There are several vocalist with good growls, so I won't vote.
I like Mikael's (Opeth) growls, Angela's (AE) aren't bad either, Mikael Stanne's (DT), Shagrath's....and so on.

Nathan Explosion. Even when he isn't singing he still has that growl embedded in his voice. He also didn't speak until age 5, ordered 100 beers to drink in one sitting, hates watches, and even has his own barbeque sauce.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XG7phDfSncw&feature=related

Generally speaking:
Successful melodic death metal growls are agressive.
Successful death metal growls are demonic.
Successful black metal growls are painful and screeching screams, cutting and ripping itself through your soul.

Since different types of growls have different purposes, I think it´s difficult or even sometimes pointless to compare those with one and another.

However, in the death metal scene I find Nergals layered Demigod growls having the highest "demonic factor", even though the Apostasy sound is nearly as amazing. It really seems that the discussion concerning Nergals layered Demigod voice vs. his natural Apostasy voice deserves a thread of it´s one.

Regarding the best black metal growl I am not really convinced by any band so far, therefore I´m still waiting for the ultimate "scream of pain".

I chosed Behemoth from the list up here. Although live his voice is different than on cd. So the best growls i ever heared live are from Ghaal (Gorgoroth) I stoud in front of him just 10 cm from him, it was a really great concert!

Opeth! He can both growl good and sing amazingly with his clean voice. One of the best in the genre

I like Mikael Akerfeldt the most from the options in the poll, but voted for other because the best of all is Jorgen Sandstrom from the first 3 Grave albums and The Project Hate MCMXCIX. He manages to combine insanely powerful and demonic growls with extremely clear diction so that you can easily make out every word.

Personally, I think Mikael Akerfeldt has the best death growl, and it seems to keep getting better on every album.

Mikael Åkerfeldt

He is a GOD when it comes to vocals IMO... He is just awesome.
I really like his performance in "Morningrise" as especially in the song "Nectar"

He seems to be very very depressed when he scream the words "I will always love you"
I just love his growls... I can't explain it in a better way.

This is a tough call. Its hard to choose between Chris Barnes(Cannibal Corpse era), Will Rahmer(Mortician), Joe Ptacek(Broken Hope) and Glen Benton(Deicide).. I choose Joe Ptacek strictly because I'm a huge Broken Hope fan but I like all the vocalists I listed here

Sauron's growls from Decapitated, low and brutal, but aritculate at the same time and it just went great with the music. They just kill, that's all there is.

Hypocrisy. Why? Cause Peter's awesome on stage aswell, whilst most of the vocalists blow dick when growling live.

definately karl sanders from nile, his vocals are brutal

martin van drunen,



greatest growler to ever walk upon us.

i can't wait for party.san to hear this god live, damn.

i was interested in Chris Barnes' voice in growls. and still now i believe that he is a great growl vocal, but no one can reach Mikael Akerfeldt in growling, his both clean and growl voice is the best during the extreme metal...

my first fav band and vocalist az six feet under and chris barnes , he has a great growl vocal

Paul Kuhr from Novembers Doom is awesome, so I voted "Other." His growls mixed with clean vocals give their sound that right blend of anger and melancholy.

Mikael Åkerfeldt and Karl Sanders are pretty high up on my list as well.

Niclas Frohagen i love his voice!

check moonsorrow song Kivenkantaja around 3:40

The moment I entered this thread and saw and Opeth was on top. I do agree that Mikael Akerfeldt has good growls and it fits perfectly with the music Opeth play. But I think for each band/style there exists its own style of growling. I still tend to vote for Chuck Schuldiner.

I prefer Nile growls, but surely Opeth is better

Oh my god where do i start to make a long story short i will just say cannibal corpse rather than name every fucking band that i think has brutal growls.

Im voting other for deicide and cannibal corpse

I think everyone must chose the most technically and well performed growls, not the growler that we love his band...
anyway, the best for me is
Asis Nasseri (Haggard)
Johan Edlund (Tiamat) mostly wildhoney album
ok everyone is excellent from Opeth to Edge of sanity to Six feet under..but i chose those two because they can make spoken growls, and put melodies into it, just listen to it carefully, all other growls are like a straight line on a single note...((i'm not saying it's bad, it fits their music)) but we're talking about Growls in general.......

I'm gonna go ahead and say Arioch. He uses the most inhumanly demented technique I've ever heard in music, and both hiswork with Marduk and Funeral Mist is lifted up so high just because of his awesome vocal performance. A truly great vocalist indeed.

Johan Renkse (Katatonia) also deserves a mention because of his work on Dance Of December Souls. It sounds like he's tearing his throat out, basically.

Also u should try these two albums
Asphyx - Embrace the Death
Sirrah - Acme

excellent growling..

Other. Stu Block from Into Eternity is probably the most talented metal vocalist out there and he has one of the most deep and godzilla-like growling, as well as very good BM shrieks AND clean vocals, with high-pitched screams more powerful than any Judas Priest or Iced Earth or kicked-in-the-balls Flower Power band from Europe. So, yes, Stu Block rules!

Written by ForeverDarkWoods on 14.02.2009 at 19:11

I'm gonna go ahead and say Arioch. He uses the most inhumanly demented technique I've ever heard in music, and both hiswork with Marduk and Funeral Mist is lifted up so high just because of his awesome vocal performance. A truly great vocalist indeed.

Johan Renkse (Katatonia) also deserves a mention because of his work on Dance Of December Souls. It sounds like he's tearing his throat out, basically.

Jonas Renkse on Dance of December Souls was really great.
I think Shagrath on Enthrone Darkness Triumphant must be remembered also, his voice in that album is among the best growls I've ever listened.

Mikael Akerfeldt seems the obvious choice and normally I would've given a nod to him too. However I feel like doing something different. While I love Akerfeldt's singing I'm prone to taking into consideration his clean vocals as well, which are truly beautiful, and in doing so I think it makes me lean too far in the direction of Akerfeldt.

Having said that I voted for Nergel from Behemoth. I think he's got a fucking great growl on him, which may well be underrated and overlooked.

I dont see my favourite vocalist... so i give it for other...

Written by Brave on 02.03.2009 at 10:28

I dont see my favourite vocalist... so i give it for other...

And who would be your favourite vocalist, eventhough it's not on the list above?

Written by Abattoir on 02.03.2009 at 13:46

Written by Brave on 02.03.2009 at 10:28

I dont see my favourite vocalist... so i give it for other...

And who would be your favourite vocalist, eventhough it's not on the list above?

My favourite is "Frank Mullen" and "Glen Benton". Know Opeth is betten than this two but i like more brutal vocal