Best Metal Voice?

We didn't? Really?
Wow.
I should have said that.

Sigh...you are all forgiven, sort of. Not to be a metal purist, but Avenged Sevenfold isn't metal (guyliner/emo/power-pop with occasional guitar solos) . Nor is Candlebox (grunge?). It's hard because there are SO many good metal vocalists in so many style: do we go with best clean singing? Best screams? Grunts? Range?

Another I'm surprised I haven't seen is Burton Bell from Fear Factory. He kinda blows live a lot of the time, but he really is an AWESOME vocalist, and his clean/death style has been ripped off A LOT. His clean singing is really full and actually has a lot of range, and is really ethereal and magical when effects are added to it. Also, his guttural death "barks" are some of the most brutal in metal, hands down. Listen to "Shock" or "Slave Labor" (or anything from Demanufacture, Obsolete, or Archetype, but NOT Digimortal) if you haven't already and you'll be an instant fan.
 
Sebastian Bach. Even today he is able to hold a full range with sustain. My hats off to all the others mentioned.

yeah i have to agree. sabastian bach has a very good backing vocal on "sorry" by guns n roses
 
In my humble opinion i think mikael akerfeldt has the best metal voice ever. What is not to like. He has a great set of pipes which he debut on damnation and on deliverence, and has further shown us in the last two opeth albums. He also has one of the best growls period. His growling on all the opeth albums is amazing and lets not forget his growling that he does on the bloodbath cd's. The new bloodbath cd, the fathomless mastery is amazing. His growling is so unique. You can always tell when it is mikael growling. Anyways thats my opinion. If i had to choose another it would probably be dio or zakk wylde
 
Phil Anselmo - Pantera
Chuck Schuldiner - Death
Max Cavalera - Sepultura

Cowboys from Hell, Vulgar Display of Power.

Scream Bloody Gore, Symbolic.

Beneath The Remains, Arise.
 
Best growling - Jens Kidman (Meshuggah)
Best range - Jorn Lande (Masterplan)
Best balance of both - Russell Allen (Symphony X)
 
Hello Everybody,

Firstly, I just want to explain my view of the "growling" and "Pig Squeals" of Extreme Metal. I've been listening to metal since i was 10 years old (im fourteen now-i know its not a long time, but ive been completly immersed in metal for that time, so id consider myself a longtime metalhead), and over time, my taste from metal has grown more extreme, starting off with bands like Kiss, AC/DC, Queen, and Black Sabbath, to now, with bands like Cannibal Corpse, Meshuggah, Necrophagist, and Cryptopsy.

That being said, i still appreciate and even love the likes of Freddy Mercury, James LaBrie, and even singers like Beyonce and Aretha Franklin for their vast musical talent. Although the Chris Barnes's and Lord Worm's of the world may not be the best singers in a pop/classical sense (where beautiful melodies and harmonies are almost a neccesity), they are great singers in their own way, and it takes true love of their style of music to appreciate their vocals.

For example: while a classic rock fan may revere Freddy Mercury for his use of dynamics, tone, harmony, ect...an extreme metal fan such as myself finds pleasing qualities in the "death growls" of today. Such qualities include: the "gutteral" qualitiy of the singers voice, the ability of the singer to effectivley growl loudly while still maintaining form without the use of cupping the mic or using electric harmonizers, how long a singer can sustain a growl, and the ability of a singer to growl with a single tone without sounding like he/she (and yes, girls can "growl" too) is strianing his/herself.

Although a person who does not regularly listen to and enjoy etreme metal may not like the style of vocals bands under its umbrella use, it is not simply each singer's attempt to "sound like the devil", it is a unique art which takes a keen and enjoying ear to appreciate.

Also, not everyone can just growl or pig squeal at the drop of the hat. It suprisingly takes a great deal of practice to refine and sustain the extreme metal sound. I challange anyone who disagrees to look up the lyrics to Cannibal Corpse's "Hammer Smashed Face", Dying Fetus' "Insidious Repression" or Behemoth's "Conquer All" and attempt to sing along while sounding the same as the singer, and still singing the words.

And finally, as a side note, the lyrics of extreme metal are usually suprisingly well written. Look at, for example" Cryptopsy's "Slit Your Guts". The lyrics evoke images of a dark psychopath who eloquently murders his victims, with his favorite blade, "Tuesday". The writing style also is reminiscant of French prose, directly associated with Cryptopsy's hailing from Canada. The point I'm trying to make is that in the context of a song, the tone and quality of the vocals is used as a complimentary instrument to the generally dark sound, and upon finding the eloquently written vocals, the listener turned reader becomes pleasantly shocked.


THAT BEING SAID:
My personal favorites include:

Chris Barnes-Ex. Cannibal Corpse, Six Feet Under

Lord Worm-Ex. Cryptopsy

John Gallagher-Dying Fetus

Nergal-Behemoth

Jens Kidman-Meshuggah

Tim Roth/Stu Block-Into Eternity
 
Mikael Akerfeldt
James Hetfield
Joe Duplantier
Max Cavalera (upto the first Soulfly album at least, I think he peaked in Roots)
Jens Kidman
Tommy Vext - great job on Bleed The Fifth
The guys from She Said Destroy
Phil Anselmo
Martin Walkyer
Eric Rutan
Derrick Green
Devin Townsend

I like these guys for the sound of their voices, their taste in phrasing their vocal parts, their lyrics and they energy they bring to the music.

People who are saying there is no good new metal?
Look a bit harder. There is plenty.

People who consider metal to not qualify as music.
Thats your limitation in taste.
 
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