бұрын

I miss the death screams but it has taken a toll on his voice, but since he did that bloodbath album I think it killed it for him

@drummerboii9047 5 жыл бұрын

You could react to a short video from "PelleK" where he shows his vocal range. I love this video ^^ Happy new year :)

@knotchbass 4 жыл бұрын

As someone who has seen Opeth live on 4 world tours Mikael can pull off the growls perfect. The band has evolved in many different ways which is what makes them one of the best progressive metal bands ever!!!!!!!!!!

@UriahRoxx 5 жыл бұрын

I'm good with both versions of Opeth. He said in an interview that he took Death style vocals as far as he could. He also happens to be in his mid-forties and might just be saving his voice to be able to perform the classics down the road by not doing any new music with growls. Besides, any Opeth fan will know that Mikael is a big fan of 70's Prog and that's where he seem's to be headed and I'm good with that too. Great band.

@angry_karakuri 5 жыл бұрын

I don't know why not many people really talk about Bloodbath? It's pretty good. You should check it out. Fathomless Mastery was my first Bloodbath album I listened to and liked it so much that I've listened to it a looot.

@ferox965 5 жыл бұрын

He also did almost all the vocals in death voice on Katatonia's Brave Murder Day (Except for one, where it's Katatonia's main singer)

@95TurboSol 5 жыл бұрын

I have no doubt his voice changed, I don't believe it was on purpose, I think the years of growling changed/damaged his vocal cords. They still sound ok though.

@rexlupis 5 жыл бұрын

Years of growling shouldn't change or damage your vocal chords; like anything, you might improve with time and learn a few more techniques, but it shouldn't be a physical change to vocal chords. The only physical change that comes over time is increased lung capacity.

@95TurboSol 5 жыл бұрын

@@rexlupis Well the sound certainly changed so something happened.

@MariosDimitriadis 5 жыл бұрын

@@95TurboSol definitely agree

@Jason-to5cs 5 жыл бұрын

i don't understand why anyone even tries to deny this. it is absolutely different now. hell, its been different for almost 10 years. i saw them in 2012 and it was nothing compared to what it was even 4 years prior. we all age in unique ways. i just think he lost it, nothing more nothing less. it will happen to all of us.

@95TurboSol 5 жыл бұрын

@@Jason-to5cs Yeah, I saw them live in Tulsa in 2014 and it was different for sure, but I personally don't care I still love their music, crap happens.

@danielbartleson5746 5 жыл бұрын

As a new Opeth fan I definitely like his newer, lower growls better. He can certainly still growl, he just prefers a different style now.

@iansmith4924 5 жыл бұрын

I really like your hair.

@David-rj1ru 5 жыл бұрын

When mikes all " your wrist in my fast grip!!!!!!!"

@punishedmoyron 5 жыл бұрын

I think it'd be great if you could explain how Ronnie canizaros (born of osiris) does his vocals. Your videos are fantastic, by the way.

@alienfembot 5 жыл бұрын

I live for opeth! I've never seen this page. You're so cute. 😄

@Patrikblombergsweden 5 жыл бұрын

I'd love for you to analyze Petri Lindroos vocals. A great video for that would be Ensiferum - Windrider live in 2008

@riderstorm101 5 жыл бұрын

Mikael's death growls have noticably deteriorated in recent years. In the Red Rocks performance, his speaking voice is coming through. His cleans, on the other hand, sound incredible and continue to improve over time.

@kobiban 5 жыл бұрын

Mikael uses false chord, you can clearly hear the difference between him and other vocalists that uses fry. 90% of death metal vocals are pure false chord, and you can indeed go long and use many words with it if you practice breath control. Fry screaming, the vocal fry, does not have as much punch and power to it, but lets you do longer screams as you do not need as much force. Compare Mikaels vocals to say... Chester bennington from LP, or Josh Gilbert from as I lay dying. You can clearly hear the difference.

@voicehacks 5 жыл бұрын

It's spelled "Cord".

@kobiban 5 жыл бұрын

English is not my native language, my bad.

@voicehacks 5 жыл бұрын

I'm more illustrating the point that maybe you don't have the education or vocal knowledge of an expert who would know how to spell the anatomy correctly coming from any linguistic background. Here's examples of low frys. By fry I mean the cords are touching. When the larynx drops low it is very low sounding. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/n9BkfLapv5eoimg.html I hope this helps you start to learn more about these concepts. Maybe we all don't already know everything and need to study ;)

@TarunMusicTv 4 жыл бұрын

Yes Mikael uses false cords primarily. 🤘🏼

@danielepitzoi6097 3 жыл бұрын

I've been studying and doing his older technique for years now, it's more like low fry scream than a false cord, and the fact that his natural voice is so deep and loud can confuse some listeners.

@Setri123 5 жыл бұрын

I'm pretty sure Mike does indeed only use fry screams, from my 10+ years of listening to Opeth and trying to imitate him lol

@jasonedward6993 5 жыл бұрын

In the latter clip you can see him placing his tongue against the roof of his mouth. As a vocalist, I suspect there are a few reasons for this: 1) whoever was running sound(less likely here than any other scenario in my mind); 2) diaphragm resonance and breath conservation to carry the note(especially while playing guitar at the same time); and 3) his posture is more upright and therefore is more abdominal stretching as opposed to the true lows he was doing with Bloodbath(So You Die is a good example, particularly at Wacken OA and I saw that shit in person). All told, great breakdown. Artists evolve in style, vocals, tempo, writing, and there's only so many times you can repeat a trope. Don't sell anyone short, because simply put, you can't please everyone all the time. You got a subscriber out of me.