There are artists that make a habit out of abusing their vocal cords, and in the process, abusing some listeners' ears. While it's easy to dismiss all screaming in music as unintelligible noise that reflects a lack of talent, there are nuances and depth to screaming that not everyone realizes.
Personally, I like certain types of screaming in music. Screaming can mean more than loud noise. It can communicate more than a thousand words and convey sentiments that simply cannot be articulated.
A scream can reflect a gut-wrenching, soul-ripping agony that words would not do justice. When you hear real emotion in the artist's voice, when you can see him crying out in the darkness or clenching his fists in anger (yes, the imagery is "emo," get over it), screaming has served its purpose and succeeded where words would have failed.
Don't think that screaming in music is as simple as opening your mouth and belting out words with all you've got. Screaming is most successful and effective when it demonstrates vocal talent. If that weren't the case, I would already be the lead singer of several bands, and that -- sadly for me but luckily for you -- isn't happening any time soon (and by any time soon, I mean for all eternity).
The voice of Pagoda's frontman, Michael Pitt, may not qualify as beautiful by traditional standards, but with his unique voice that nimbly jumps back and forth across the boundary between screaming and singing, Pitt turns screaming into an art. Local H wouldn't have the same edge if it weren't for Scott Lucas's gruff yelling that syncs up so well with their hard rock sound. Frank Blank of The Pixies is known for his shrill yelping that no one can do quite as well as he can.
However, there is an abundance of cases where screaming is just screaming. In many cases, when an entire song is sung in a low, guttural roar and the verses are indistinguishable from one another, screaming adds nothing and appears to be done out of an inability to actually sing.
That means you, Killswitch Engage.
A good rule of thumb is if it is a sound that I would be capable of imitating, it's probably not good.
Of course, the whole idea of screaming has been taken too far with the creation of yet another subgenre, namely "screamo." Screamo is classified by the combination of melodic singing and screaming. Many artists refuse to recognize this as a genre, and are offended when they are classified under that name. Yet the conception of this genre does reveal (besides that people are eager to isolate the slightest variations in music) that there is a market for screaming.
There are many music enthusiasts that hear screaming in a song and automatically denounce it as a bad song, which is a rush to judgment. I think it's important for artists to explore their full range and discover what their vocal cords are truly capable of doing.
Soft, lilting vocals are all well and good, but raw, forceful screaming also has its place. There's a beauty to the irreverence of undermining conventional beauty. So strip away your preset preferences, listen a little more closely and give in to the head-banging glory of screaming, even if only for a moment. You know you want to.
