It seems that in the 80's every other half decent heavy, power, speed and thrash metal band had a good wailing singer. Not necessarily all full falsetto, but some powerful and convincing melodic pipes seemed to be fairly easy to come by in those days. Where have all these guys gone!? I often wish I could sing like any of these guys:

John Arch (Fate's Warning), Russ North (Cloven Hoof), Bruce Dickinson (Guess), Rob Halford (Erm), John Stewart (Slauter Xstroyes), J.D. Kimble (Omen), James Rivera (Helstar), Brian Ross (Satan), Christian "Zouille" Augustin (Sortilege)... and so on.

But then, I also sometimes wish that _anyone_ around could sing like these guys. I reckon it would be ace to play in a band with a full belting wildman falsetto shrieking madman.

So I ask you all; was it just something in the water in the 80's? Was it that all the decent singers who would have been into metal in the 80's are now going on X-factor instead of raging out power-screams? Or are they all around somewhere still? Is it really the case that people just don't want to hear that any more (so people who could do it do more DM style vocals instead)?

If you don't have any answers, maybe just tell us some of your favourite power yelping maniacs!

I think you have a very nice tone to your voice and with some training could unlock some really powerful clean wailing vocals.

Thanks Zurab, I had briefly entertained the idea of getting some lessons, but I feared it having the same effect as on James Hetfield or something! He was a much better vocalist before he got lessons in my opinion... Still I guess you don't have to end up like a crooner! Probably just learning a bit better technique will at least stop me losing my voice halfway through a set.

Most of the guys I mentioned above though, at first at least I reckon they didn't get their skills from training, they just belted it out. Also I forgot to mention that they usually came up with really cool vocal melodies too, in some cases completely unrelated to the riffs they sing over, but totally complementary. I think there is a big difference between just being a good singer and being able to write cool vocal lines (and lyrics). What are all the naturally talented power wailers doing now?

Also, how did I forget John Cyriis!?

i think with the wailing side of things it is mainly to do with machoness.
to the casual listener or general metal fan i think the falsetto style vocals come across more camp and theatrical.
metal is supposed to be manly and so ideally you'd want gruff,rough and ready vocals.

its hard to explain in writing but what in trying to get at is that the falsetto,high pitched stuff is an acquired taste.
for example i got a Motorhead 4cd boxset at 15yrs old and it was my first taste of real rock and roll heavy metal,for nearly 5 years it was all i listened to because everytime i used to go in hmv/virgin and test out other cd's from the metal section on thier barcode scanner demo pod thingys i couldnt stand any band with vocalists which screamed/screeched/wailed like girls,which was the vast majority of albums from the other "big legends" ie:maiden/priest.
then all the death metal was too gloomy/heavy on blastbeats etc so i couldnt deal with that either.
i bought the odd 1 or 2 more motorhead albums/dvds over them years and then one day in 2004 in hmv at gatwick i was paying for a dvd them saw they had "motorhead:inferno" album being promoted at the till and so i grabbed a copy and thought itd be another compilation style cd.i put it on and to my amazement it was the heavyest thing i had heard.also i didnt realise they were still going,i thought they were a thing of the late 70s early 80s.
i got all thier back catalogue after that.
it wasnt till 07 that i discovered thrash through Municipal waste.
i think really it was Gama Bomb who made me want to try and seek out a bit more ragin falsetto ie:agent steel and many other speed metal bands of the mid-late 80s.

anyway,what im trying to say is that you have to be quite open minded to the wailer style.
at work when i used to be in the stock room the other warehouse lads wouldnt mind if i had my thrash on but the minute i put on any falsetto bands they take the piss or do gay high pitched impressions.
obviously over time i obtained some priest music/dvds although im quite selective bout them.
but ironically OR coincidentally Rob Halford is gay,not that im knocking it but it doesnt do the falsetto image any favours
and Russ North is questionable in my opinion with his silky satin medallion man style.

and when i saw bands such as Crowning Glory and especially Enforcer i felt that i souldnt be looking at them for too long incase others in the crowd saw me watching them and questioning if i fancy them lol.
all the spandex and bulging midsections/beltbuckles and ribbons/silkyness etc when playing to a bunch of sweaty guys just feels a tad on the wrong side.
i know it shouldnt matter what image a band has but i think this is what puts a lot of the people off wanting to be a vocalist like that these days.coz its the most homo-erotic style in most peoples eyes.
the only people who get away with it tend to be those in covers/tribute bands.

look at Johnnyboys Manila road performance and imagine if it wasnt done as a bit of tongue in cheek fun. if he came out deadly serious in his own band doing his own song like that then im sure the reaction would have been different.the vibe would be uncomfortable with people not knowing weather to laugh or not stare too long at his sexy bulletbelted torso haha

i think it was considered more cooler back in the day.its going to be hard to break the mould in this day and age although Gama Bomb seem to have got it spot on. i also like how Doctor Death do it.

alternatively have loads of falsetto,wailing bands dressed like Motlley crue or whoever but also make sure that they have strippers like the other night at Deceptor then it wont matter how camp it is because the strippers are the key to curing homo-eroticness at any type of gig.

On the other hand,if bands are TOO macho and manly its equally as gay ie:manowar,turisas and all the battle/viking pillaging style bands.they end up becoming just as much of a joke.

i can imagine in prison the huge grizzly beardy battle bandmembers would be the givers and the skinny tightwearing falsetto singers would be the recievers.

thats why thrash is a great genre because it has a laugh and at the same time has a nice middle ground.its not camp and its not too violent or death metal/hardcore serious.it has the perfect balance.

some of the magical fantasy power falsetto really should be limited as "headphones only" music.
its just embarrassing otherwise
a great test would be to drive through an estate with rhapsody of fire blasting out your car and see how quickly your windows get bricked.

Maybe you've hit the nail on the head here Rik. To be honest, I don't care that much if other people think the music I listen to sounds gay or camp or anything, if it has the heavy metal force and sounds convincing I will probably enjoy it. Playing Mercyful Fate or King Diamond in the lab for example, I realise everyone else thinks it's bonkers, but I don't care, it rules!

Maybe I have been overlooking how much most people do care about how the music they listen to is perceived by non-fans, and that now people will tend to listen to bands they think are macho enough to defend to non-metal heads and posers. I certainly enjoy lots of non power melodic vocalists too, but sometimes that extra layer of melody can really add a lot to a band - and with apparently so few new bands doing this I can't help but feel that metal is missing out on something that used to be such a key part of the sound.

It actually really surprises me that wonderful singing has gone out of fashion these days; if the reason is because people think it's not popular anymore, well then why the bloody hell would the latest Iron Maiden album get to number 1 in a billion countries everywhere? It's obviously very popular, I think a lot of bands and their record labels are just idiots and want to scream and shout and don't know what good music is.

Well done Paul for bringing this up, this is basically the reason metal is now rubbish, because people don't sing properly anymore or right decent riffs/melodies. It's all about bollocks and being a wanker. Being gay is nothing to do with it, if Halford managed to become a super lord in the 80s then anyone can do it now, I like to think homophobic bullshit is not as much of a problem anymore and people don't really care about that crap. And I completely disagree with the opinion that people associate wailing vocals with the gays because of Rob Halford. In fact that is the most hilarious assumption I've ever heard. Freddie Mercury is the best singer of all time, does that mean other amazing singers are mistaken for being gay? Ridiculous.

The fact is that these days people are rubbish and would rather have a nice app on their iPhone than sing a lovely song.

also i think the the hardcore/nyhc fans who think its the angriest/manliest realest toughest type of music are soooooo hard that they look gay too.
i like a bit of Madball,Terror,Skarhead etc but at some of them gigs i think the crowd are so homo erotic and at the same time completely homophobic and genrephobic.

although their the lyrics are always about homeboyz and angst;

ie: you were there for me,my brother,when no1 else cared,i'll never 4get the love you showed,and i have no regrets.
i'll take on anyone,who ever disrespects me and my crew,you could never walk a mile in my shoes, blah blah blah etc etc.(i made up these stereotypical lyrics)

its like most songs i hear are all about 1 mans love for his fellow man but if you even so much as mentioned it sounds like poem love instead of street love they would kick your head in.

and the only reason they would kick your head in is possibly because you touched a nerve that they might actually be in the closet,whereas at least the falsetto wailers dont have a problem with their image being a bit flamboyant and out in the open.

and all their music vids are with them huggin eachother every 5 seconds and getting all sweaty in a big gang with tons of vests and tattoos showing.give them 5mins in jail and im sure they would be sharing the same bunk all cuddled up with eachother and sticking together.

with death metal its all about death and the fans take it too seriously,which is kind of depressing in my opinion.

this is again why thrash has the best balance and is most enjoyable.

Yes I agree Paul!

It seems that the style died out a lot. It could be because Pantera and other 'tough' bands brought in a new era of macho metal. When Phil stopped singing high notes and changed to a more gruff style, that really could have influenced a whole generation and one we are living through right now. I'm sure that isn't the only reason but it is something to think about.

At the same time though, we have bands like Enforcer, In Solitude, Portrait, Dark Forest, Cauldron and others doing more traditional HM singing. Sure they don't truly belt in the way Cyriis/Diamond do/did but I think that style of vocals are definitely not dead... Just waiting perhaps!

My personal theory is that most people of our generation who have the requisite vocal power have been lured into screamo type roles, because that is the most high-profile style of metal at the moment. Just like 80s waily metal was the most obvious route for natural singers in the 80s, so that's how most singers sang at the time.

It sucks though, because it means it's hugely unlikely to stumble upon a singer whose main influences are Cyriis/Arch/North/Halford etc.

James wrote:
It sucks though, because it means it's hugely unlikely to stumble upon a singer whose main influences are Cyriis/Arch/North/Halford etc.

Hello.

Oh hi there. What were we talking about again?
...Wait, are you telling me that you're a powerbelting thunderlunged lunatic?

I definately agree 100% Paul. There aern't many wailers out there or singers in general that are influenced by king diamond or rob halford etc. I do think that you guys did an awesome job in the wailing vocals at Mercyful fate today:P. Most people at Mercyful fate did an awesome job at the wailing vocals In my opinion.I mean hell even Tom Araya wasn't that bad at the wailing vocals in the first 2 albums

And I also agree with James, how a lot of singers these days are just into the kind of screamo and brutal vocals. Dunno why the wailing and the falsetto's have died down. Maybe its just metal has evolved in a certain way. It would be aweasome aswell like Paul said to a band with a singer that can properly belt it out!

I also realised some wailing vocals from either Paul or Sam in the EP, which was quite awesome.

James has the answer to this I think, although there are plenty of bands belting out powerful 80s style vocals around. Not all of them are total wailers, admittedly, but all of them have thoroughly powerful vocals: Airged L'amh, Twisted Tower Dire, Battleroar, Sinister Realm, etc.

I think a lot of people here probably don't search very much.