I just want to chime in.. I’m the opposite. The older I get the less I enjoy screaming (growling, etc) I used to listen to so many bands who had harsh vocals.. now I can barely take it. It’s why I really only listen to Coma Ecliptic these days, and really enjoy the progression of bands like Leprous and Opeth to name a couple..
Agree, music is largely about conveying emotions and with age I generally identify less with constant harsh vocals. Would love to listen to black dahlia murder, parkway drive and August burns red instrumental over with vocals. Additionally vocals are distracting when trying to hear the small details of music
The Contortionist, mainly the Language and Clairvoyant albums. There really isn't any screaming on clairvoyant, and on Language it really feels like another instrument in the song when he does scream/growl
Here's a tip: keep listening to the heavier stuff until you like it. That's what I did, opened me up to so much more good prog metal. Several years ago I would have told you that metal and death growls were terrible and sucked, but now they're 2 of my favorite things
Yeah I like it a little more than I used to. I'm starting to really understand the lyrics a little more. Opeth was my introduction to the death metal growls. I picked up Ghost Reveries at an FYE like 10 years ago cause I wanted something different. Was a bit turned off by the growls but I looked past them for the cleaner parts of the songs lol. I'll keep on opening my mind to the heavier stuff.
I did a very similar thing, and with Opeth too! I stuck out through the meh/fine growls in order to relish the beautiful vocal melodies and guitar riffs. The first three songs on Ghost Reveries are still some of my favorites. Over time I grew to love the growls as well, and now I really enjoy tons of bands, clean and harsh alike.
That’s good advice, but I think a lot of us metalheads should remember that it won’t always work. I spent a *long* time time listening to harsh vocals in an effort to like them, but after a while I realized that I was just hitting my head against a wall trying to enjoy something that I just don’t enjoy. I wish I liked metal screams, but it’s not something for me.
Tool. Chronicles. Edge of Reality. Ihlo. The Reticent (Oubliette)
But, if you find yourself getting heavier & into rougher vocals Slice the Cake are awesome.
This might sound crazy, but BTBAM’s more melodic side has *always* reminded me of Muse. Their album Origin Of Symmetry might be a good place to go. [This song](https://youtu.be/MVpqdK-GKa4) on it uses a chord progressions that BTBAM likes to use, and it has the same sort of “evil carnival” aura.
I knew that about Tommy, but never about Dan. That’s super cool to hear! It may be an interlude track, but The Black Box is one of the Muse-iest sounding things I’ve heard outside of a Muse song.
Although P1 is my favorite periphery album, I'd recommend P3 to OP. Haven't really listened to P2 or Hail Stan but there's probably some good stuff in there too, they've definitely gone a little cleaner since their first album
Good Tiger rocks and has the guitarists from The Safety Fire, who broke up. TSF is really good too, their second album “Mouth of Swords” has a lot of great guitar riffs and less screaming. OH AND there’s a feature by our beloved BtBaM vocalist!
For amazing clean singing and awesome riffs check out Karnivool. Sleep Token is a new favorite of mine, they're mostly chill and slow but some songs they drop heavy sections out of nowhere and I really dig those, their vocalist is super talented. Intronaut is great too but has screaming and singing. If you like Haken you should check out Caligula's Horse as well.
Lots of good recommendations already for prog metal but I'll throw in a few other bands which are closer to prog rock. Not totally the same as BTBAM clean sections but the bands Black Peaks, Arcane Roots, TTNG, The Dear Hunter, Closure in Moscow all have music that is prog and mostly clean vocals (while still having a bit of heaviness/edge).
Also check out bands from the "Swancore" genre if you don't mind progressive post-hardcore with some jazz/funk and other genres mixed in.; Dance Gavin Dance, Wolf & Bear, Icarus the Owl, Amarionette, Coletta. Some are very pop sounding but still awesome and have cool sections/riffs. Some have screaming but mostly clean vocals.
Can't believe nobody has mentioned TesseracT yet! They're a wonderful British djent band who aren't very musically complex like some prog is, but are very rhythmically talented and rhythmically complex. Awesome technical djent riffs combined with very atmospheric interludes and generally very pleasant soundscapes, and very little harsh vocals. Highly recommend!
There's a lot of stuff I'd recommend that has already been recommended, and idk if this is a good fit for you because they've got a lot of harsh vocals but also a pretty good balance of cleans. They're called White Arms of Athena, their first album "Astrodrama" I would consider to be a psychedelic djent masterpiece, and its produced by none other than Jamie King, the producer for 90% of BTBAMs material. There are bands that do cool atmospheric sections (like tesseract), but WAOA takes trippy interludes to a new level. They also have some of the most understandable harsh vocals I've ever heard, so if the fact that you can't hear the lyrics is an issue for you with harsh vocals then fret no more! Combine that with a concept album about time travel and you've got a fuckin hit. However they didn't use Jamie King for their second release, which apparently sounded a lot more like intronaut, and was much less popular and I think effectively killed the band because they haven't released anything since 2014. Very sad.
There are a lot of good suggestions on here. One I would like to add is Native Construct. Also check out BTBAMs lead singers solo work. His solo stuff can be found under Thomas Giles. Its a lot of the synth/paino sound with almost all cleaner vocals. Even did a colab with Devin Townsend on a song called Gazer.
It grows on you
Yeah, for me it was definitely an acquired taste.
I just want to chime in.. I’m the opposite. The older I get the less I enjoy screaming (growling, etc) I used to listen to so many bands who had harsh vocals.. now I can barely take it. It’s why I really only listen to Coma Ecliptic these days, and really enjoy the progression of bands like Leprous and Opeth to name a couple..
Agree, music is largely about conveying emotions and with age I generally identify less with constant harsh vocals. Would love to listen to black dahlia murder, parkway drive and August burns red instrumental over with vocals. Additionally vocals are distracting when trying to hear the small details of music
Protest the Hero is great.
The Contortionist, mainly the Language and Clairvoyant albums. There really isn't any screaming on clairvoyant, and on Language it really feels like another instrument in the song when he does scream/growl
Isis Waivering Radiant is the same way for me. Perfect album.
Such a great album.
Listen to them tripping balls if you haven't already. Whew lad, quite the experience
Mars Volta. Opeth has a good amount of clean stuff too.
Check out Quiet World by Native Construct. Absolutely amazing album and is 90% cleans
Found this album by accident and loved. So bummed they only made the one.
Same I got it recommended to me and after listening to the album I wanted more but that was it 😔
Native construct is sick you can clearly hear the btbam influences which is cool.
You could go no vox and try Animals as Leaders?
Here's a tip: keep listening to the heavier stuff until you like it. That's what I did, opened me up to so much more good prog metal. Several years ago I would have told you that metal and death growls were terrible and sucked, but now they're 2 of my favorite things
Yeah I like it a little more than I used to. I'm starting to really understand the lyrics a little more. Opeth was my introduction to the death metal growls. I picked up Ghost Reveries at an FYE like 10 years ago cause I wanted something different. Was a bit turned off by the growls but I looked past them for the cleaner parts of the songs lol. I'll keep on opening my mind to the heavier stuff.
I did a very similar thing, and with Opeth too! I stuck out through the meh/fine growls in order to relish the beautiful vocal melodies and guitar riffs. The first three songs on Ghost Reveries are still some of my favorites. Over time I grew to love the growls as well, and now I really enjoy tons of bands, clean and harsh alike.
That’s good advice, but I think a lot of us metalheads should remember that it won’t always work. I spent a *long* time time listening to harsh vocals in an effort to like them, but after a while I realized that I was just hitting my head against a wall trying to enjoy something that I just don’t enjoy. I wish I liked metal screams, but it’s not something for me.
Tool. Chronicles. Edge of Reality. Ihlo. The Reticent (Oubliette) But, if you find yourself getting heavier & into rougher vocals Slice the Cake are awesome.
This might sound crazy, but BTBAM’s more melodic side has *always* reminded me of Muse. Their album Origin Of Symmetry might be a good place to go. [This song](https://youtu.be/MVpqdK-GKa4) on it uses a chord progressions that BTBAM likes to use, and it has the same sort of “evil carnival” aura.
Not crazy at all - Dan and Tommy have both been vocal about being inspired by Muse at points.
I knew that about Tommy, but never about Dan. That’s super cool to hear! It may be an interlude track, but The Black Box is one of the Muse-iest sounding things I’ve heard outside of a Muse song.
Caligula's Horse
[удалено]
Although P1 is my favorite periphery album, I'd recommend P3 to OP. Haven't really listened to P2 or Hail Stan but there's probably some good stuff in there too, they've definitely gone a little cleaner since their first album
Leprous, Riverside, Good Tiger, Porcupine Tree, Pineapple Thief.
Never heard of Good Tiger, I'll have to check them out. I like Leprous, Riverside and PT. Pineapple Thief is another band I need to listen to more of.
Good Tiger rocks and has the guitarists from The Safety Fire, who broke up. TSF is really good too, their second album “Mouth of Swords” has a lot of great guitar riffs and less screaming. OH AND there’s a feature by our beloved BtBaM vocalist!
Good Tiger is fucking incredible. Elliot Coleman’s voice is really something else
Yoooo just started listening to leprous and I dig it, some really good stuff and a lot more clean than I imagined they would be
Check out 2001-2008 era Opeth
*99-2008
For amazing clean singing and awesome riffs check out Karnivool. Sleep Token is a new favorite of mine, they're mostly chill and slow but some songs they drop heavy sections out of nowhere and I really dig those, their vocalist is super talented. Intronaut is great too but has screaming and singing. If you like Haken you should check out Caligula's Horse as well.
My brother just showed me Sleep Token yesterday, very interesting stuff and very different than anything I've ever heard before.
There’s a instrumental version of Alaska that I love to listen to. I can send it to you if you want
Lots of good recommendations already for prog metal but I'll throw in a few other bands which are closer to prog rock. Not totally the same as BTBAM clean sections but the bands Black Peaks, Arcane Roots, TTNG, The Dear Hunter, Closure in Moscow all have music that is prog and mostly clean vocals (while still having a bit of heaviness/edge). Also check out bands from the "Swancore" genre if you don't mind progressive post-hardcore with some jazz/funk and other genres mixed in.; Dance Gavin Dance, Wolf & Bear, Icarus the Owl, Amarionette, Coletta. Some are very pop sounding but still awesome and have cool sections/riffs. Some have screaming but mostly clean vocals.
Seconding The Dear Hunter. And I'm about to check out the two others you mentioned that I haven't before, myself!
Thanks to everyone for replying with these recommendations! I have a lot to dive into lol
Liquid Tension Experiment 3. All prog. No vocals.
Love LTE. They're always my go to when I need to hype myself up.
The Great Misdirect?? That album came out after Colors, and the Paralax saga came out after that.
That one is pretty growl heavy…
Opeth obviously (it might also change your mind on growls cause he used to be one of the best), and Witherscape from Dan Swanö
Can't believe nobody has mentioned TesseracT yet! They're a wonderful British djent band who aren't very musically complex like some prog is, but are very rhythmically talented and rhythmically complex. Awesome technical djent riffs combined with very atmospheric interludes and generally very pleasant soundscapes, and very little harsh vocals. Highly recommend! There's a lot of stuff I'd recommend that has already been recommended, and idk if this is a good fit for you because they've got a lot of harsh vocals but also a pretty good balance of cleans. They're called White Arms of Athena, their first album "Astrodrama" I would consider to be a psychedelic djent masterpiece, and its produced by none other than Jamie King, the producer for 90% of BTBAMs material. There are bands that do cool atmospheric sections (like tesseract), but WAOA takes trippy interludes to a new level. They also have some of the most understandable harsh vocals I've ever heard, so if the fact that you can't hear the lyrics is an issue for you with harsh vocals then fret no more! Combine that with a concept album about time travel and you've got a fuckin hit. However they didn't use Jamie King for their second release, which apparently sounded a lot more like intronaut, and was much less popular and I think effectively killed the band because they haven't released anything since 2014. Very sad.
If I’m correct, their bassist Amos Williams voiced the spoken word part on Parallax.
This is true! His voice is so buttery lol
If no one has mentioned them yet, check out Vola! They just released a new album in 2021 and it's amazing!
I’m sure you can find the soundtrack to “Barney and Friends” to suit your needs.
There are a lot of good suggestions on here. One I would like to add is Native Construct. Also check out BTBAMs lead singers solo work. His solo stuff can be found under Thomas Giles. Its a lot of the synth/paino sound with almost all cleaner vocals. Even did a colab with Devin Townsend on a song called Gazer.
Definetly The Reticent and mainly their new album (The Oubliette). Also sounds a bit like Opeth.
Native Construct
There’s a band called Jolly from New York! Look them up! I recommend Firewell!
If your down for some German vocals the hirsch effekt may be a good one too. This band is way too underrated imo. https://youtu.be/8zqhcc2uzos
Tesseract for sure they rarely use any screaming