If you've ever been a vocalist in a death metal band, or know someone who fronted a death metal band, then you've heard the arguments for and against cupping the microphone. For those aware, "cupping the mic" is when you wrap your hand around the end of microphone, creating a kind of closed-in and muffled vocal effect. David Vincent (ex-Morbid Angel, I Am Morbid, Terrorizer, etc.) is not a fan a technique.
In an interview with Chaoszine, Vincent said he'd much rather hear vocalists articulate their lyrics than go for a duller, more brutal sound. Which is a fair point – sometimes the "vocalists recording in a toilet" style gets a little grating.
"There's a lot of vocalists who do this sort of cupped vocal technique where they put their hand [cupped around the microphone] and they use that to make the sound," said Vincent as transcribed by Metal Injection. "I hear that and I don't like that at all. It's indistinguishable. It doesn't sound very musical to me.
"When I hear that – maybe we're at a festival or [there are] some opening acts or whatever – and they do that, I'm just [not into it]. The rest of my band are like 'oh, you started it! It's your fault.' No, it's not. It's not my fault. I've always been trying to be very clear and articulate, and enunciate, because lyrics and poetry are very important to me. I have something to say and I mean it. When I have something to say, I mean it.
"So I feel like it's my job to make it clear, to make it to where you don't have to sit there and read along with it. Sometimes what you read and what you hear, it sounds like two different things."
Interviewer Arto Mäenpää then mentions he had just interviewed Ihsahn, who had brought up Vincent as an inspiration for his vocalist.
"Ihsahn is a friend of mine and I respect him," responded Vincent. "He has great career as well. He's been doing this a long time and I view him as an artist. He's a fellow traveler. He's interested in… not the same things that I am necessarily, we're very different as people, but he is an artist and he does stuff in a very strong way. He has conviction and that's important to me in any style of music, is that when I hear the vocalist that I believe – that I'm convinced that they are speaking from their soul or from their heart. I wish there were more."
