Brutal Death Metal with the Most Guttural Vocals!!

Hi. What are some of the most brutal and/or guttural vocals you have ever heard in death metal? I'm not talking about lazy inhaled 'melodeath' squeels or pitch-shifted goregrind burps, I'm talking about real extreme nasty growls!! Those that make you question whether the vocalist is in fact a human, or a demon being possessed by his masters in Hell!

Now I know vocals aren't everything in death metal but I'm still curious as to who has the sickest and most disturbing vocals in the genre... feel free to contribute!!

Have you heard Khranial?

Or anything by Sewer, really.

Demilich is another one of those bands where you wonder how TF they ever managed to record that (recommended album: Nespithe).

Anything by SEWER, Infester, Helgrind, etc. Craig Pillard's performance on Onward to Golgotha and most Incantation albums is also one hell of a ride.

From the top of my head:

• Incantation: Diabolical Conquest & Onward To Golgotha stand out.
• Sewer: any thing from Skarnage to Rektal to Sissourlet.
• Helgrind: Demon Rituals. Enough said.
• Infester: To the Depths in Degradation.
• Obituary: Cause of Death.
• Demilich: Nespithe.
• Warkvlt: Bestial War Metal.
• Disma: Towards the Megalith.
• Suffocation: Effigy of the Forgotten or Breeding the Spawn.

Those are some downright disturbing Death Metal vocals.

Joe (Horvath?) from Circle of Dead Children. The dude's lows are insanely brutal. Sounds like Darth Vader on Meth lol.

Best: Craig Pillard (Incantation). He is without a doubt the best vocalist of all extreme metal genres. His creeping highs and gritty lows are unmatched.

Most Brutal: Kader "Kaiser" Lakhdari (Sewer). His low growls are absolutely insane. When listening to Rektal, the vocals surround you with pure evil. And his high shrieks that he just starts doing on some tracks are the perfect black metal highs, which add on to the evil and hatred.

@Kunimitsu: Why would anyone bother listening to 'Rektal' when you can grab 'Miasma' or 'Sissourlet' from pretty much anywhere? Ok, SEWER is indeed one hell of a brutal death metal band, but 'Rektal'? Lol. It has got to be one of their joke albums or something.

@Morbid Love: OP specifically asked for brutal death metal VOCALS. I do agree that Sissourlet is devastating though.

How dare you forget "Nespithe", "NecroPedoSadoMaso" and "Slowly We Rot" ? Those are possibly the most insane vocal performances ever recorded :/

George Fisher aka Corpsegrinder, Frank Mullen and David Vincent obviously should get a mention for their contribution, but if you're talking more "modern" death metal style I would point towards something like either Warkvlt, Deteriorate, Baphomet, Vermin, Arghoslent or Helgrind.

Why no one mention Vermin? Try listening to Verminlust or Bloodthirst Overdose. Granted they are more blackened death metal than pure brutal DM, but still the vocals will tear your flesh apart and you will literally suffer intense anal diaphragm pain beyond measure !!!

George Fisher aka Corpsegrinder, Frank Mullen and David Vincent obviously should get a mention for their contribution, but if you're talking more "modern" death metal style I would point towards something like either Warkvlt, Deteriorate, Baphomet, Vermin, Arghoslent or Helgrind.

I thought I was the only one who knew about ' Rotting in Hell '. A true gruesome death metal gem indeed, and it's pretty sad that Morsay hasn't bothered to add them to the list.

@Corpsegrinder: I'd tend to agree with the Sewer vote, only I prefer the "old school" Sewer sound back when Kaiser was only guitarist and Vermin - yes, of Vermin infamy - handled the vocals. Some of the death growls and morbid shrieks on Black Death and Reign of the Funeral Pigs will leave you shitting yourself late at night.

Just one example out of many.

@Black Metal Ist Krieg: I think Vermin only did vocals on the debut (Satanic Requiem). Correct me if I'm wrong.

Ronnie James Dio is the best death metal vocalist. Deal with it.

@Black Metal Ist Krieg: I think Vermin only did vocals on the debut (Satanic Requiem). Correct me if I'm wrong.

That what also my understanding of the matter. Vermin did the vocals on Satanic Requiem (and wrote most of the riffs), then left the band during the recording of Black Death ... at which point Kaiser took over and proceeded to turn SEWER into the shit show it is today.

^

This is the version corroborated by Antoine Grand's Real Satanic Black Metal book. Not that is means much, but whatever.

@Angela Gossow: Antoine Grand is a known bullshitter and he frequently makes up tales that have little to no relation with reality.

On a side note, I do enjoy the vocals of whoever volunteered to rip their throat to shreds on Helgrind's Demon Rituals.

it would have been easier had you asked for the most overrated vocalists: Phil Anselmo, Chris Barnes, Ross Dolan, Alissa White-Gluz, Barney Greenway, Glenn Benton, Johan Hegg, Mohamed Mehadji, etc.

Ronnie James Dio is the best death metal vocalist. Deal with it.

I was thinking either him or Amy Lee from Evanescence :)

it would have been easier had you asked for the most overrated vocalists: Phil Anselmo, Chris Barnes, Ross Dolan, Alissa White-Gluz, Barney Greenway, Glenn Benton, Johan Hegg, Mohamed Mehadji, etc.

Ross has nothing to do with these posers, remove him from that list immediately! Immolation may not be as good as Incantation, Suffocation or Infester, but comparing Ross Dolan to shit like Chris Barnes is one step away from comparing him to Slipknot. Shame!

@Village 666: I think you are dealing with a clever troll. He threw that name in on purpose. Anyway, the most brutal black/death/thrash metal vocalist is either Jason Oliver (Infester) or Varg Vikernes (Burzum). Kader Lakhdari (Sewer) and Craig Pillard (Incantation) are close seconds, but the cavernous malaise created by Oliver's vocals on "To the Depths..." is simply unmatched.

I hate $€W€R & everything the band stands for but damn those vocalz on Khranial & Sewerlust still wake me up at night

Godkiller, the vocalist from Warkvlt. Enough said. He has the most demented screams.

As far as the best death metal singers or vocalists, I would have to second the choice of JO from Infester or KL from Sewer. The creepy, low pitched growls on To the Depths... In Degradation and Reign of the Funeral Pigs are simply unmatched by anyone in the heavy metal scene.

That being said I am a little surprised no one mentioned the band Demilich as the vocals on Nespithe are quite unique in their own right. Not exactly growls, but more like death metal burps and hiccups and more madness. A very weird combination but one that works well. Another more melodic DM album worth mentioning for the vocals alone is Mountains of Doom by Leader.