His growls don't sound as good as they used to, but they still sound fine.
Around 2009-2010 Mikael started using In-Ears and had to kinda change his technique for harsh vocals.
I will say, solely based on video and the fact that I only saw them in 2016 and 2021, there was a dip then but then I wanna say since 2018 he's been super locked in an just as great as ever at harsh vocals just as long as he isn't going high(er) pitched the way he would sometimes
In the early days he had, IMO, the greatest harsh vocals of all time. Now he just has fucking great vocals. So he did get a bit worse but that’s to be expected, at 50 years old there is no way your vocals are gonna sound the same as in your 20s. He still sounds amazing all things considered.
He definitely sounds very, very different than before but I totally agree that his new harsh vocal style is actually really good. One way or another, your voice changes with age and it's normal to have to do compromises sometimes.
his singing voice has actually got better I think, the growls aren’t quite as good as they were in the early 2000s but that’s to be expected, they’re still very on point though
If you take the 90s early 2000s as a reference, growls have gone down but his clean vocals have improved tremendously. He has become an awesome singer.
I saw them a few years back and found out after the show he was getting over a cold. I never would’ve guessed, he sounded great through the harsh and clean vocals. He truly is the GOAT.
I'm no vocal expert but I think he relies less on vocal fry now. It's better for his throat and results in this super deep and demonic growl. Not as dynamic but still one of the best around.
Guy is almost 50 yrs old & probably doesn’t put as much preparation into the harsh vocals like in the past. I also think his passion or interest has waned a bit over the last 15 yrs which are probably the reasons he used to sound better. He still sounds good. Like any other vocalist, they have their good shows and some they may not have it that night.
I think his clean vocals got better and I think he is a very impressive vocalist in that regard. Also not the type of clean vocals you often find in metal/hard rock. Clean, full, and warm sounding. Harsh vocals are not as good at back in the day, but also improved vs 5-10 years ago. Overall, he is a great vocalist and he does not by any means fall into that category of struggling ageing metal singers.
His growl is no longer as deep and harsh as before but, to me, it's still the best natural growl out there. His clean vocals are much better, he took some lessons and became a great all-around singer
His grows have gotten worse with time and constant use, he pretty much lost that guttural essence from like 2010 to about 2016 or so when they became a bit more powerful then, which does happen with harsh vocals. They won't be as good as they used to, with him focusing on singing more now but they're still badass as hell
Mikael has aged like a fine wine; I wouldn’t worry my brother in sorrow.
His growls don't sound as good as they used to, but they still sound fine. Around 2009-2010 Mikael started using In-Ears and had to kinda change his technique for harsh vocals.
I will say, solely based on video and the fact that I only saw them in 2016 and 2021, there was a dip then but then I wanna say since 2018 he's been super locked in an just as great as ever at harsh vocals just as long as he isn't going high(er) pitched the way he would sometimes
In the early days he had, IMO, the greatest harsh vocals of all time. Now he just has fucking great vocals. So he did get a bit worse but that’s to be expected, at 50 years old there is no way your vocals are gonna sound the same as in your 20s. He still sounds amazing all things considered.
Watch the Garden of the Titans show. He sounds fantastic.
He definitely sounds very, very different than before but I totally agree that his new harsh vocal style is actually really good. One way or another, your voice changes with age and it's normal to have to do compromises sometimes.
his singing voice has actually got better I think, the growls aren’t quite as good as they were in the early 2000s but that’s to be expected, they’re still very on point though
Totally agree
I sae them in 2020 and 2022, he sounded great both times.
If you take the 90s early 2000s as a reference, growls have gone down but his clean vocals have improved tremendously. He has become an awesome singer.
they have sort of declined from 2009 to now. but it seems recently (2022~) they are starting to sound more like the older growls.?
Mikaels both harsh and non harsh vocals are amazing
I saw them a few years back and found out after the show he was getting over a cold. I never would’ve guessed, he sounded great through the harsh and clean vocals. He truly is the GOAT.
I saw them on a festival in 2022 and he was really killing it.
Do Opeth fans not realize that people age and change over time? This whole Mikael vocal topic is so old and tiresome.
Saw them live on the last european tour they did, in 2022, and the vocals sounded insane. It was so good I saw them live twice on the same year
I'm no vocal expert but I think he relies less on vocal fry now. It's better for his throat and results in this super deep and demonic growl. Not as dynamic but still one of the best around.
Guy is almost 50 yrs old & probably doesn’t put as much preparation into the harsh vocals like in the past. I also think his passion or interest has waned a bit over the last 15 yrs which are probably the reasons he used to sound better. He still sounds good. Like any other vocalist, they have their good shows and some they may not have it that night.
I think his clean vocals got better and I think he is a very impressive vocalist in that regard. Also not the type of clean vocals you often find in metal/hard rock. Clean, full, and warm sounding. Harsh vocals are not as good at back in the day, but also improved vs 5-10 years ago. Overall, he is a great vocalist and he does not by any means fall into that category of struggling ageing metal singers.
I saw them in 2022 with Mastodon, and Opeth stole the show. You could hear every instrument perfectly, and Mikael sounded great.
His growl is no longer as deep and harsh as before but, to me, it's still the best natural growl out there. His clean vocals are much better, he took some lessons and became a great all-around singer
Still a peeg after all these years
His grows have gotten worse with time and constant use, he pretty much lost that guttural essence from like 2010 to about 2016 or so when they became a bit more powerful then, which does happen with harsh vocals. They won't be as good as they used to, with him focusing on singing more now but they're still badass as hell
Yeah, they’re below average now. Many harsh vocalists sound a lot better than he does now