# Good HEAVY metal w/o Cookie Monster Vocals? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 21, 2006, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-heavy-metal-w-o-cookie-monster-vocals/381345 "2006-11-21T21:25:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Blind\_Guardian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df705f/32.png) [@Blind\_Guardian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blind_Guardian)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-heavy-metal-w-o-cookie-monster-vocals/381345/41 "2006-11-23T18:19:46Z")
I love this board. Lots of good suggestions in this thread, and I’m going to be checking some of these guys out myself. I’ll add a few more that I don’t recall seeing mentioned yet in the thread (and my apologies if someone did, but I missed it). **Blind Guardian** , who I’ve plugged before in other threads, and an Italian band called **Rhapsody**. They both have an epic, melodic sound, and their songs are often drawn from fantasy literature and mythology. **Demons & Wizards** was a collaboration between members of Iced Earth and Blind Guardian, and is definitely worth checking out. Zakk Wylde’s band, **Black Label Society**. Zakk used to be the guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne, so if you like Ozzy, BLS might be worth a look. ---
**Author:** ![Gukumatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/74df32/32.png) [@Gukumatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gukumatz)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-heavy-metal-w-o-cookie-monster-vocals/381345/42 "2006-11-23T18:38:41Z")
[QUOTE=Blind Guardian] I love this board. Lots of good suggestions in this thread, and I’m going to be checking some of these guys out myself. I’ll add a few more that I don’t recall seeing mentioned yet in the thread (and my apologies if someone did, but I missed it). **Blind Guardian** , who I’ve plugged before in other threads, and an Italian band called **Rhapsody**. They both have an epic, melodic sound, and their songs are often drawn from fantasy literature and mythology. **Demons & Wizards** was a collaboration between members of Iced Earth and Blind Guardian, and is definitely worth checking out. Zakk Wylde’s band, **Black Label Society**. Zakk used to be the guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne, so if you like Ozzy, BLS might be worth a look. [/QUOTE] We’re so in agreement. Both Rhapsody and Blind Guardian are great - especially classic enthusiasts should love Rhapsody, since they’ve done some fairly amusing things with Dvoràk . . . (Hint: Check out **The Wizard’s Last Rhymes** ) Aaanyhow, I really just came in to plug **Nine Inch Nails** , if nobody did it before me. Sorry, read the thread earlier but couldn’t reply due to being on a work computer, so if someone caught it in advance, my apologies. NIN have great, non-ducktales vocals in most their songs and range from heavy industrial to fairly melodical. Their newest album, With Teeth, is my favourite, although it has some fairly obvious political undertones. The classics are of course The Downward Spiral and The Frail. ---
**Author:** ![Gukumatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/74df32/32.png) [@Gukumatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gukumatz)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-heavy-metal-w-o-cookie-monster-vocals/381345/43 "2006-11-23T18:40:44Z")
Yargh. Me sorry. Caffeine levels critical. ---
**Author:** ![outatthespeedway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3ec8ea/32.png) [@outatthespeedway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outatthespeedway)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-heavy-metal-w-o-cookie-monster-vocals/381345/44 "2006-11-23T20:25:47Z")
Just thought I’d chime in with some bands I hadn’t seen mentioned yet. These are mostly what could be called melodic/power metal. Beyond Fear (featuring Tim “Ripper” Owens) Armored Saint (featuring John Bush) Dream Evil Firewind Primal Fear Seven Witches Atreyu (some growling, but pretty good) Trivium and my wildcard 3 Inches of Blood (If you can get over the high pitched singer it is really good) ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-heavy-metal-w-o-cookie-monster-vocals/381345/45 "2006-11-23T20:36:47Z")
I can’t believe no one has mentioned **Pantera**. I once had a friend tell me, “You just like them because you can understand what they’re saying.” ---
**Author:** ![Gail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Gail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gail)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-heavy-metal-w-o-cookie-monster-vocals/381345/46 "2006-11-23T20:47:19Z")
You know, this has been my pet peeve with new alternative rock, too. I like Rise Against and Hawthorne Heights except for the screaming. Why do they do that? I’d think their vocal cords would hurt afterward especially when they have to perform the same music night after night. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2006, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-heavy-metal-w-o-cookie-monster-vocals/381345/47 "2006-11-24T16:40:24Z")
[QUOTE=Gukumatz] We’re so in agreement. Both Rhapsody and Blind Guardian are great - especially classic enthusiasts should love Rhapsody, since they’ve done some fairly amusing things with Dvoràk . . . (Hint: Check out **The Wizard’s Last Rhymes** ) [/QUOTE] I feel like you shouldn’t be allowed to give Rhapsody a blanket reccomendation without some sort of disclaimer attached. Yes, their music is quality, and they’ve definitely got some chops–even I, a non-musician, can tell that. Yes, the vocals are clean and quite good. But the down side of the clean vocals, you see, is that you can understand what the singer is saying–and if you actually listen to it, you’re probably going to start giggling at some point. Rhapsody specializes in a particularly melodramatic sort of power metal–I think they call it Hollywood metal–which inevitably involves lots of dragons and warriors with rippling sinews and that kinda thing. On at least one album, there’s a spoken word piece of not insignificant length, in which the lead vocalist dramatically soliloquizes :dubious: about the death of his noble dragon steed. It’s usually about that point that I start giggling and rolling my eyes and turn the stuff off. So yeah, they’re a great band, but you’ve got this hump to get over. For me, that means that I can only handle them in small doses from time to time. If you can handle it–and lots of folks can, to judge by Rhap’s success–then it should be great stuff for you. Just wanna make sure you know what you’re getting into. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2006, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-heavy-metal-w-o-cookie-monster-vocals/381345/48 "2006-11-24T16:56:58Z")
[QUOTE=Cisco] I can’t believe no one has mentioned **Pantera**. I once had a friend tell me, “You just like them because you can understand what they’re saying.” [/QUOTE] I freakin’ _love_ Pantera, but I thought the OP wanted new stuff and theirs is 10 - 15 years old by now… ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2006, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-heavy-metal-w-o-cookie-monster-vocals/381345/49 "2006-11-25T00:41:55Z")
[QUOTE=WordMan] I freakin’ _love_ Pantera, but I thought the OP wanted new stuff and theirs is 10 - 15 years old by now… [/QUOTE] I think that the OP is just looking for new for him stuff, not just new to everyone else stuff. I’d be curious to have him tell us what he does like metal wise to help with more recomendations. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2006, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-heavy-metal-w-o-cookie-monster-vocals/381345/50 "2006-11-25T01:49:55Z")
[QUOTE=Cluricaun] I think that the OP is just looking for new for him stuff, not just new to everyone else stuff. I’d be curious to have him tell us what he does like metal wise to help with more recomendations. [/QUOTE] This is what I was after when I asked “how heavy is heavy?” Metal is a pretty diverse landscape, even if you exclude all of the stuff with black/death vox. ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2006, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-heavy-metal-w-o-cookie-monster-vocals/381345/51 "2006-11-26T02:06:55Z")
Shadows Fall is another prospect; occasional growls, but mostly coherent vocals. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2006, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-heavy-metal-w-o-cookie-monster-vocals/381345/52 "2006-11-26T04:34:13Z")
I have to say, I read the thread title and started imagining a heavy metal version of “C is for Cookie.” As I don’t listen to much metal, that’s pretty much all I have to contribute, other than asking if the lyrics have to be in English. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2006, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-heavy-metal-w-o-cookie-monster-vocals/381345/53 "2006-11-26T15:51:40Z")
[QUOTE=asterion] I have to say, I read the thread title and started imagining a heavy metal version of “C is for Cookie.” [/QUOTE] You should hear Brian Posehn’s song “Metal by Numbers”. He not only name checks the Cookie Monster, but also grunts out a few “Cookie Cookie Cookie” lines too. It’s pretty funny. ---
**Author:** ![RogueRacer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ab992/32.png) [@RogueRacer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RogueRacer)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-heavy-metal-w-o-cookie-monster-vocals/381345/54 "2006-11-27T19:17:50Z")
[QUOTE=ArchitectChore] I think Dream Theater’s _Train of Thought_ album is an excellent recommendation for the OP. IMO, most of their other music isn’t so heavy, though. [/QUOTE] I was specifically thinking of the song “Pull Me Under” from _Images and Words_ when I replied. I agree though, some of their songs aren’t very heavy. Actually, I guess “Pull Me Under” isn’t even all that heavy. Someone mentioned Pantera. Isn’t that actually kind of the opposite of what the OP is asking for? I liked their music, but from _Vulgar Display of Power_ onward, it sounds very Cookie Monsterish to me. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-heavy-metal-w-o-cookie-monster-vocals/381345/55 "2006-11-27T19:31:48Z")
[QUOTE=RogueRacer] Someone mentioned Pantera. Isn’t that actually kind of the opposite of what the OP is asking for? I liked their music, but from _Vulgar Display of Power_ onward, it sounds very Cookie Monsterish to me. [/QUOTE] I could see some people being put off by Pantera’s vocals, but they’re not what are generally considered Cookie Monster vocals. Go listen to some Six Feet Under, and you’ll understand exactly what the OP was looking to avoid. ---
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-heavy-metal-w-o-cookie-monster-vocals/381345/56 "2006-11-27T22:56:24Z")
Check out **Boris** , specifically the records _Pink_ and _Amplifier Worship_. Tiny japanese people, including [their adorable little guitarist, Wata](http://www.southern.net/southern/gallery/photos_gallery/1156M.jpg), make **bone-crushing** , speaker-shredding, thundering sludgy doom metal. ---
**Author:** ![RogueRacer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ab992/32.png) [@RogueRacer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RogueRacer)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-heavy-metal-w-o-cookie-monster-vocals/381345/57 "2006-11-27T23:30:10Z")
[QUOTE=ultrafilter] I could see some people being put off by Pantera’s vocals, but they’re not what are generally considered Cookie Monster vocals. Go listen to some Six Feet Under, and you’ll understand exactly what the OP was looking to avoid. [/QUOTE] Wow! I stand corrected. I must say, that is fricken hilarious. I hope they’re not taking themselves seriously. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-heavy-metal-w-o-cookie-monster-vocals/381345/58 "2006-11-28T14:34:18Z")
[QUOTE=RogueRacer] Wow! I stand corrected. I must say, that is fricken hilarious. I hope they’re not taking themselves seriously. 😃 [/QUOTE] Sadly, Chris Barnes (the vocalist) seems incapable of not taking himself seriously. Why else would he keep making those horrible records? ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-heavy-metal-w-o-cookie-monster-vocals/381345/59 "2006-11-28T14:50:15Z")
[QUOTE=Cluricaun] Sadly, Chris Barnes (the vocalist) seems incapable of not taking himself seriously. Why else would he keep making those horrible records? [/QUOTE] People keep buying them. ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-heavy-metal-w-o-cookie-monster-vocals/381345/60 "2006-11-28T15:27:45Z")
I was going to mention **Blind Guardian** , but I’m happy to see I’m too late. 🙂 I know this is a long shot, but it’s mildly possible that you aren’t already into **Metallica** and/or **System of a Down**. (Ow! hey! I said _mildly_ possible! I realize this is like telling an ice cream fan there’s a great new flavor called chocolate, but you never know… 🙂 ) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-heavy-metal-w-o-cookie-monster-vocals/381345.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-heavy-metal-w-o-cookie-monster-vocals/381345.md?page=4)