The scream to end all screams.
In his tenure in the Birthday Party, Nick Cave unleashed a flurry of howls, screams, shrieks and wails never imitated and never to be heard again (Even the relatively vicious From Her To Eternity is much more subdued vocally compared with the Birthday Party). This brief moment, in the middle of "Mutiny In Heaven," is probably my favorite. I think it has to do with the intensity, the timbre, and the odd context in which it is found.
"Mutiny In Heaven" is a song pockmarked with screams; the opening sound is a jagged, prolonged yelp, and what follows is one of the most convoluted and tortured vocal lines in the band's short history. What makes it special, is that it appears to have three distinct vocal tracks, each with different lyrics and deliveries, all being sung at the exact same time creating a unique din.
As for the line in question: just before the 1:50 mark, there's the line "Fuckin' wings burst out my back/Like I was cuttin' teeth/Huh!" followed by a wail so disturbed and alien-sounding it almost sounds like a theremin. All the while, the other vocals soldier on.
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