akarawd

Beautifully done Joshual.What you say (support/throat) comes across as attitude and your performance is totally convincing to my ears. A really good job.

Flawless, not a sign of pushing or straining... for me, one of your best if not the best one so far. Your voice is really suited to this type of singing and I loved how you introduced rasp in the end of the song, exactly as it is appropriate. Keep'em coming, Thanos

101% right. There was a thread about tim "ripper" owens in the technique thread where that was stressed. And it shows in your recording, there's a big difference from the BJ sound. PS. In the healthcare thread , there's a post about tonsils and tonsillitis - I think you'll be able to relate.

Thanks a bunch Mike - I appreciate it.

I'm sorry to bother you again Mike, one last question; do you feel the halford rasp in the soft pallet ?

The screams are unreal and the rest is as halfordish as it gets. I too liked it more than the 1st version. So how do you cope with your dual personality and when will you start on the painkiller album ? Seriously, I'd like to ask you how you feel around the passagio when you slide down with the halford rasp. Is it a completely different feeling to the BJ one ? What other sensations have you noticed, if any ? Keep'em coming, Thanos

Most singers wouldn't have even considered to sing this one and even where you sound like you're trying a tiny bit more than you should, I can only wonder how much better it'd sound with less effort from your part. Great as always.

You've got an extremely versatile voice Mike, being able to choose between a Halford and a Brian Johnson flavor is already too much for most singers. You did remind me of Plant, you came very close to his tone. Don't know how you manage !

Hi Olem, You know my opinion from your 1st version but I would like to say sth more... If you are worried about disturbing others you are probably inhibiting your abilities. I really meant it when I said I like your voice 10 times more than Labrie's - it will just take time to better your performance. I'm not far from where you stand - I'm constantly working on the same issues you're facing. Every month I hear an slight improvement and I just keep on doing my exercises, paying attention to breath management, paying attention to pitch and it works. If you stick to a disciplined routine, you'll be able to rip this song apart. Best, Thanos

F*** yeah brother , nothing more to say.

First off, I feel you have a huge voice. Great range, grit at the top, a very powerful instrument indeed. Of all the parts, I believe the softer ones I liked the best - even though there were pitch issues - mainly because there was no strain. That's what I feel is the problem ; too much strain on an already powerful and beautiful sounding voice - in other words shouting to get the power which leads to pitch issues and further strain. If I were you I'd map out the song in terms of notes and breath, try to sing it in a soft non breathy way for a few weeks until I can pull it off without any strain and then gradually put more weight. I am being brutally honest 'cause I've been there only to find I have to return to the basics to restore - or save - what's left of my voice. I apologize if my comment sounds harsh, not my attention to offend, only protect. Kind Regards, Thanos PS. I like your voice ten times more than LaBrie's.

That twang will give you a sharper tone and a lot of forum members practice it for the same reason. Of course you don't have to go to that extreme on normal songs but it could be claimed that it is a good idea to practice it that way till you own it. As I said before I feel your voice fits the songs nicely, but in some points you kinda lack confidence and breath support could help you in that direction. Additionally, a warm up routine - to me at least - is of paramount importance. It will give you consistency and make your voice stronger. Search this forum and you will soon have concrete questions, if not answers. Best, Thanos

Hi and welcome, These are some amazing songs you've got there, truly excellent music. I get the feeling you've been singing for a long time and your voice sounds really good and suits the songs nicely. I do hear some wavering in some low notes but it's nothing better support can't cure. I'm an amateur myself and not knowing about your warm up routine etc makes me apprehensive to elaborate further but all in all I found your approach extremely pleasing. PS. I really liked your twang in "Maria" and the various vocal expressions.

Wasn't talking about distortion at all - in fact I'm not sure I'd even be interested in listening to this song if it was sung with distortion. What I'm saying is - and I agree with Jon - it requires more volume/body in a clean style. I know your mic is not helping you at all in that aspect but If I were you, I'd keep practicing in a soft (non breathy) voice and doing warm ups&downs in a very disciplined way till I felt no strain when I added volume&weight to me voice. I'd do that for 2-3 weeks - you know what I mean ;)

One more thing, if you've been trying this long enough and you're not happy with the results, see if you can sing it on pitch with a light voice for a few weeks or months and then apply more weight.

Olem, from what I've read in his interviews he used to have a voice that was lighter as he went up and when he reached the top he'd just scream. It was then that a producer made him belt out all songs with no screaming, just full voice all the way - but there were no extreme highs. He's admitted that he's traded that top top part of his range for a solid, meaty full voice - not that he can't pull off a high scream - he just doesn't find it expedient. Anyhow, if that's the sound color you're after , I'd suggest what everyone of us should do : a) practice clean curbing or overdrive or whatever it's called (without worrying about high screams etc) for a few months. find each vocal note of this song on a keyboard or guitar and practice it a cappella. (if you can slow it down, that'd be a great help). c) once you've got both down perfectly, practice singing the song until you are able to add&remove the rasp at will. You certainly have great potential and I'm pretty sure you'll be able to make it, just stick at it in a disciplined and organized way. Kind Regards, Thanos

Hey, the last one was by far the best take. I'm not sure if you're singing this tune in a soft way because that's your approach or because you want to avoid mic clipping. I suppose my ears ask for a "meatier" vocal approach because of the original - but that's a personal opinion and has nothing to do with your choice. Anyhow, I liked it a lot and I believe that only the high notes needed a bit more "meat" or support, hell it's hard to describe it. What's really important to me is that your timing and pitch accuracy have improved greatly since the 1st take and this shows that you are starting to own this song. I'd like to think that your warm up helped towards ironing out most pitch issues and that they will soon be eliminated all together. Looking forward to hearing more, Thanos

Your processing chain makes perfect sense (pretty much what I'd use myself) and we both know only experienced "mixing engineers" spend time eq-ing reverbs, the outcome is rewarding.

You're human, right ? Just kiddin' That was really LOW

I've spent an hour or so dancing to this song with my 3month old baby girl - we had the time of our life. I listened to it without thinking it's Mike from the mvf. What I heard was a singer who's voice has a "saxophone" or "velvet" like quality and I'm pretty sure your condenser mic brought that aspect of your voice forward. It reminded me A LOT of Geoff Tate, albeit in a more rock or twanged version. Ever tried "Silent Lucidity" by queensryche ? I liked how you processed the vocals and I'd like to ask you how much gain reduction you had on your meters, the ratio and if you compressed the peaks only. It sounds really beautiful, not squashed at all but without any annoying dynamics, just what's needed. At the last verse you introduce a bit of gruff - not sure if it was intentional or not but it compliments your sound nicely. You shine in this type of songs - if I ever manage to sing a similar type of song, I'll be convinced I can sing. Don't stop posting Mike! Thanos

Old school metal... that phrase is just classic, the way it builds up till the word "explode" - the release... ingenious.

The "artifacts" - if you can call it that - come from compression. Keeping metal vocal dynamics at bay without squashing all life off them can be a pain in the a**. That "of the morning" phrase, the way you did it... a lot of experienced singers would cringe at the very thought of it. It comes across as a powerful yet emotional message, just incredible.

What a great song this is, you did such a great job Mike - it's spot on. The part where you sing "and then in sheer abandonment...." is divine and the chorus is killer too. Man, the positive vibe these tunes have. Amazing work - please keep these awesome "covers" coming! Thanos

With or without scratchiness you sound amazing. Especially when you sing "of the morning", that's the icing of the cake. Excellent vibrato, full tone, unbelievable control, a record-ready singer. Don't stop posting new songs! Thanos

You've got to be shitting me. I know you've been after this sound for some time now - you did it Mike. You sound so much like Brian in this one it's unreal. The gruff sounds killer and it's as powerful as it gets.. if you ever do this live, make sure you hand out diapers first. A hell of a performance buddy, keep the metal tunes coming Thanos