Page - 58 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 02/01

58 | Florian Heesch www.jrfm.eu 2016, 2/1, 49–69 forms like metal core, a style that is often called “growling”. This vocal practice in- volves producing a low, growl- or grunt-like sound without a distinct pitch by vibra- tion of the so-called “false chords”, situated in the larynx above the vocal chords, which are used for “normal” singing.30 Britta Görtz (b. 1977), vocalist of the German thrash metal band Cripper and experienced growler, demonstrated her style of growl- ing during two courses I gave at Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media in 2011 and 2012. By involving students who lacked any experience in that style, she viv- idly showed that a basic form of growling could easily be experienced by coughing and then holding the low sound by a longer breath. Extensive training is necessary to make that sound a musical expression, not to mention avoiding damaging the larynx. In practice, growlers blend different more noise-oriented forms of vocal expression, or simply “screaming” according to the term used by Melissa Cross, who as a profes- sionally trained singer has specialised in training metal and hardcore vocalists.31 Cer- tain forms of screaming can be loud (as in the everyday notion of screaming), but so- phisticated screamers also use a style that is acoustically relatively low but conceived as loud because of the microphonic amplification. Amplification is necessary not least in order to compete with the other instruments in a regular metal or hardcore band, namely electric guitars and drums. Although growling is common in certain rather subcultural genres, outsiders who are not familiar with these styles regularly do not associate them with human singing. It is possible to associate these vocal sounds with animalistic utterances, with for instance the “growl” of a bear or a dog – hence the term – or even with fictive non-human beings such as monsters, perhaps as a result of sound clichés established in the history of horror movies. Monstrous associations fit with the topics of many death metal lyrics.32 Because of its low pitch, growling is more readily associated with male voices than with female voices, and the stereotypi- cal association has therefore persisted up to recently, reinforced by the absence of female growlers in the death metal scene. The voices of female growlers such as vo- calist Görtz are often misread as male voices, at least by outside listeners. Görtz’s vo- cal style can be heard exemplarily on the track “New Shadow” from Cripper’s album Antagonist (2012).33 The characteristic sound of growling and of similar vocal styles is regularly produced with the body proper, that is, without technology, but its loud- ness and consequently its association with angry expression or with animalistic or monstrous utterances are results of electronic amplification. 30 There is still extensive research to be done on that vocal style. My description is based on information given by vocalists like Angela Gossow (see note 22) and Britta Görtz in personal interviews and vocal workshops, furthermore on Cross (2005/2007). For a recent overview of different vocal styles that are used in heavy metal see Mesiä/ Ribaldini 2015; Mesiä and Ribaldini, who use the term “grunt” rather than the term “growl”, point out that even though some authors have tried to differentiate between growl and grunt, “it is not possible to summarize one and only grunt technique at the moment” (389). 31 Cross 2005/2007. 32 See Heesch 2011 and Heesch 2012. 33 Cripper, Antagonist (Cripper, 2012).