When typing up the thread about When Day Descends, an instrumental band that may soon have a vocalist, I got to wondering, what is the general preference when it comes to vocals?
Do you avoid all vocals? Do you only like clean vocals, or do you love the guttural throes of Death vocals, or the cries of screaming vocals? Maybe you prefer them to be in a language you're unfamiliar with?
Then there's lyrics, do you want them to make sense? Do you want them to just be fun, bombastic sing-along?
Why?

At first, I only liked most genres of extreme metal at all because of the instruments, but I've come to like the vocals as well. They just fit so many songs well. I still am in favour of instruments though, although vocals can easily blow you away. It just really depends what mood I'm in, I might be listening to Necrophagist one day, and The Darkness the next. =p

I like a mix of clean and harsh a lot though. Which is why I like Draconian so much.

Mix?
Vintersorg. :O

I realize I didn't really give my opinion. I like vocals because I like to sing along. However, I do not like it when the vocals become the primary focus of the song, and definitely don't mind a bit of grunting. Or a lot of grunting. And I don't really care what the lyrics say, though something meaningful is preferred, and I'd like them to be at least a bit mature (Go listen to Officium Triste's "Foul Play" and you'll know the definition of jejune; but I still like the song...).

To be honest, I'm not sure I gave the right choice on my vote on the meaning of the Lyrics. I like Lyrics, that although not necessarily realistic or not, at least have some real meaning, or at least, its not hard to see that they really mean something to someone. Real life lyrics are good too, but I dunno, fantasy is always nice as well. To an extent.

I'm too Indecisive . :S

By poetry/whimsy, I didn't mean fantasy stuff. I meant generic things like "IF YA WANNA BE MAH LOVVA"
<_<
Superfluous would have been a better word.

I prefer to have vocals in music, regardless of what type of vocals. They can be clean, growling, or whatever and I'll usually enjoy them unless I just plain don't like the voice. But I definitely like vocals. It can be difficult for me to appreciate the music without vocals or certain instruments. And I don't care about lyrics at all, so they can be as nonsensical or offensive to me as possible and I wont care at all.

Oh don't get me wrong, if I loved the overall sound of a song, and disliked the lyrics, I wouldn't hate the song. Its music after all, one of the best forms of freedom of expression. Generally however, I like the lyrics most of the time anyway.

Well, I just generally don't appreciate lyrics, no matter how good they are. I'm not sure why. But they don't change anything in the song for me; they don't make it any better or any worse.

...but it is funny when you hear just how ridiculously stupid some lyrics are. <_<

What about "One Last Goodbye"?
Would that be nearly as great a song without the lyrics they used?
What if it was an anti-war song?
Although, it could be interpreted as such (gone in the morning after one last night together, it's a stretch, but yeah).

Yes, it would be.

I believe you are the only person that will ever claim that. <_<

For once, I'm with Sturm :|

FINE, JERKS. BE MEAN AND ACT LIKE I'M CRAZY, WHAT DO I CARE? :(