SEAN Z (Daath) – Never swallow before stage
- Posted on 20-10-2010
Sean Zatorsky tok over rollen som vokalist i Daath etter sin navnebror Sean Farber i 2008 og han har vært med på bandets 2 siste album. Han er en herre med sterke meninger om vokalistrollen, han er trygg på seg selv og sine teknikker og han har flere sterke vokalister som sine inspirasjonskilder. Her er Sean Z fra Daath og hans bidrag til The Deepthroat Series.
When did you start doing extreme vocals (What year and at what age)?
I would say about 15 or 16 so that would put me at about 12 years roughly.
What made you start to do extreme vocals?
Well I remember trying to belt out many Cannibal Corpse screams at a wee young age. Man that must’ve been terrible sounding. Then I tried to scream every Pantera song I could figure words out to and that consumed a huge part of my early screaming development. Then I would say it took Slipknot ‘99 for the real screaming to begin.
Can you describe the technique or the techniques you are using?
I suppose it’s just as much force as I use to take a really awesome shit except words and sounds come out. But it depends because each one requires a little bit of its own spice to make it happen. For death metal I tilt my neck down, edge my head back, push from the stomach and open the throat. Actually most of them are just controlled air pushing from my diaphragm while using the throat as sort of a mouth piece like for example a trumpet.
Has your technique changed during your career?
Dramatically; I keep figuring out shortcuts and ways to make screams happen with the same force, but while keeping a constant flow of repeating air and not getting winded. I’d also say the pronunciation has gotten significantly better.
Have you ever hurt yourself by using a "wrong technique"?
Yup; it sucks having no voice and no way to get it back. The biggest failure is through overexertion. Expelling too much force with no monitors to hear the result leads to a blown voice. Sometimes it’s almost like I’m controlling when I choose to blow it. I waited until the last date with Slayer to push the envelope, but never so far as to not be able to recover.
Is there something you do on a regular basis to keep your voice in shape? Any routines?
Eat better; don’t eat late at night because acid reflux kills vocals. Smoke does as well. I try to refrain from the heavier side of death in the off season. I do my traditional Melissa Cross warm ups (whenever I can that is). I try and stay sober. Although its fun, sometimes I’ve found my hearing goes when I’m wasted so I tend to blow my voice more often. Lastly I always gargle warm water. Never swallow before stage! Makes me wanna churn cold vomit! So just keep the throat lubed; you don’t fuck a dry pussy.
Do you think it can be dangerous to do extreme vocals?
Nah, only if you’re a fucking wimp. But in all honesty it’s a muscle. If you don’t stretch before you work out, or if you work out incorrectly, you’re going to fuck something up.
What is most important for you – to make cool sounds and interesting rhythms, or to have a clear diction/pronunciation?
Both; depends on if the song calls for it, or if it’s even able to come through. Live I would say; if it’s in the moment and everything is going insane, sometimes it’s cool to slur words and make them sound disgusting.
Do you think that extreme vocals can be made into a science, like "this is how it works for everyone, to make this sound you have to do this etc"? Or is it more intuitive and individual how to do it?
It is almost a science. 90 percent of it can be mimicked by stupid changes in how you approach it, but there are still some screams where dudes just sound like a fucking bear because they are 300 lbs or have a huge chest cavity. It isn’t easy but it also is a craft and takes work. It’s not going to happen overnight. The throat needs to develop and grow and become used to being destroyed and rebuilt every night.
Do you have any advice to people who wants to start doing extreme vocals?
Get a good PA because not hearing yourself is unacceptable.
Mention three extreme vocalists whose style you admire, and explain your choice. What specifically do you like about the styles of those three? Also mention three vocalists (not necessarily extreme vocalists) which you have been influence by, and explain in which way you have been influenced by each of them.
Corey Taylor influenced me to really take my screams to the psychotic level. I love the brutality but u also crave the horror
Trevor Phipps – This dude delivers the goods every night. Jumping, kicking, screaming, and he parties like no other. His scream is out front and powerful
Johnny Davy – This dude made me start to see screams in a whole new way. From the moment I heard knee deep, I told myself I had to learn how to scream like that and so I did. Now every hack job in the world is doing it
Kurt Cobain – I loved how this dude fought through all the hard times and slept on couches and floors and had nothing else to live for. Then it became so huge he couldn’t handle it. He inspires me because his lyrics touched generations of people. He birthed and killed a genre all on his own. Powerful shit for some junkie from Seattle; not to mention this dude knew the art of writing a good chorus.
Freddy Mercury – Not only was this dude good at what he did, he did it with passion and no auto tune. To hear those three words put together seems absent from today’s singers. This dude said fuck the world, I’m a bad ass, and wrote some great fucking licks. He inspired me because I grew up watching Wayne’s World over and over and over, and you know, Bohemian Rhapsody in some crazy way, may have been the start of the dream.
Maynard James Keenan – One thing I love about Maynard is how his love for bill hicks and armageddon seem to coincide with exactly how I’m feeling at that precise moment. Every album seems to really hit the nail on the head as to what really is going on in the world, and his silhouette performances and incredibly powerful voice really inspired me to want to write about shit that made me feel like his words do.
Who do you want to challenge in this series? (Who should be the next extreme vocalist to answer these questions?) Give a brief explanation for your choice.
Corpsegrinder – Cannibal Corpse – That dude’s throat must look awesome! I would love to hear some of his techniques, and if his voice has ever blown. It’s so brutal.
http://www.daath1.com/
http://www.myspace.com/daath
http://www.myspace.com/leviwerstler
http://www.metalsucks.net/category/jumping-darkness-parade/