i'm not a particularly amazing screamer (unlike dev) but i can sing a with similar tone/feel to devin's. the most important thing is to learn to breathe properly and use your diaphragm, NOT your throat, to control volume/power/etc. taking singing lessons from any good teacher will definitely help you, no matter what sound you're going for.

I have been talking with some vocal instructors and discussing this whole genetics factor...most of them says it's bullshit that being a good singer is genetic, and they all recommend this CVT (Complete Vocal Technique) thing, which, according to YouTube, looks like something worth looking into; and in fact something that I wouldn't be surprised if Dev practices...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sy-QVfHS7v8&feature=related

Interesting thread!I will look into the things mentioned here

I find that most people who ask questions like this are usually too shy/introverted to practice properly. The voice is an instrument, and just like any other it requires a great deal of practice. Being too embarrassed to do it at home in your bedroom within earshot of others will never help the situation out. As I recall, Devin was in choir in high-school. This is the type of environment you should get yourself into if you can't find anywhere quiet, relaxed, and private to practice on your own. Being around other singers who are all out to achieve the same goal as you will do wonders for your voice trust me. I've often thought the same thoughts about singers as the OP in this thread, but 10 years later I'm asking fewer and fewer of those types of questions. I know I will never be as accomplished a singer as Dev or any other musician you can name, especially with these smokers lungs, but over the years I've crossed a mighty vocal desert.

My best advice: play loud, listen loud, sing loud. The louder you get the more you push the envelope when it comes to your range. You will eventually get places you've always wanted to be vocally, and you will be all the happier for it.

Cheers mate!

I just wish a band would come out with a singer who practices the same amount of variety Devin did in Strapping. So many
bands play amazing music, but a lot of them only know how to scream, or one way of singing. Devin was something else
in the department of variety... You never knew if he'd sing, scream, growl.... Yeah.

The man also has a truly unique sounding voice. Technically he just sings in a very emotive, operatic or dynamic style. I'd argue that even
if you learned to sing like him, you wouldn't sound like him. Because you have a different voice.

I just wish a band would come out with a singer who practices the same amount of variety Devin did in Strapping. So many
bands play amazing music, but a lot of them only know how to scream, or one way of singing. Devin was something else
in the department of variety... You never knew if he'd sing, scream, growl.... Yeah.

Hey, I try to do that!
Not that I think I am anywhere near The Dev in terms of quality, but I am also a fan of using more than just one vocal style. I feel it brings so much more to the songs. All Shall Perish does this on "The Price of Existence", there's pig squeals and shrieks and growls all over the place. Into Eternity's Stu Block is a monster as far as nailing vocal styles go: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mm-RGms9Kn0
Goddamn!

BTW: if anyone is interested, my band can be found here: http://www.myspace.com/kinbandnorway
Aaaand here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eY48w6l3ej8

Ooh, a fellow Devin influenced vocalist. I've viewed, favorited, and subscribed. Feel free to check out my work, as well.

And, tru, there are vocalists like those who mix it up, but I just feel like there was something
unpredictable about Devin. All Shall Perish are fantastic, though. And I need to listen to more Into Eternity.

I think anyone can train to sing well, but that does not make one a good vocalist. I'm sure Dev has put a lot of work into his voice, but I have a feeling it wasn't nearly as much as I would have to put into it. I believe genetics are very important, but not absolutely necessary.

What impresses me about Devin is that what he sings sounds completely natural. He never lets technique get in the way of raw emotion. It is the same with his guitar playing. Dev learned to sing and play like he does because he didn't want to limit himself. He wanted every tool available to himself so when he had a song idea, he had the ability to pull it off without restricting himself. Not many people with the skills Dev has would have been so reserved in using them.

I know that if I could sing and play like Dev, I would have whored myself out to every wanky band in existence. lol

Without trying to open a can of worms, doesn't genetics play a part in your vocal range i.e baritone, bass?

Just a thought.

An example... Do you think Pete Steele (rip) could have hit clean notes like Michael Kiske (ex Helloween)?

Without trying to open a can of worms, doesn't genetics play a part in your vocal range i.e baritone, bass?

Just a thought.

An example... Do you think Pete Steele (rip) could have hit clean notes like Michael Kiske (ex Helloween)?

Yes to both. Difference is simply is range and octave, as well as if you have any effects layed on when you sing. Genetics will decide which octaves (usually three) are more natural for you, and then you can expand that, sometimes ludicrously far. Depending on how cared for your voice box is, your starting range might be slightly smaller or larger.

You tend to find you sing clean notes naturally. You very rarely hear a person sing who automatically puts on a harsher edge of any kind. Although, it is sometmes hard to tell how well the person is singing if there are added delays, or if there is loads of distortion on the guitars, because no matter how hard you try sound always bleeds a little. You'd need the raw recordings of the persons voice to really tell how well they sing.

TL;DR, people sing different.