[Music] Metal - Leadsingers and their voice

[Deleted]

Hello there everyone!

As the title states, i wanted to open a small thread about Metal singers out there.
Why? Well, the thing is that i like a lot of metal. Folk, Power, Prog, Heavy, Symphonic and so on...

I'm always looking for new bands, the genre doesn't really mate.
Now, i've been sitting through a lot of bullshit when it comes to metal, because i've opened a thread like this a few other places (other forums... don't go looking for me somewhere else on mmo-champ :P)

Anyway, back to the subject, what i would like this thread to become, is a listing of peoples personall favourite singer(s).

80's metal, 90's, present?? Man or Woman?

1. Leave your opinion the best singer around atm (likely with a link to it on youtube or something like that) Just keep it to your personal preferences, no need to get commercial
Feel free to add more than one. Keep men and women separate please, since it's hard to compare them when it comes to metal. Also, please note what genre the metal is

As the OP, i'll start out of course.


Falconer - Mattias Blad (Perjury and Sanctity Perjury and Sanctity and Catch the Shadows) There's many more with him really showing off in high pitch.

Now, let's turn 100 pages and go straight to the opposite kind of metal.

Progressive and Thrash.

Matt, freaking, Barlow.

If you like thrash, you probably know him from Iced Earth, if you don't... then you don't REALLY like thrash. Kiddin', but most thrash fans should know him.

And progressive, because he did some work with Danish Pyramaze in 2009 (also because Iced Earth is a bit progressive themselves), for their album Immortal... If you like Matt, check out their album, he's really shining in tracks such as Year of the Phoenix (Yea, that's actually myself who put that one up, though it's all over youtube already ^^)

And with Iced EarthIm-Ho-Tep (Pharaoh's Curse))

-Athan

[lzsg]

Well, my favorites would probably be Bruce Dickinson and Rob Halford, simply because they're practically unrivaled in both range and power, but chances are you know about those two and their bands already, so I'll give you another one:

Geoff Tate of Queensrÿche. He's somwehat similar to Bruce and Rob, but he sings more cleanly and often in a really high pitch. Take Hold of the Flame and Roads to Madness are good examples.

[Qtulu]

Agree with Izsg. Rob and Bruce are amazing. Other great vocalists: Tony Kakko from Sonata Arctica, Freddie Mercury (Queen), Michael Kiske (Was in Hellowen), Dave Mustaine (Megadeth)

[Sarcasm]

Tony Kakko gets a vote from me as well.

[Deleted]

Well, my favorites would probably be Bruce Dickinson and Rob Halford, simply because they're practically unrivaled in both range and power, but chances are you know about those two and their bands already, so I'll give you another one:

Geoff Tate of Queensrÿche. He's somwehat similar to Bruce and Rob, but he sings more cleanly and often in a really high pitch. Take Hold of the Flame and Roads to Madness are good examples.

Loved "take hold of the flame", "roads to madness" not so much... Not my kind of metal, but that's a great voice indeed

[lzsg]

Loved "take hold of the flame", "roads to madness" not so much... Not my kind of metal, but that's a great voice indeed

Both songs are off their debut album, and I kind of agree - Roads to Madness is no masterpiece. Their breakthrough album Operation: Mindcrime has a way higher standard.

If you're into heavier prog, give Dream Theater a listen. Their vocalist James LaBrie is operatically trained and had an amazing range on a few albums in the early 80's. He had a food poisoning in 1994, which ruptured his vocal cords. He hasn't been the same since, but Dream Theater has still made a lot of awesome music.

[Iconoclast]

Personally, I love Christian Älvestam's voice, ex-Scar Symmetry / The Few Against Many and upcoming Solution .45. Best use of clean vocals in melodeath: Doesn't get too whiny like Sonic Syndicate and he has pretty brutal growls
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WAwU4uduCE
His upcoming guest vocals in Universum's Mortuus Machina sounds pretty awesome as well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46UyjvkR7EE

[Ganoes]

Well, my favorites would probably be Bruce Dickinson and Rob Halford, simply because they're practically unrivaled in both range and power, but chances are you know about those two and their bands already, so I'll give you another one:

Geoff Tate of Queensrÿche. He's somwehat similar to Bruce and Rob, but he sings more cleanly and often in a really high pitch. Take Hold of the Flame and Roads to Madness are good examples.

I can't stand that vocal style, personally. Too flamboyant and annoying.

Here are my picks:

Garm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPaBWx6IbqY

Niege
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YulTtmyopNQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHNw0_TcP64

Haughm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ave0TvPi0DI

[Deleted]

Personally, I love Christian Älvestam's voice, ex-Scar Symmetry / The Few Against Many and upcoming Solution .45. Best use of clean vocals in melodeath: Doesn't get too whiny like Sonic Syndicate and he has pretty brutal growls
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WAwU4uduCE
His upcoming guest vocals in Universum's Mortuus Machina sounds pretty awesome as well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46UyjvkR7EE

As far as i've understood, from what you've said, it's the same guys who did both the cleans vocals and the death growl... i find that hard to believe ^^ I'm no fan of death growls really, but i have a few songs on my playlists which has mixes of death growl/clean vocals too.

I can't say what you are supposed to think, but there are many artists out there, with much more powerful vocals though, but if it is the same guy doing the both the death growl and the clean vocals, that's pretty well done

[Deleted]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHNw0_TcP64

Wondering a bit about that one... most of it is instrumental... maybe you could post a song where we get a little more vocals '?

[Anehum]

Best heavy metal voice without a doubt is Ronnie James Dio. The man is 60 years old and he STILL kicks ass and is able to hit most of his notes. I saw Heaven and Hell about a year ago and I was blown away.

I also enjoy AJFA-TBA era James Hetfield for its rawness.

[Kataxu]

Here's some of my favs.

Mikael Akerfeldt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxaFANthouM
Tomi Joutsen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRsNZarFGxA
Carmelo Orlando: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQn7k1xaG3s
Lance King: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HobAtncTTnk
Jonas Renske: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfXCl3MISOY
Vortex: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZKmoqlDJfk
Vintersorg: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uTHY7m57VI
Big Boss: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XE1dYYqg3V0

[Deleted]

Best heavy metal voice without a doubt is Ronnie James Dio. The man is 60 years old and he STILL kicks ass and is able to hit most of his notes. I saw Heaven and Hell about a year ago and I was blown away.

I also enjoy AJFA-TBA era James Hetfield for its rawness.

You forgot a nice little link mate

[Deleted]

Here's some of my favs.

Mikael Akerfeldt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxaFANthouM
Tomi Joutsen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRsNZarFGxA
Carmelo Orlando: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQn7k1xaG3s
Lance King: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HobAtncTTnk
Jonas Renske: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfXCl3MISOY
Vortex: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZKmoqlDJfk
Vintersorg: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uTHY7m57VI
Big Boss: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XE1dYYqg3V0

Mikael Akerfeldt has a great voice, but imo his voice is not the kind where you think "man, i think i'll find some more songs with him".

Tomi Joutsen from Amorphis on the other hand is definitely something i would go back to :P

[Zantera]

Some of my personal favorites when it comes to Metal:

Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden & Solo-career) - has amazing variety, can sing most type of songs.
Even though Maiden is one of the few Metal-bands that i love, his solo-career is equally great.

John Haughme (Agalloch) - Another favorite-singer of mine, i really love how his vocals blends into the music perfectly.

Mikael Åkerfeldt (Opeth) - has both amazing clean voice, and amazing growling-abilities.

Mariusz Duda (Riverside & Lunatic Soul) - Another singer with amazing variety, has the ability to sing really beautiful, but also has amazing darker-voice range.
Just listen to "Left Out" for example, eargasm<3

Cristina Scabbia (Lacuna Coil) - one of the few female-singers that i really love

[Mechanics]

My all-time favorite lead-singer is without doubt Jan Kenneth Transeth from In The Woods. Although the music itself is too great for me to tear it into fragments as to who did what; I feel like I have to mention it. This band also features a lot of female vocals too, done by Synne Soprana; all of which I would recommend to the fullest! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkrJ0svhvBw A little sample. Couldn't find the full version, but I'm sure it'll be fine.

I do also have a thing for female vocals, especially if they are mixed in with black/avantgarde/doom metal.

The vocals Mariana Holmberg does in Left Hand Solution are quite interesting. I like the sort of slow, lurking voice she has. It's really great, actually. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePjy9Mgjcys

And furthermore, I could mention Fleurety, and many of their female vocal appearances, although you could hardly call them lead-singers (due to the nature of the band, that is)... However, I would much like to recommend the Last-minute Lies EP, in which Karianne Horn unfolds her voice in an amazingly calm, yet powerful manner, in a sense that I haven't heard elsewhere. It truly succeeds in evoking certain emotions in me whenever I give it a listen. I do find it hard to describe her actual voice, though, but you could just have a listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsNThh_M_4U

I can't stand that vocal style, personally. Too flamboyant and annoying.

Here are my picks:

Garm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPaBWx6IbqY

Niege
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YulTtmyopNQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHNw0_TcP64

Haughm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ave0TvPi0DI

Alcest, Aggaloch and Ihsahn. Creds, mate! However, when you mention Garm, I find it strange that you come up with a link to this song. Although I must agree that his appearance on The Adversary is top notch, I would rather refer to other acts that he is/was involved in.

Arcturus; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4Y7PyL1E8E

I'm sure most people have heard Arcturus, though

[Ganoes]

I think Homecoming has the best vocal performance from Garm outside of some of the newer Ulver stuff that really doesn't belong in a metal thread, imo.

And Homecoming is one of my favorite songs too.

[Mechanics]

I think Homecoming has the best vocal performance from Garm outside of some of the newer Ulver stuff that really doesn't belong in a metal thread, imo.

And Homecoming is one of my favorite songs too.

That might very well be true... To be frank, I haven't listened to his earlier metal works in quite some time. I've been drowning in his new works, sort of I've always been extremely fascinated by the vocals he did in Arcturus, though, and even on the couple of early Ulver-records, but I have to agree that his later works have been much more fulfilling when it comes to the vocal aspects (to a certain degree). Ulver was essentially a Metal band, and Garm has stated in an interview that they "Still feel like a black metal band..." so I suppose it wouldn't hurt anyone.

But you're probably right.

[Dytex]

James Hetfield marked history with he's singing voice tbh.

[Raunoman]

Not only metal singer but every time I have to choose "the best singer in the world" I just instantly choose Bruce Dickinson. Hands down the most awesome voice I've ever heard.