10 Greatest Screams In Rock Music History

Back when metal was still finding its feet, Deep Purple were laying the groundwork for just how heavy music could sound in the coming years. While they might not have been the heaviest band next to Black Sabbath, there was a lot more sophistication in their lines than what we were hearing out of hard rock, bringing in influences from classical music and jazz in between Zeppelin like riffs. These songs were meant to take you on a journey, and you practically feel pulled down to the underworld when you hear Ian Gillan on Child in Time.

Before we even get to this moment on In Rock though, we had already known what Ian was capable of, making an Elvis style song sound like the most badass thing ever on Speed King and getting his shout on on the standalone single Black Night. Even though the beginning of Child in Time promises more of a ballad, the middle section is when things start to really jump up a notch, as Ian croons like an angel over the keyboard passages before the rest of the band build in intensity.

By the time we reach the final few minutes of the breakdown, it sounds like that angel from before is being tortured, as Ian reaches for notes that most of us would need helium to reach. It's a spectacle to listen to, but don't count on him reaching the same thing live, with Purple retiring it from the setlist so Ian will never have to subject his voice to those kind of theatrics again. It's definitely a landmark recording...just not one to be repeated forever.