Are Metalcore Fans Panicked the 'Blegh' Is Dying Out?

Has metalcore's "Blegh!" vocalization died out?

And is it genuine panic or feigned shock that just such a discussion around the end of blegh is currently taking place on r/Metalcore.

"Were there any really solid BLEGHs in 2023?" a Reddit user asked in a post on Tuesday (Dec. 19). Indeed, "Are BLEGHs dying out?" they further inquired, eliciting a range of responses.

The conversation comes on the heels of Architects' attempt to revive the blegh after previously shunning it. The British metalcore band's new song "Seeing Red" again features the infamous vocal wretch from vocalist Sam Carter, who helped coin it.

Is it the End of the Blegh?

But is questioning the end of blegh sarcastic? Perhaps Architects' recent inclusion of it is tongue-in-cheek as well. "I mean, even if ironic, Architects - Seeing Red has a good solid blegh," one Redditor responded.

"I don't want bleghs to die out," another remarked. "If there's any metalcore artists here we like the bleghs," yet another pleaded. Others offered their own suggestions for the best recent metalcore blegh.

Not everyone's onboard with it, however. "Bleghs are so 2016," someone else replied. "Back in the day, the right vocalist performing a perfect blegh was a match made in heaven, but in recent years we have had to witness the downfall of the blegh. All love is lost for it and the trend has basically gone."

Where Did Metalcore Blegh Come From

Non-word vocalizations have existed in music since music began. In metalcore, listeners often point to material from Stray From the Path's Make Your Own History (2009) as containing early examples of the metalcore blegh. But Architects came to be closely identified with the sound after using it continually. (See a video below that illustrates it.)

Stray From the Path (Stefan Hoederath, Getty Images)

Still, scares about the end of the blegh have happened before. In 2020, before Architects revived the yelp, Carter all but disowned the noise.

"Honestly I wish I'd never made that stupid noise," the Architects vocalist explained. A few days later, when a fan asked if his condemnation confirmed a "RIP [to] the blegh," the musician replied, "100%."

But it may be too late to outright kill the blegh that is in our hearts. As evidenced in another Reddit thread outlining the best blegh sounds in metalcore, acts such as Wage War, Like Moths to Flames, Black Tongue and In Hearts Wake are just a few more who've employed the grunt.

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