Best and worst vocalists.

[8Fingers]

There are 2 ways of judging.

1- Personal tastes = I like this or that voice

2- about technical skills

I really hate the way Russell sings,too much affected and using screaming and a lot of natural distortion in parts which doesn't need it BUT i can't say he's a bar singer just because I don't like his interpretation.
You can hate Labrie's voice but you can't deny his technical skills ,he isn't a crap singer,he's just out of your taste.
Ozzy has no technical skills,sings almost everything out of tune and his voice is ugly and nasal so he's crap no matter MY personal tastes.
There are singers I don't like because they're out of my tastes but I can't say they are bad just because of it.My tastes means nothing to other person so I prefer judging by technical skills.Russell to me is an awesome singer but out of my tastes because of his interpretation.

 

[Xiphos68]

There are 2 ways of judging.

1- Personal tastes = I like this or that voice

2- about technical skills

I really hate the way Russell sings,too much affected and using screaming and a lot of natural distortion in parts which doesn't need it BUT i can't say he's a bar singer just because I don't like his interpretation.
You can hate Labrie's voice but you can't deny his technical skills ,he isn't a crap singer,he's just out of your taste.
Ozzy has no technical skills,sings almost everything out of tune and his voice is ugly and nasal so he's crap no matter MY personal tastes.

Ozzy never sings right. But it seems like it still fits.

 

[Adam Of Angels]

Russell Allen

I've always said that Russel should sing for Dream Theater and they'd be an unstoppable beast. As it is, Symphony X is an unstoppable beast, haha.

As for me:

Best:
Russel Allen (Symphony X)
Tony Kakko (Sonata Arctica)
Hansi Kursch (Blind Guardian)
Bjorn "Speed" Strid (Soilwork)
Mikael Akerfelt (Opeth)
Danny Cavanaugh (Anathema)

Worst:
James Labrie (Dream Theater)

 

[datalore]

My favorites:
Devin Townsend (SYL, DTB)
Jeremy Enigk (Sunny Day Real Estate, solo)
David Bazan (Pedro the Lion, solo)
Jacob Bannon (Converge)
Sarah Vaughan

Least favorites:
Male pop-country singers

 

[8Fingers]

Ozzy never sings right. But it seems like it still fits.

Yeah with a lot of auto-tuning

 

[Joeywilson]

Who Christian? Possibly he could. But Dream Theater doesn't play like Scar.S

yeah, I think he'd be much better than labrie

 

[Koshchei]

I love Labrie's voice personally, but I realize it's an acquired taste. I also dig Tomoaki Watanabe, while we're in the operatic tenors of metal category. Not sure whether Dev fits in here, as he's got more of a Colm Wilkinson doing the Phantom of the Opera thing going when he busts out the vibrato, but I love his voice too.

Worst vocalist? Graham Bonnet

 

[shaneroo]

their was a time i liked labrie.... now not so much.
best = bjork ...... at least it's my favorite.

 

[bigswifty]

The best IMO:
Maynard
Akerfeldt
Russel Allan
Vocalist of Frost*

Theres a sort of love/hate relationship for me with Warrel Dane, LaBrie, and others..

Worst: Circus Maximus's singer... can't stand him, and sooo many others.

Also, someone bashed SikTh's singers... I understand where your coming from, but i have to say over time I've come to really enjoy the frantic dual between Mikee's rough vox and Justins cleans.

Paul Potts FTW!

 

[Prydogga]

BEST
LaBrie
Steve Vai - Yeah? Listen...
Randy Blythe - Not Wrath though, his voice sounds very unRandyish.
Devin Townsend
Mikael Akerfelt
Robert Plant
Chris Cornell
Larry Conklin
*More.......

WORST
That guy from A7X
Alexi Laiho
Jonas Inbreds
That Nickelback guy
Rappers
Fallout Boy - Annoying as fuck
Any 'Idol' winner that releases their first single...

 

[shaneroo]

Jonathan Davis? How can you bash metal singing, but be okay with Jon's tone-deaf incoherant moaning? At least cookie monster growls just fit in the mix and can be ignored, whereas Davis sounds like a baby seal being tortured by a cattle prod.

have to disagree with that.
he actually has perfect pitch.... it's just his voice that gives korn the sound it does..... and the style of the music.

 

[abysmalrites]

Best:
Lord Worm
Carcass dudes back in the day
Kristoffer Rygg (Garm/Trickster G)

 

[Koshchei]

have to disagree with that.
he actually has perfect pitch.... it's just his voice that gives korn the sound it does..... and the style of the music.

I hate people with perfect pitch. Not only am I jealous of them, but I find it frustrating to deal them on a transposed arrangement - they tend to be very rigid on "how it's supposed to sound". If they're instinctual players, it's even harder, as they have no concept of relative pitch whatsoever.

Separate and distinct are people with massive sound-colour synaesthesia, who I'm extremely extremely jealous of, like Devin Townsend, Richard Wagner, or Franz Liszt, who have a totally uncanny ability to paint balanced melodic vortexes in their compositions using a staggeringly massive number of voices/notes.

Also, agreed on Garm. Ulver is terrific

 

[scorch15]

Best: Maynard James Keenan (Tool, APC)
Worst: Serj Tankian (SOAD)

ALL FUCKING HAIL MAYNARD!

 

[Anthony]

Am I the only one who hates Russell Allen?

 

[Deaths Madrigal]

In the realm of metal i would say easily the best vocalists are Peter Tagtgren and Mikael Akerfeldt. (is it any wonder they have both been /are on Bloodbaths roster?)
Tagtgren's range is absolutely ridiculous, he sounds possessed. Absolutely amazing gutteral lows and screeching highs. I think hes got the most refreshing vocal style out there, it just slays.
Equally as good, although in a different manner, is Akerfeldt's brutality. In pure death metal, he absolutely destroys all other vocalists, ie. 'The Fathomless Mastery' anyone? Hes got a power in his gutterals unlike anyone else ive heard.

 

[Hypothermia]

i like FellSilent but their vocalists are the worst i've ever heared

 

[Jogeta]

Some favorites from what I listen to;

Kyo Niimura
Devin Townsend
Christian Älvestam
Mikael Akerfeldt
Pete Dolving
Myles Kennedy


Some who should consider a career change;

Sam Carter
Dave Mustaine
Oli Sykes
Dave Padden
Marilyn Manson

 

[Daemoniac]

Best:
- Trent Reznor (NIN); Interesting and instantly recognisable vocals that are filled with more than enough venom for his music.
- Eric Powell (16Volt); Great vocal style, great melodies and really "haunting" in a way.
- Free Domininguez (Kidneythieves); Not sure just how talented she is, but i've always loved her vocal style. It fits the music so well.
- Tim Williams (Vision Of Disorder); I have a thing for this kind of vocals Don't know why.
- Maynard James Keenan (Tool/APC); Not so much Tool, but APC and all the random stuff he did for the Underworld soundtracks is just fucking amazing. One of the most hauntingly beautiful voices in Rock IMO.
- ohGr (Skinny Puppy/ohGr); Sure, he sounds like the demented, drug-addicted offspring of some bizarre schizophrenic human/goat hybrid choking on broken glass and trying to wail for more drugs, but it suits the band and the music.
- Eminem; Like him or not, dickhead or not, his rhymes are effortless and they flow so very well. Amazing at what he does.
- Kyo (Dir En Grey); Like Jon Davis crossed with Manson
- Christopher Hall (Stabbing Westward); The vocals always surprised me in a really good way. Nice, slightly haunting vocals.
- Dexter Holland (The Offspring); Any talent whatsoever? Probably not. But lets face it, he is the Offspring He makes it fun
- James Rietz (Crossbreed); Weird, out-of-key sounding vocals that for some reason i just cannot get enough of.
- Jonny Santos (Spineshank); One of my favorite screams of all time
- Jonathan Davis (KoRn); Good? Maybe, but his melodies and style really appeal to me and suit the band IMO
- Cameron Heacock (American Head Charge); One of the most individual and individually talented metal singers i've heard. Amazing voice
- Benjamin Burnley (Breaking Benjamin); Incredible vocals, and a scream that could split you apart.
- Amy Lee (Evanescence); Pretty self explanatory; she can sing good-like
- Chester Bennington (Linkin Park); Sure, he may look like a clone-gone-wrong of Bono these days, but the clean-to-scream vocals of songs like Hit The Floor are absolutely amazing.
- Mikael Akerfeldt (Opeth); Another amazing clean-to-scream guy, but in a totally different way



Worst:
- Edsel Dope (Dope); What a cunt, seriously. That is all.
- Wayne Static (Static-X); Hopeless lyrics, and a crap voice to boot.
- Andy LaPlegua (Combichrist/Panzer AG/Icon Of Coil); I love the guys music, but man he needs to get his lyrics sorted out. It drags the songs down.
- Rudy Ratzinger wumpscut: ); Sounds like he should be in a circus.
- Whoever the fuck did vocals for Napalm Death originally; Just, just awful.
- Most black/death metal vocalists, bar a few
- Robert Smith (The Cure); Wailing, whining stuff... not a fan.
- Chris Martin (Coldplay); What can i say, he's boring as shit.
- Scott Strapp (Creed); As above.
- Till Lindemann (Rammstein); I just hate his vocal style. I don't feel likeit suits the music, and I dislike the fact that the lyrics are basically nonsense when translated. I'm not against untranslated lyrics, hell, half the music i listen to is german, but something about him really irks me.
- Kevin Palmer (Trust Company); Constantly sounds like he's out of breath and it gives me the absolute shits to listen to hearing him panting after every word.

 

[Lethe]

Best: Les Claypool.
Worst: Les Claypool.

/thread