How to Become a Metal Frontman

All heavy metal acts get their start in the bedroom.

So there you are: sitting in the basement, drinking Jolt Cola, rocking out to Hell Bent for Leather with the stereo set to 11. A sliver of light descends from the top of the stairs, and you hear a muffled cry trying to be heard over Rob Halford's droning voice. It's your dad. He wants you turn down the music. He wants you to clean your room. He wants you to do your homework and mow the lawn and get a job. "You are 16," he says. "Have you ever given any thought to what you want to do with your life."

You have. You want to be a metal frontman.

Things You'll Need

• Hair
• Tight pants
• Tattoos
• Youth

Instructions

1. Practice. The screams and growls that made singers like Axl Rose the king of Paradise City don't come easy. Done wrong, you could wind up in the hospital getting your vocal nodes removed. Power and range will come with practice. Consider getting a voice coach to help you learn to sing safely. Then, practice with the stereo cranked up to 11.

2. Find an awesome lead guitarist. Remember, you can't be a frontman without a band. There are few heavy metal bands that survive without the saucy duality of a passionate frontman and smoky, hazy lead guitarist. Think Axl and Slash, Zach De La Rocha and Tom Morello, and Robert Plant and Jimmy Page. Finding a good one may be the most difficult part of forming the band. From there, the most difficult task will be whether your drummer can have one bass pedal or two.

3. Write songs and practice. Heavy metal is a genre that prizes technical proficiency, as opposed to say, punk music. You'll have to get good to rise above the rest.

4. Start getting gigs. Heavy metal is as much a performance art as it is a musical genre. You'll have to perform sometime. If you are any good, and with a little luck you can build a following. This could lead to a recording deal, and touring. Then comes the ultimate test of the heavy metal singer: the song about life on the road. Nail this, and you may enter the pantheon of rock gods.

References

• Become a Singing Master: Free Tips on Vocal Screaming
• Chronicle Guidance Publications: Singers
• Roadrunner Records: The 50 Greatest Metal Front-men of All Time