Heavy metal vocalists are some of the most powerful voices in music. Babies also have a powerful voice, in general. Who would have thought heavy metal vocalists and babies had so much in common? Krzysztof Izdebski, founder and Chairman of Pacific Voice and Speech Foundation, states that babies are limited to the number of sounds they produce– “sounds of scream and growl, and inhalation and high pitch and whistle and low pitch.” This is comically familiar to metal vocalists.

While being granted the privilege to watch a metal vocalist perform, one often wonders how they are able to perform night after night without losing their voice. Many of us lose this ability growing up. The ability to produce the sounds we once could as babies. Screaming kids are usually told to quiet down, eventually making them loose the ability to make these sounds. On the other hand, metal vocalists are experts at this sound production. Performing it without vocal damage is incredibly impressive.

Researching Heavy Metal Vocalists

After studying how metal vocalists perform without damage, Izdebski concluded that the sound is predominately produced by structures above the glottis in the throat. The vocal folds open and vibrate, but they do not collide, which helps prevent damage. The aryepiglottic folds, arachnoids, and epiglottis “claps and dances, basically, and create vibrations and creates acoustic orchestration,” said Izdebski.

Unlike professionally trained metal vocalists, most of the time vocal cords violently collide with each other. This can cause loads of problems. Some of the problems can be sore throats or even permanent damage.

All these skills do not come without training. You must find the right vocal coach if you want to protect your vocal health and properly project your voice. Sean Lee, Hollywood’s top vocal coach, at The Voice Mechanic will make you the metal singer of your dreams. Book your lesson today.

Check out the video below to learn more!