The science behind harsh vocals is still pretty flimsy, despite the techniques having existed for decades now. Many vocal coaches and teachers were unfamiliar with the way screaming and growling worked (with exceptions like Melissa Cross), meaning that little research was ever done and the question was left outside the world of academia. Recently, vocal expert Elizabeth Zharoff has aimed to change that, first via YouTube channel The Charismatic Voice and now through a non-profit organization dedicated to harsh vocal research.
Zharoff, who has already gone viral for using an internal throat camera while Lorna Shore vocalist Will Ramos performs, has a plan for the future of The Charismatic Voice that includes more vocal studies with Travis Ryan (Cattle Decapitation), Alissa White-Gluz (Arch Enemy), Devin Townsend and Phil Bozeman (Whitechapel), among others. Completely crowdfunded, Zharoff even believes that this research will have an impact on mental health treatment.
Decibel caught up with Zharoff to get the lowdown on The Charismatic Voice, the science of screaming and her own personal journey with extreme metal.
You’re a “vocal expert.” What does that mean, and how does it apply to musicians?
There are so many ways to define expertise. We could take the 10,000 hours rule to become an expert in a field – and I surpassed 10,000 hours of intense vocal studies in my early twenties.
I like to use the phrase “vocal expert” because it encompasses both the deep and wide experience I have surrounding voice. After eight years of voice study in universities, I performed opera around the world for over a decade. I then expanded to include other genres of music and improved my coaching skills, and I worked for a short period in the video game industry and created the AI voice for a self-driving car. I dug much deeper into voice science starting in my late 20s, including doing additional schooling, and four years ago I started intensely gathering any information to be had on extended vocal technique like harsh vocals.
Professional musicians usually have developed their expertise through many hours of intense, focused practice. Often top-level musicians today have additional expertise beyond their required performance skills, such as the clarinet player from the symphony who also slays jazz gigs on off days. I love mingling with musicians like this, as they’re mega-nerds like me.
When did you become interested in studying harsh vocals? What about them is more interesting or different than clean or sung vocals?
I first became interested in harsh vocals when I heard Tatiana Shmayluk performing “Pisces” with her band, Jinjer. I couldn’t believe how easily she switched between clean and harsh vocals, and the sounds she created made me giggle in amazement.
I eventually came to understand that harsh vocals, a la cookie monster vocals, originate from different anatomy than clean singing, and that this anatomy is grossly under-researched. The melody in clean singing originates from the true vocal folds, which are rather fussy and beautifully suited to making a pure tone. The rough, distorted sounds we hear in deathcore singers come from structures in the larynx that are above the true vocal folds, which include the false vocal folds, arytenoid cartilages, aryepiglottic folds, epiglottis, and (as we are discovering) much more.
What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned since beginning to study the vocals used in extreme music?
I’ll never get over the incredible twisting movement that we saw when first peering into Will Ramos’ throat. I’d never seen anything like it. Imagine your throat twisting at least 90 degrees! He had no clue that this was occurring inside. I have no idea how someone could even train that motion, as humans can’t usually sense that feeling, but it likely contributes to the extraordinary unique quality of Will’s sound.
You’re currently in the middle of an almost-funded Kickstarter to launch a much bigger vocal study, including the vocalists for bands like Arch Enemy, Whitechapel and Cattle Decapitation. What’s the end game for you? Where do you hope or expect this research will lead?
While the goal of this study is to provide the most in-depth research ever conducted on upper laryngeal structures, my greater goal is not to just understand how the heck these awesome sounds are being created. I want these upper laryngeal structures to be a part of music therapy research moving forward, as I believe there are convincing reasons they could help improve health conditions for millions.
For years, many people–including famous singers and successful voice coaches/teachers–have said that screaming, growling and other harsh vocals can actually cause long-term harm. Is this simply a rumor or greatly exaggerated from instances of vocalists performing incorrectly?
I think the stigmatization of vocal distortion comes from several sources. First—if a singer tries to make these sounds using the wrong anatomy, it’s likely that things won’t turn out well.
Think of your voice like a football team. Different positions are played by different body types, because they’re specialized in particular functions. You don’t want your quarterback to sub as an offensive lineman—he can’t take that many hits—and you don’t swap your kicker for your defensive tackle.
I imagine that both singing teachers and performers had experiences where they tried to make a rough sound in the wrong way, and that made clean singing difficult. They spread the word of warning to others, and eventually rumors were created.
It’s time to reverse those rumors—or rather, start a more knowledge-based rumor ourselves: harsh vocals, when done correctly, may actually be healthy!
You said in the Kickstarter that you’re going for crowdfunding instead of funding the study via grants because extreme vocals and music in general have been stigmatized in academia, making it hard to get the money to do more research. Do you believe that what you’re working on will have an effect on those beliefs and open up the door to even further research?
Not only are we crowdfunding to support vocal research, we’ve also created a non-profit 501c3 so that funds contributed to the Kickstarter will have maximum, tax-free impact. Also, we cannot legally make a single penny from the Kickstarter.
Finding money to support harsh vocal research is extremely difficult. We have been personally donating and the researchers have also been donating their time.
This Kickstarter is a call to researchers across the globe, voiced by the impressive members of our music community. It’s impossible to ignore. I believe it will start to majorly shift public stigmatization of these amazing sounds and open the door for future funding from traditional sources.
Do you listen to metal yourself or is it purely academic? If so, what do you like to listen to?
Heck yeah! My journey with The Charismatic Voice has opened my ears to music I would have previously written-off. One of my favorite discoveries has been symphonic metal. I love how a full orchestra is blended with contemporary instruments. It creates a soundscape that is lush and has huge potential for impact and drama.
I’ve also loved getting to see metal bands in concert recently. This year I was very impressed by Kamelot, Ad Infinitum, HammerFall, Jinjer, Battlebeast and one of my personal favorites, Blackbriar (I looooooove Zora’s spooky and adept vocals!).
Shout-out as well to Sleep Token, whom I think should have won a Grammy last year for their album, Take Me Back to Eden. I’m still begging for a tea time interview with Vessel!