Can our singer pull this song off?

[drcool]

I was talking with my bandmates last night and we are just wondering if our singer can pull off this song. This is the "heaviest" song we have written to date and we are just unsure if our singer has the "balls" in his voice for something like this:

http://www.moderndissent.com/beatendown.mp3

We have tried different EQs, effects, etc but we just can't seem to get his voice to mesh well with this song. He seems to do well with most of our other songs but we are not sure his voice fits with some of the harder stuff. What do you think? Any suggestions to get some more balls in his voice? Should we just stick with the less heavy stuff?

Thanks for the opinions.

[Trevorus]

I don't think it is that bad, but I see how you could want a little more meanness in the voice.

[baalroo]

It's "ok" but I certainly see what you mean. It's not terrible, but it's just missing something. I might suggest trying a tremelo type effect on his voice to actually make it more "spacey" sounding. A lot of the stoner rock bands use the effect to good... well, effect... and it ends up being a pretty cool counterpoint.

*edit* I've also heard guys with similar voices over similar stuff use a tiny bit of auto-wah with pretty cool results as well. I just don't think trying to get him to be "ballsier" is your best bet, better to improve what he already does well... which is the sort of lethargic "watery" kind of vibe.

[agreatheight]

He definitely has a laconic feel to his delivery and isn't terribly aggressive, but I think it works pretty well. He has an interesting voice, and is a pretty good singer, but he's probably not the most versatile.

[paganjack]

I would agree that a subtle bit of effects on the voice could go a long way.

[Silver Hammer]

Well first of all turn down the vocals and turn everything else up. It's easy to notice the lack of aggression when the vocal is twice as loud as everything else. If it still sounds weak after that then try out effects as others suggested or if any of the rest of the band can sing maybe do some heavier backup vocals for some counterpoint?

[drcool]

Thanks for the feedback. We have tweaked some effects and played around with them a bit and it is starting to sound better. We are also gonna try a few different mics and mic positions and see if we can improve it at all.

[onlyclave]

That guy needs to take a bigger breath and support the note better from his gut. It'll fix his pitch problem, his wavering delivery and give it some more cajones.

[Barfly]

what vocalist styling are you hearing in your head?

[atheos]

You need to tell him to sing LOUDER and to use more expression in his voice. Listen to Dio and Iron Maiden and pay attention to the way Dio and Dickinson express themselves. It's a song, not the evening news so a bit more attitude please. No problem with his voice, he just doesn't use his full potential.

[hbarcat]

I hear a typically amateur vocalist problem - timidity. This is easily fixable by having the singer learn proper breathing and delivery technique. It's necessary to sing from the diaphragm and not from the throat. But I agree with other posters that he's really not bad. He just could use a bit of training and practice to get to the next level.

[drcool]

Originally Posted by Barfly

what vocalist styling are you hearing in your head?

Well, when I wrote this song I had a bunch of Alice in Chains stuff floating around in my head. I am not expecting our singer to sound like Layne Staley but as I was writing it I was thinking of something a bit more along those lines than what we currently have. There is no way he can emulate Layne but I was hoping for something a bit grittier, a bit fuller voice, and a bit rougher sounding.

That guy needs to take a bigger breath and support the note better from his gut. It'll fix his pitch problem, his wavering delivery and give it some more cajones.

You need to tell him to sing LOUDER and to use more expression in his voice. Listen to Dio and Iron Maiden and pay attention to the way Dio and Dickinson express themselves. It's a song, not the evening news so a bit more attitude please. No problem with his voice, he just doesn't use his full potential.

I hear a typically amateur vocalist problem - timidity. This is easily fixable by having the singer learn proper breathing and delivery technique. It's necessary to sing from the diaphragm and not from the throat. But I agree with other posters that he's really not bad. He just could use a bit of training and practice to get to the next level.

Yeah, I am thinking the same thing for the most part. I think he just needs to push it a bit harder on a song like this, sing louder, and be more agressive with his vocals.

Thanks again for all the feedback. Good to know that others are hearing and thinking the same as me.