DIO - HOLY DIVER

[Daug Poland]

Hope you will like it.

I dedicate this cover to everyone who helped me in the "Hate to be a tenor " topic.

I was playing with microphone setups just like guitartrek recomended. And I have to say that really helped me. I have foud the way to here me in different way. Hope it works for ya too.

I have spoted some 80' sounding-like stuff.

http://www.box.com/s/4szmo5yb57r0h0yn4qn2

Regards!

[Vocalist Dad]

Daug, pretty darn good, I was busy typing an email while I had your song on and forgot I was listening to a cover version. You have a great voice for that style of music.

[ThisIsJewels]

Very cool! Did you do the guitar playing as well?

[Jugulator]

I like the way you sang this song. You nailed it! The only thing I have to mention is that sometimes you disconnect the chest and head voices.

[Keith]

Holy crap, this is awesome man! Right now , Dio is like "who the heck is that?"

[Daug Poland]

Thank You!

you're very kind

I have not made guitar's there. However, soon maybe I will make some complet cover with my guitars and bass on it.

Jugulator - I'm aware of that (edit; However Im not so sure. Suppose to be in edge on those high notes.)

Thank you!

[Daug Poland]

thnx keith!

Do not exaggerate ;)

[Keith]

No exaggeration needed - you have the same rasp, same attitude, and easilly the same range. Sounds awesome man, so just sit back and bask in the awesomeness!

[Daug Poland]

Keith!

Thank you again!

you're exessively nice there!

[Snax]

Wow, you really have some of the Dio tone happening there Daug! Unfortunately for me you got a bit carried away with the growling in places. If you can just work on keeping things a little more restrained you'll be amazing!!! I really dig your voice and I know that you are capable of much better.

[DJDeth]

Daug, that's really great. In some places you sound just like the man! So now you have to stop complaining about your voice not suiting the music you want to perform, as this is just the kind of tone you need for Symphony X stuff etc.

[jillhuber31]

this isn't my kind of music but your voice sounds good on it! I like your range!

[Daug Poland]

Snax, Thank you. I know I overdo - but after all I was playing with that. You know- when I'm recording some covers I like to maintain a distance to it, and enjoy like a kid. Otherwise, every little mistake would kill me. And I would not end up the song. This is how I practice. And my main goal is to sing my own stuff

Thank you DJDeth, really? :) Ok.. so maybe even I will try pick up some stuff from Symphony . I know Symphony X's lines are deamn hard to sing. But maybe this is the best way to learn something.

thnx Jill

[ronws]

I agree with Keith. Holy Moly rock and rolly ....

As far as I can tell, Daug wrote "Holy Diver" and allowed RJD to sing it.

You made the song your own. And it sounds like you had some significant overtones in the low. More than RJD had. And you mixed it well. One must always remember that what we hear on an album or even in a concert is mixed, whether by recording engineer or, live, an FOH engineer or soundman at the console. You really made it work.

And beat my cover of it all to smithereens. I need a smiley here to show genuflection in the presence of greatness.

How's that for blunt "tough love"?

Mic'ing and mixing is everything.

[Daug Poland]

As far as I can tell, Daug wrote "Holy Diver" and allowed RJD to sing it.

OMG blaspheming!

Hhahaha.. Thank you Rown's, You're above-averege polite to me. I feel extremely overpriced. I think I now know why the U.S.A is such a great country . You all always think positevely and you're smiling no metter what and just go forward. That is great!

"How's that for blunt "tough love"?" - I can't understend that one.

And about mixing. I have not mix that in differant way than always. I just go for guitartrek's advice and made myself some blankets construction to reduse feedback from the walls and that has changed the way on how I can hear myself!!! And that was indeed the key! . I set deesser and compressor and give a little cut with eq on low's and a little boost on mid-high's. I mixed vocals so thay can be 1/5 louder than backing and later gave a compressor/limiter on whole mix.

Thank you again for your kind words. I feel very consoled.

Regards!

[ronws]

Sorry Daug. In this forum, some people are "blunt" and will say what they so to criticise and call it tough love. I stink at that. I would rather applaud what I thought was right. It is a stronger connection than punishment. I also hate disingenuous phrasing where someone says "not to be mean or nothing" and then he or she proceeds to fillet the other person alive, often with superflous statements.

I prefer to say, This is what I liked," This is what you might try different and see what you like about it. Or This is what I do about pitch accuracy problems, see if that works for you.

Rather than coming off like a drill instructor. I can do that and I was raised around people in the military. I know how to "bark" orders. I just don't really like to do it that way. On the other hand, some people need orders barked at them. It takes all kinds, I guess.

[Daug Poland]

Oh. I see what you mean.

Come to polish forum and stick some sample - This is a great place to find reason for a suicide , even if you're Bruce Dickinson and just pretend someone unknown

So from my perspective on this forum i can find only politiness and subtle criticism . And you know what? I really can tell that your way is working way better then even acuratte factual but too streight scored "tought love" critique indeed (per expample my case) .

Trought the days when we are practising we very often sterting to hear and listen to ourself's but we do need a motivation. And motivation is something I realy have found here.

Thank you brothers!

[ronws]

You already have a lot of good stuff going for you. I can tell from you and Devaitis how difficult it is to sing outside of the polish accent. That is quite a barrier that I don't have. So, for you to sing this song and have as clear diction and articulation as you do and still jazz it up and make it your own is beyond technical achievement. It is also an artistic achievement.

You might have problems on other songs, you may need advice on other songs. But once in a while, everything good comes together. To borrow a term from baseball, it's a homerun. You knock it out of the park (like one of my favorite baseball players from 1974, "Boom Boom" from the San Diego Padres.)

[devaitis]

You already have a lot of good stuff going for you. I can tell from you and Devaitis how difficult it is to sing outside of the polish accent.

Agreed. Accent, decent pronunciation, melody of the English Language, connecting the words...and all of this stuff is struggle each and every day. Light pop songs are easier but fast, rock, higher elements are nightmare to me.

Come to polish forum and stick some sample - This is a great place to find reason for a suicide , even if you're Bruce Dickinson and just pretend someone unknown

confirmed east-Europe culture - different culture

[Daug Poland]

You already have a lot of good stuff going for you. I can tell from you and Devaitis how difficult it is to sing outside of the polish accent. That is quite a barrier that I don't have. So, for you to sing this song and have as clear diction and articulation as you do and still jazz it up and make it your own is beyond technical achievement. It is also an artistic achievement.

Oh! That is a really really HUGE compliment for me!

I am a self-tought in English. What I know, I learned by watching the BBC's Top Gear, some American movies and doing the extraction of meanings from the lyrics of my fav. bands. But I need practice in grammar as you can see

You might have problems on other songs, you may need advice on other songs. But once in a while, everything good comes together. To borrow a term from baseball, it's a homerun. You knock it out of the park (like one of my favorite baseball players from 1974, "Boom Boom" from the San Diego Padres.)

And that is a great sentance. And very true :)

[basil]

As an exercise in singing lower tenor with some weight in your sound ....your on the right track.

Keep at it and you'll get the tone and evilness badass sound you're after. \m/

[Marcus]

Wow. Really wow.

You sound awesome Daug. Lots of vocal weight, and really cool grit. I agree with Snax that at some points you get a little carried away with the growling, for me it was mainly in the two first verses, the second two sounded much better to my ears (choruses sounded great all the way through though).

I simply LOVE your highnotes, would actually have liked to hear some more highscreams there in the end. How about recording some more DIO? Have you tried singing "Don't Talk To Strangers"?

Really good job on this one!

[Daug Poland]

Thank you basil

Thank you Marcus . I must admit I overdo this growling thing. I just luv this feeling I get when I growl ( lol ) and just cerried away.. Funny thing is I have recorded less growling version and than I go like " neiii .." , tor it down and recorded crazy ver instead:D

Yes. I thought about doing some more from DIO - only this time I think I'll make my own instrumental backing. I'm considering "Hey angel" or "night people"

Tnx again!

Regards

[Olem]

Hello, Daug!

I am very impressed. You have a very nice growl and a great range. I loved it. Mostly i loved the clean "diveeeeer" note at 0:47, that was a killer high note. The raspy "wheel" sounded great too. You have a crazy "goat" vibrato going on in some places and i don´t know if it´s intentional but it sounds pretty cool. Your pronounciation is impressive too in this song. Another great work from you Daug, you truly are a talent, now i wait for you to sing a Joe Lynn Turner or a James Christian tune - that would really fit your range and tone and would sound awesome i think.

[ronws]

I would like to hear some more Dio. I know you don't exactly sound like Dio, but you sing like him, if that makes sense. I think your range is actually a little bigger. You can hit the same high notes but you have fuller lower end that he didn't have.

How about music from when he was with others. Such as:

"Heaven and Hell"

"Mob Rules"

And one of my favorites from his own albums

"Time to Burn"

True, it's a corny anthem like song, very straight forward, but something everyone needs to here, now and then.

"Someone told me I would never be free

That where you are is where you'll always be

But that's all wrong ...."

I haven't suggested that you do "Rainbow in the Dark" because I fear that your version will totally leave mine in the dust and I'm not sure my fragile ego can take that. ;)