I'm no death metal expert, but it seems to me that alot of death metal bands now are screaming there vocals, or using some other growling technique that I do not understand.

I find that this style of vocals completely ruins any music, it makes it sound like random useless noise IMO.

So why is it so common? Do people actually enjoy listening to these vocals?

Quite simply, it fits the music.

Additionally, by taking melody out of the vocals, it allows the guitar to make up for that loss of a lead vocal melody with riffs.

Although growled vocals are pretty jarring at first, eventually you get used to them and even grow to like them.

I can't help but think about how ridiculous most death/black metal would sound with clean vocals. Same goes for most punk as well.

DunnRiff brings up a good point. Start with punk, they shout because they have to. So death metal bands growl and scream because they have to. There are no hymns or soft rock songs about being "dismembered and molested" and if there are, point me to them right now.

Another thing is, screaming provides therapy and emotional release that singing does not provide.

Do I actually enjoy listening these vocals? Definitely. Even when I just got into metal, I really liked this aggressive vocal style. I'll recommend you some stuff that contains harsh vocals, but instrumentally sounds pretty melodic. Also stuff that I liked when I first got into them, (not too guttural vocals) would be fine, I think.

Try these:

Atheist - all albums (''Elements'' to begin with)
Death - middle era albums (Start with ''Symbolic'')
Edge of Sanity - ''Crimson'' (death metal combined with calm sections)
October Tide - ''Rain Without End'' (Not death metal, but has harsh vocals that you might dig once you got used to them)

You might also like some thrash metal. Stuff such as Slayer, Kreator, Sodom, ect. Then there's the melodic death metal scene which you'll probably dig the most. Check out bands like Dark Tranquillity, Arch Enemy, ect. I don't like those bands anymore, but these bands aren't heavy at all. The vocals are often a bit less extreme compared to death metal (which is a big subgenre, keep that in mind!)

Enjoy!

It depends what you call screaming or random noise. Some bands like Scar Symmetry employ (well done!) clean vocals next to growling, while bands like old Cryptopsy or Demilich employ weird gurgles on purpose. I honestly enjoy those vocals more than most clean vocals I've heard.

To second Snarf: vocals take adjustment, I've had that with Iron Maiden (especially Dickinson), growling, screaming and any other technique found in metal or even outside.

By the way: singing clean about raping angels and hell can be done right: Project Hate.

If you get into Arch Enemy, and don't like Gossow, try the first three albums with Liiva and his new project, Hearse (check out Dominion Reptilian or Single Ticket to Paradise).

Try listening to Opeth. You'll notice that the vocalist can go from a deep spine-shattering gnarl to a soft mellifluous croon many times in one song. He does this in one take sometimes, too. That's talent, after growling and screaming for more than a few measures I can barely talk.

Good vocalist can give you a clear image of what you're listening to. Earthquake, hurricane, bear are all good options. Sounding inhuman is the vibrating heart in the rotten chest of death metal.

Well put. I mean, the screaming is just as radical as the riffing, guitar tone, tuning, rhythmic section, sometimes time signatures, and lyrics of a death metal band.

Depends what you're talking about. If you're talking about deathcore then yeah imo it ruins it well over half the time. I really love screams in good death metal in good taste. Like, take birth pains of astral projection by maudlin of the well as an example. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ed_h2_IivPg About 3:15 in the growls begin, and the two screams he throws in are fucking awesome and add a lot to the depth, something which i find vocals can often take away from. But in the end it all comes down to taste as always... psychoacoustics and stylistic preferences. There will be many many things about music that you will never understand why anyone likes it yet there's a large enough following for it to become an industry. Or maybe you're one of those people who can appreciate any type of music for the sake of being music, but I cannot stand at least half of the music that exists out there

edit - not that maudlin are a death metal band, just the best growl/scream example i could think of offhand

edit #2 - it would seem you weren't implying screams in death metal instead of growls. i guess that supports the psychoacoustics statement at least.

I think the real quesion here is, why not?

if you ask me, I think that there are many people who are just talented for clean singing.. and for some people like myself who have really crapy voice, it's just impossible to sound good singing clean no matter how much practice I put into it! but, put a lot of time into growling and it will sound good...
there's a point here, um...

No you're not a 'death metal expert'. What do you mean by 'death metal bands NOW'?

It's one of the qualifiers of the genre, and it's been a part of it since the beginning.

If you don't like deathmetal, then don't listen to it. Pretty simple, I'd say.

I don't like death metal, and i don't listen to it, why don't I like it? The vocals.

Very simple indeed.

Most of the music I listen to is instrumental, because I don't like the screaming in death metal, sometimes I find it tolerable but thats not what I would like to say about music I listen to.

Mostly I was wondering if people actually enjoyed listening to it or they could merely tolerate it more than me.

...you don't think the answer to this is obvious?

Personally, I adore the growls and shreiks in death metal, though the latter is more typical to black metal than death metal. I like it because you can put more extremes of any emotion into it, in my opinion, than in clean singing for the most part. I do both extreme vocals and clean singing, and the former just gives me more pleasure though I only do it about once or twice a week at the most.

ROFLROFLROFL

I don't usually use laughing abbreviations in this forum (or any forum), but seriously? SERIOUSLY!? SERIOUSLY!? If no one liked growls, they wouldn't do them. It's not like "Gee, I really love the instrumental here, but I hate the vocals. Oh well, I'll tolerate them and then go on supporting the band by going to shows and buying their merchandise!".

If you didn't get the hint, yes, we do enjoy them. Why? It would be foolish of me to even attempt explaining why we enjoy them, because we just do.

Personally,i enjoy this kind of growled vocals:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKlw1Ug97Ts

I think that it sounds cool, i just hate when they take it too far and i usually dislike black metal vocalist (specially Varg Vikernes) altought im not much of a death/black metal fan anyway.

I hate crap like this so much. While we're at it, what's with all the distortion?