Mikael Stanne from Dark Tranquillity is the latest metal musician to join us for an episode of How I Learned to Scream.
Stanne’s introduction to extreme vocals came from a few sources. He credits Bathory and Grotesque for getting him interested in harsh vocals, but Mille Petrozza from Kreator was Stanne’s watershed artist.
“A friend of mine, his older brother had the Flag of Hate EP and when I heard that I was blown away — it was the coolest thing ever,” Stanne recalls. “I couldn’t believe what it was, I didn’t understand it and I was fascinated. That’s the first time I heard something that ferocious and angry and aggressive.”
As a teenager, Stanne would skip school to practice brutal vocals in his bedroom, attempting to sound like Morbid Angel, Merciless and Atheist. As he formed Dark Tranquillity, he’d get even more practice by jamming with his bandmates for eight hours at a time.
Stanne admits his family members “were not impressed” when they heard him screaming for the first time. “They thought it was just a phase,” Stanne shares. “We were still rehearsing in my parents garage, so they came out sometimes, like, ‘What is this?’ What are you doing? Alright, but soon you’re going to get a job and a haircut and be a productive member of society.’”
As for keep his voice healthy more than 30 years into his career, Stanne tries not be stuffed with food before a show, while normal vocal warmups and a beer helps him loosen up.
Find out more on how Mikael Stanne learned to scream in the video below. You can hear Stanne on the new game Metal: Hellsinger, which comes out Sept. 15. To try out the free demo or pre-order a copy of the game, click here.
How Dark Tranquillity’s Mikael Stanne Learned to Scream
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