Favorite Vocalists


Beautiful. As far as I'm concerned, QR broke up in 2005, and reformed in 2012 with Todd LaTorre. Hmm, wonder what Geoff Tate's been up to since 2005? :D
 
Yax said:
It's extremely noticeable in and echoes, which is very, very ugly. This is, most likely, just a line that that they tracked and missed that it was flat, and then went "oh fuck, better fix this" after the tracking was done when it was too late to rerecord it. And yeah, it's the only line I've ever noticed so it's no big deal. But it tells the story of just how extensively this tool is used. There is no escaping it. Vocalists and producers have resorted to a shitload of different tricks through the years, and I'm fine with punching in and stuff like that. It's how it's done (and Coming Home is a good example of a song consisting of multiple takes and punched in words and lines). And it's fine. The purpose of a studio recording isn't what it was in the early days of recording, when it was just a recording of an actual performance, sort of just documenting it. Now you create something, like an artists carves his masterpiece out or marble. So it's fine. My beef with tuning though is that it is lazy and sounds butt ugly.
Click to expand...

For some reason I don't hear it as much on "and echoes". It certainly has that crystalline, processed sound to it, but I wouldn't call it ugly. Maybe I'm just so used to hearing excessive use of tuning on the radio that this sounds minuscule in comparison.

The nature of recording has certainly given vocalists a chance to sound much better than they should on one given "performance." Watching video of singers recording songs 30-40 years ago versus today is insane. The caliber of performers has decreased at such an alarming rate since those original days of recording. Granted, everyone multi-tracks and punches in nowadays, it's impossible to escape, but when you listen to older songs and realize, "They recorded this in one take!" it's just mind-blowing.

I was going to mention Tommy Karevik from Seventh Wonder/Kamelot in this thread, but he is usually incapable of reproducing his studio vocals on stage. I absolutely love his voice and his melodies on the SW albums, but I've seen live videos and it makes the amount of layering and studio magic quite obvious. I'm thankful he's in Kamelot now, as I have seen him perform live with them and he's fantastic. The vocals are much more simplistic in Kamelot, but he sounds amazing.

Maturin said:
My favourite vocalist is Jocke Berg of Hardcore Superstar.
Click to expand...

Never heard of them. Looks and sounds like a more metallic Buckcherry. Points for the drummer's COC shirt, though.

Perun said:
I like King Diamond infinitely much more than Michael Kiske.
Click to expand...

King Diamond is so ludicrous. I honestly can't even rate him as a vocalist because I usually can't stop laughing while he's singing.

I've heard all of the Avantasia albums with Kiske and his voice jumps between being unmemorable and annoying. He doesn't make me shut off a song, but I wouldn't replay one on which he is the only singer.
 
That's not much, but at least a decent pick.

edit:
One-day-fly pop bands aside, I don't think I know any band of which I like only one song.
If I liked one I have always found a second. The thought alone is already a lazy one.
 
1. Ronnie James Dio: Great powerful voice with excellent grit and passion. Pretty good range even though it isn't as high compared to singers like Bruce, Rob Halford, Michael Kiske ect. But, that doesn't matter when your voice is this golden. May he rest in peace.
Ronnie at his peak doing a vocal solo with Rainbow leading up to "Man on the Silver Mountain"

2. Bruce Dickinson: Seeing as we're all Maiden fans I see no need to go into too much detail. Great voice with power and excellent range and the best front man in metal history.
This video shows Bruce's belts, screams, and lower range.

3. Robert Plant: The prototype for a heavy metal singer with a unique voice. Later in his career, he started losing his voice but he adapted beautifully.
Vocal track from his best performance "Ramble On"

4. Freddie Mercury: I feel dirty for putting him at Number 4 instead of 1 or 2 but, this is my personal preference, not an official ranking of skill. Freddie has a range that people would kill for, he influenced so many people including Rob Halford, Bruce Dickinson, Geoff Tate and even some Opera singers.
This video showcases how diverse Freddie's voice was.

5. Rob Halford: FINALLY! The Metal God makes an appearance on my list! Rob arguably has the highest range out of anyone on my list and he can hit notes that only dogs can hear unfortunately, due to age he can't hit the notes he was able to back in his peak.
The video above is what I believe to be his best vocal performance. It really shows off his lower range as well as his upper register.

6. Ian Gillan: The REAL voice of Deep Purple (No offense to David Coverdale) Many people consider him to be the first metal singer seeing as how he used his signature shrieking technique on tracks like Child in Time, Highway Star, Fireball and Into the Fire. Bruce Dickinson cites Ian as his biggest influence.
http://youtu.be/ADdf131i93w
This video showcases Ian's screams, cleans and beautiful range.


7. Chris Cornell: Chris Cornell is basically Robert Plant Number 2 Despite being a baritone, he's able to hit stratospheric tenor notes. After leaving Soundgarden, he lost some power and range with his voice but, he seems to have gotten it back. http://youtu.be/8gA5MYU85Ow
This video shows Chris's Range (or Rage)

8. Layne Staley: One of the most unique voices ever, Layne is known for his chilling harmonies with guitarist Jerry Cantrell. The way Layne pours out his soul in every note is unparallel.
http://youtu.be/z5HgcS4AnlI
Great video showcasing his power and emotion

9. Michael Kiske: Best known as former Helloween singer Michael was influenced by Bruce Dickinson after hearing "Run to the Hills" on German radio as a child Kiske began singing at a higher range as opposed to singing like his other idol Elvis Presley.


10. Geoff Tate: Known as the singer for Seattle based progressive metal band Queensryche, Geoff has/had a wide and powerful range. As of late, his live vocal flopps and acts of bashing former band mates has caused him to lose some credibility
http://youtu.be/KYgGDW334i8 Showcasing Geoff's wide range.

11. Russell Allen: Best known as vocalist for Prog/Power Metal band Symphony X, Russell has a great range

12. Myles Kennedy: Vocalist for Hard Rock/Alt Metal band Alter Bridge, Myles has a wide range and unique voice that is instantly recognizable. Myles gained even more recognition when he was chosen by Slash to be his main vocalist.


13. Steven Tyler: Tyler has an amazing voice but, the reason he's low on my list is because I'm not a big Aerosmith fan. Even so, Steven is a great singer and his performance on songs such as "Dream on" and "Living on the Edge" are legendary.


14. Axl Rose: A high range, unique voice and great lower regastire. What's not to love? Maybe the fact he's a jackass and has sucked live for the past decade or more? Even with that being the case, Axl is a great vocalist and worthy of being on this list.


15. King Diamond: All hail the King! King Diamond has a legendary falsetto that is often imitated but never bested. The only thing that makes him low on the list is the fact that he's kinda a one trick pony. (Even though I love the trick)
 
Last edited:
Hallowed be thy Brain said:
9. Michael Kiske: Best known as former Helloween singer Michael was influenced by Bruce Dickinson after hearing "Run to the Hills" on German radio as a child Kiske began singing at a higher range as opposed to singing like his other idol Elvis Presley.
This video shows the unbelievable power and range Kiske possesses.
Click to expand...
The video shows Layne Staley. :)
 
Chris Cornell. Great choice. I just love Soundgarden's comeback album (also my first encounter with them). It's close to a perfect 10.
 
MrKnickerbocker said:
Never heard of them. Looks and sounds like a more metallic Buckcherry. Points for the drummer's COC shirt, though.
Click to expand...

If you're in the US, I understand that. They're Swedish and they've only ever done a small US tour 10 years ago, but they tour Europe extensively, with occasional gigs in Australia and Japan. They've been pretty big here since the early 2000's, having been around since 1997 - I've been listening to them since 2001 when I was 8 years old and saw them play on TV. They actually did a co-headline tour with Buckcherry in the UK just recently by the way when you mention them. Anyway - quality act.
 
Surprised no one has mentioned Udo!

Also surprised this legendary fellow has been overlooked...

Since other people are ranking, here goes:
1. Freddie Mercury
2. Ronnie James Dio
3. Sam Cooke
4. Robert Plant
5. David Gilmour (also a top-5 guitarist for me)
6. Paul McCartney
7. Bruce Dickinson
8. Pat Benatar
9. Ian Gillen
10. Bon Scott (not technically great, but fucking awesome)

Metal Honorable Mention:
1. Hansi Kursch
2. Rob Halford
3. Russell Allen
4. Udo Dirkschneider
5. Matt Barlow
6. Klaus Meine (what's with all the Germans??)
7. Ozzy Osbourne
8. Paul Di'Anno
9. Axl Rose
10. James Hetfield
 
Last edited:
Yax said:
Chris Cornell. Great choice. I just love Soundgarden's comeback album (also my first encounter with them). It's close to a perfect 10.
Click to expand...

I haven't been able to get into King Animal that much. Like most Soundgarden albums, I'm sure it takes some getting used to. They're the kind of band that hits you after many listens, and then you wonder what you were missing before.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top