I've been thinking about how I haven't really heard any bands that musically are death metal, but the singer actually sings instead of growls. Sure, there are plenty of bands out there that mix death and clean vocals but I'm looking for bands that use just clean vocals. Some growls would be OK I suppose, just can't be the majority of the vocals.

Control Denied could probably fall in this category, but they're a bit more progressive musically than what I'm looking for. Ihsahn, Spiral Architect, and Cynic were also recommended to me, but again, not what I'm looking for exactly. They're still too progressive musically. I'm thinking more along the lines of say Morbid Angel or Gorguts or Spawn of Possession or later Exhumed for the death metal portion and any kind of clean vocals.

I have nothing against death metal and their growls -- I love it in fact -- I just want to know if there are bands out there doing something like that to mix it up a bit.

The closest you'll get to that is Desultor, a very recent band that plays what is pretty much listenable tech death with a very aggressive power metal vocalist behind the mic. But actual, legit OSDM with clean vocals? Nah.

Not actually death metal, but with a death metal vibe: Satan's Host. Try their latest album.

More like black metal of the more melodic kind I'd say, but yeah, By the Hands of the Devil rules.

Oh wow. Yeah, this is pretty much what I was looking for, and they're pretty good to boot! Thanks.

I'll check out Satan's Host as well. Kind of a shame that not many bands have explored mixing death metal with strictly clean vocals.

You're welcome mate, and yes, I think this whole "extreme metal with clean vocals" idea has tons of potential, and seeing how Desultor's popularity seems to be increasing as we speak, it might catch up, which would be awesome. Just imagine the possibilities!

It's a good idea. More DM and BM bands should try it.

I should check out that Desultor. Autothrall gave it a solid review and from the description it sounds my cuppa.

I have kind of a recommendation for you - Blood Revolt's record from last year. Not quite death though. It's basically bestial black/ death style stuff, with at least one member of Ross Bay's Revenge playing in it (so the drumming is crazy), but with Namtheangas from Primordial doing clean vocals.

Slayer? Hell Awaits is pretty much a Death Metal album...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mp8mAcEH ... page#t=52s

Charred Walls of the Damned come pretty close to it sometimes.

Death Metal w/ just clean vocals makes me think not Death Metal at all, but perhaps Power Metal or Progressive <something>? I don't listen to Power Metal and Opeth is about the extent of Progressive anything for me, as well, so please forgive my ignorance here. I mean, aren't the low-growled vocals of Death Metal really a signature item of the genre?

Hmm... Maybe that would count for certain types of death metal. Let's say, swedish death metal with clean vocals would still be considered death metal. But if you would take a technical death metal band like Obscura, and replace the growls with cleans? I don't think that would be considered pure death metal anymore. I would love to hear some old school death metal with cleans though....

Death metal is death metal if it has death metal riffs, regardless of vocal style. Also, Obscura already have clean (vocoder) vocals.

Unleash the Archers is a female fronted melodic death metal band, though there are harsh vocals there is a lot of good clean singing as well.

There are a good slew of bands with that mix of harsh and clean vocals, but death metal bands with just cleans is an avenue not quite explored enough. The newest Satan's Host is an excellent album of this though, and it is still a death metal album of the blackened variety.

Finding entire albums of just clean vocals over death metal might be hard, but there are plenty of individual songs that do this. Heaven Shall Burn recorded a version of Implore the Darkened Sky with just clean vocals: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTtcqs8Se0Y

Edge of Sanity has a large number of death metal with just clean vocals songs. Many other songs mix clean and death growls, but Dan Swanö's death metal vocals are exceptionally pleasing. His progressive metal side project Odyssey has some death metal elements, but it's all clean vocals on there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJzaI205Uto
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcv4Y0BPwfo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tm6uUWdS24

Death metal music tends to be more aggressive, dissonant, and evil. Progressive and power metal tends to be fast, epic, and harmonious.

Yeah, growls are a signature item of the genre, I was more curious if taking the music of death metal and giving it the singer from progressive or power metal has been done. It does kind of mess with established genre conventions and certainly leads to some interesting music.

I'll have to check out some more of the recommendations. Thanks again and please keep them coming if there are more out there!