A Grove of Ashes and Aspens

Now Playing: Stormseeker by Heroik

In the realm of singing, there are six main categories of voice range: soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, and bass. Each of these ranges, split into two broader categories of treble/higher (soprano, mezzo-soprano, and alto) and lower (tenor, baritone, and bass). Each range has a distinct sound and range, though the lines can get blurry, as with anything concerning a part of the human body. Each range also has a few subtypes, many of which can overlap with and sound similar to subtypes of neighbouring ranges.

But what does this mean in the realm of metal, and specifically melodic metal? Let’s talk about it.

Within a lot of melodic metal, as a genre that is still very male dominated, we don’t see a lot of the treble ranges. We do, however, see a lot of tenors. Some great examples that come to mind are Alessandro Conti (Trick or Treat, Twilight Force), Davide “Damna” Moras (Elvenking, ex-Hell in the Club), and Fabio Lione (Angra, ex-Rhapsody of Fire, ex-Turilli/Lione Rhapsody). These singers are all incredibly talented, with wide and strong tenor ranges and powerful vocal lines within the music they make. Among female vocalists, we tend to see a lot of sopranos and mezzo-sopranos. Examples that come to mind are Floor Jansen (Nightwish, ex-After Forever), Chiara Tricarico (Moonlight Haze, ex-Temperance), and Tarja Turunen (ex-Nightwish, now solo artist).

While these tendencies towards tenors and sopranos are heavily present within melodic metal, there are some bands that have vocalists with lower ranges. Some examples I particularly enjoy are Kristen Starkey (contralto, Twilight Force, Temperance), Joakim Brodén (baritone, Sabaton), and Mathias Blad (baritone, ex-Falconer). (Johan Delage (Heroik) is a solid low baritone runner up, though the activity of his band is unclear.)

The reason I want to bring this discussion more forward is not to demonise those metal singers who do have higher ranges. Instead, I want to have this as an opportunity to consider why this is the way it is, and potentially reach out to others in the genre who want to see similar things. I love all the tenor and soprano singers in metal as much as the next guy; I just also have a particular desire to see more alto, low baritone, and bass singers in the realm of melodic metal. The only thing is, power metal and symphonic metal specifically have, in a way, built a part of their image around these higher and more agile ranges.

But what does any of this have to do with vocal practice? Well, for some people, their ranges are much lower than the typical ranges found within melodic metal. I am a great example of this, being a low baritone. (Though, I suspect I’m more on the line between baritone and bass, just more on the baritone side.) As a result, most of the metal I listen to (which is mostly blends of power metal, folk metal, and symphonic metal) is solidly too high for me. Now, this is no fault of the singers themselves, let me be very clear about that. This isn’t even the fault of the listeners. I don’t find that the blame here lies with anyone, as it isn’t really a fault of anyone involved. I don’t want to see more basses and low baritones and altos in melodic metal at the detriment of the sopranos and the tenors. I just want to see more metal bands that have altos or low baritones or basses as their clean vocalists.

But what does any of this have to do with vocal practice? Easy: extending one’s range.

A very easy way to work on one’s voice range within the realm of metal is by singing along with songs you like. This can help a lot, especially if the person’s voice range is relatively close to one’s own.

Being a low baritone gives me a unique perspective on the clean vocals found within melodic metal. The vast majority of them have voices higher than mine, so it gives me the opportunity to use their music as a way to work on the higher portion of my range. As an example, I tend to listen to a lot of Falconer and Elvenking. Both of their vocalists have higher ranges than me. As such, I can use their music to work on the higher range of my own voice. Comparatively, I also enjoy listening to Heroik (a small band from Quebec) and Hans and Valter (a new band from Sweden), both with low baritone vocalists. These two bands give me the opportunity to work on the entirety of my range, since their vocalists have such similar ranges to mine.

At the end of the day, the human voice is very unique. It falls into the pit of each one being very different from person to person, and as such, being hard to categorise properly, but still very fun to work with. I do enjoy vocal work, and composing vocal works is something I’m looking to do more.