Top 65 Metal singers of all times
My top 65 singers in metal ranked.
I checked your comments and realized that i forgot some of my favorites vocalists so i just expanded the list.
As for Chelsea Wolfe, i love her music but i don't consider it metal.
Luc Lemay is a great death metal singer so i consider him an honorable mention, same for Øle Borud. |
| 65 |  | My Dying Bride
Turn Loose the Swans
AARON STAINHORPE (ADDED LATER)-around 60th place
Another pioneer of goth/death doom |
| 64 |  | Battle Of Mice
A Day Of Nights
JULIE CHRISTMAS(ADDED LATER)-around 55th place
This girl has one of the most unsettling vocals in metal |
| 63 |  | paradise lost
Draconian Times
NICK HOLMES-(ADDED LATER)around 50th place
Pioneer of goth metal scene, his deep raspy melancholic vocals sounds almost like a doom metal version of James Hetfield with way more singing ability and versatility |
| 62 |  | maudlin of the Well
Bath
TOBY DRIVER (ADDED LATER)- around 36th place
again, i can't explain how the fuck i forgot him, bath is one of my favorites albums.
Toby is another vocalist able to transform his voice, first he lulls you to sleep, then he scares the fuck out of you with his deep growls. |
| 61 |  | Alcest
Écailles De Lune
NEIGE (ADDED LATER)- around 35th place
somehow i forgot him, he manage to sing such angelic verses followed by terrific black metal scream |
| 60 |  | timeless miracle
Into the Enchanted Chamber
MIKAEL HOLST
One of the most different voices in power metal |
| 59 |  | Testament
The Gathering
CHUCK BILLY
His growls are some of my favorites, great cleans too |
| 58 |  | dark tranquillity
Projector
MIKAEL STANNE
A great melodeath frontman, thro |
| 57 |  | W.E.T.
W.E.T
JEFF SCOTT SOTO
while i'm not a fan of most of his works he has a terrific voice |
| 56 |  | Ice Nine Kills
The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood
EVERYONE
I was to choose Spencer but basically every member of this band works as a lead singer in their live shows. Perfectly synchronized with their growl/clean formula adding a bit of personal touch. |
| 55 |  | Fear Factory
Obsolete
BURTON C. BELL
This pick may be controversial since Bell's live vocals has been pretty much annihilated in the last 10 years, most of his cleans sounds great in studio due to technology (ironically fitting FF's themes)and live he's completely out of tune. Yet he basically set the base for the whole Growl verses- clean chorus formula that became so famous years later. He has been great live during FF's first 3 albums with one of the most influential styles in modern metal. His Growls are some of my favorites ever and his cleans even if altered sounds great in studio. |
| 54 |  | loudness
Soldier of Fortune
MIKE VESCERA
Loudness should kept him as their frontman. |
| 53 |  | Solitude Aeturnus
Into the Depths of Sorrow
ROBERT LOWE
His melancholic vocal perfectly fits SA's depressive mood. One of the best volcalist in Doom metal. |
| 52 |  | Kenn Nardi
Dancing With the Past
KENN NARDI
Such a unique voiceprint that's hard even to describe. His low singing style combined to high pitched screams contributes to create some of the most original albums in prog thrash. |
| 51 |  | Nightwish
Oceanborn
TARJA
Not the hugest fan of nightwish yet Tarja's opera singing is terrific and influenced hundreds of singers in the symphonic metal scene. |
| 50 |  | Pin-Up Went Down
2 Unlimited
ASPHODEL
If you're into weird shit this name could ring a bell. She sounds like 4 different people in just one aong ranging to an odd child-like voice to opera and many other styles. Great vocal range. |
| 49 |  | Ihsahn
After
IHSAHN
Not just a black metal singer, through the years Ihsahn explored various genres and became an awesome singer other than a masterful songwriter. |
| 48 |  | Destrage
Are You Kidding Me? No.
PAOLO COLAVOLPE
Clearly influenced by sikth but even better. Again he can change many vocal style in few seconds with different kimds of growl and very good cleans. |
| 47 |  | Dir En Grey
Uroboros
TOORU NIIMURA
This guy is basically an alien. Yet he combines his weird scat-like noises to incredible vocal skills, perfectly fitting Dir en grey's dark vibes. |
| 46 |  | almah
Fragile Equality
EDU FALASCHI
When Edu joined Angra he had a big pair of shoes to fill, he exceeded the expectations of any fan of the band but maybe his best performance is with Almah in which he could write his own music and performing even better. |
| 45 |  | Archspire
Bleed the Future
OLI PETERS
Basically Death metal version of Busta Rhymes. Every single Archspire member is ridiculously fast, Oli is no exception. |
| 44 |  | Persuader
When Eden Burns
JENS CARLSSON
higly influenced by Hansi Kürsch, Karlsson managed to become one of the most pissed off singers in power metal combining Blind guardian influences with a thrashier approach and using even some growls and screams. Twisted eyes may be one of the best songs in the sub-genre. |
| 43 |  | Rammstein
Liebe Ist Für Alle Da
TILL LINDEMANN
What Till lacks in technical skills and wide vocal range is offset by undeniable charisma and an unmistakable voice that nobody can imitate. He can switch his typical hoarse voice to solemn cleans for awesome choruses. |
| 42 |  | Iced Earth
Something Wicked This Way Comes
MATT BARLOW
Pretty unusual vocals for power metal, still one of the most iconic, his deep voiceprint fits well both melancholic power ballads and dark heavier stuff. |
| 41 |  | Within Temptation
The Unforgiving
SHARON DEL ADEL
One of the most beautiful female vocals in metal. |
| 40 |  | slayer
Reign in Blood
TOM ARAYA
The godfather of pissed off thrash vocals deserves a spot just for the infamous Angel of death scream. In the early years Araya was capable of unbeliavable high pitched screams and fast paced verses. While with the years the high pitched vocals faded away he managed to sound even angrier than some of Slayer's older material such as Disciple. And what about his terrific performance in Jihad? |
| 39 |  | Anthrax
Spreading the Disease
JOEY BELLADONNA
Bush is a great singer but when Joey takes the microphone he nails it everytime, when i saw them live it was one of the most fun concerts i've ever been to. He manage to combine Thrash speed to a more melodic approach with his clear voice. |
| 38 |  | Deftones
Diamond Eyes
CHINO MORENO
pparently one of the most seductive voices ever. Chino ranges from rap to relaxing almost whispered singing, from raw inhale screams to warm melodic cleans. Unfortunately his drug abuse fucked up his chords so his live performance quality has been discontinued for years. However he's been pretty much consistent in the last years and when he's good, he's really good, studio quality good. |
| 37 |  | Annihilator
Schizo Deluxe
DAVE PADDEN
Sure this one may be the most controversial choice in the list but i genuinely think Padden is one of the most underappreciated singers in metal. Some annihilator fans hated his era but in my opinion every album with him is at least good and Schizo Deluxe is their best since Never, neverland. This guy has recognizable cleans with awesome melodic choruses, he's great with growls, has a pretty wide range and most of all he can sing any song from previous Annihilator albums, also a huge live performer. Some may say that he sucks in the one and in perfect angel eyes but it's not entirely his fault, that songs would be horrible even with Dio at the mic. |
| 36 |  | Mudvayne
L.D. 50
CHAD GRAY
L.D.50 is the most complex nu metal album ever released, mostly for Ryan's perfect basslines and Matt's terrific drumming, but Chad's performance was just delightful as well. A great mix of tortured screams, rap, intense clean parts, growls and some high notes (severed) all beautifully crafted together. While no other Mudvayne album reached the debut, Chad's vocals remained solid with the 2 following albums. |
| 35 |  | Trivium
In the Court of the Dragon
MATT HEAFY
This dude gets better with time. After 2 average albums people feared this band was done. Then Heafy and company delivered 3 awesome works in which every member gives his best. Mr. Heafy mastered perfectly the traditional melodic metalcore singing formula, his growls are rawer than ever and his clean are smooth as hell. |
| 34 |  | death
Leprosy
CHUCK SCHULDINER
Basically created death metal as we know it and sung almost in every type of growl ever. That scream in painkiller is absurd. |
| 33 |  | Nightingale
Alive Again
DAN SWÄNO
Another masterful songwriter with amazing vocal skills. From EOS way ahead of it's time death metal to the beautiful melodic singing with Nightingale. |
| 32 |  | Manowar
Kings of Metal
ERIC ADAMS
Some of the manliest high notes ever. |
| 31 |  | System of a Down
System of a Down
SERJ TANKIAN
Tankian said that he never even studied music, he crafted his own technique using his voice as an instrument. Serj has a unique voice that combines eclectic style to armenian folk influences and blends it with aggression and melody. He's also huge with Opera singing and jazz. |
| 30 |  | Scorpions
Blackout
KLAUS MEINE
The iconic frontman of one of the best German bands has one of the most iconic and well preserved vocals in the genres, influencing countless singers. |
| 29 |  | Danzig
Danzig
While i prefer his work with misfits he managed to grow as a singer with time, his Baritone/tenor range has kind of a Heavy metal Elvis vibe that many singers envy. |
| 28 |  | Amorphis
Silent Waters
TOMI JOUTSEN
One of the most solemn voices in progressive death, his deep growls are balanced with the epic cleans that really delivers the nordic legend vibes summoned in the lyrics |
| 27 |  | Blind Guardian
Nightfall in Middle-Earth
HANSI KÜRSCH
While i'm not a fan of fantasy themed power metal Hansi perfectly delivers Lord of the rings-like atmosphere through his epic vocals.
One of the most impressive vocal ranges in power metal. |
| 26 |  | Whitesnake
Whitesnake's Greatest Hits
DAVID COVERDALE
Forget for a while your hate for glam to appreciate one of the most passionate singers of the 80s. |
| 25 |  | Slipknot
Iowa
COREY TAYLOR
I'm impressed that he can still sing after iowa, maybe his secret is the neck. Taylor did some of the most aggressive growls in mainstream metal and still he has powerful clean vocals, he's great at rap and when he gets emotional with ballads too. |
| 24 |  | Skid Row (US)
Slave to the Grind
SEBASTIAN BACH
This guy is a douche but holy shit, a douche with an incredible voice. Monkey business may be the best song in glam metal (well kind of glam, heavy oriented). |
| 23 |  | Pantera
Cowboys from Hell
PHIL ANSELMO
Before he destroyed his chords with drug and alcohol abuse he had one of the strongest voices in metal. Just listen to the variety of styles he's been through: terrific power ballads like cemetery gates, sludgy stoner stuff with down, the iconic groove metal of early pantera and some of the angriest vocals ever in suicide note pt2. And how the fuck evetyone forgets about shattered? His highest notes ever. |
| 22 |  | Type O Negative
Bloody Kisses
PETER STEELE
Well known for his deeper than ocean voice, this giant was the essence of gothic metal, he also had one hell of vocal range reaching very high notes. And don't forget his performance with Carnivore. |
| 21 |  | Helloween
Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II
MIKAEL KISKE
Again, not a fan of High pitched vocals power metal but kiske has a voice so awesome that contributed to create the best power metal album ever. Just listen to March of time, one of the best choruses in the genre. |
| 20 |  | The Gathering
Nighttime Birds
ANNEKE VAN GIERSBERGEN
Maybe the most ethereal vocalist in the genre, with the gathering she managed to create a wonderful oneiric atmosphere. I also love her work with Devin Townsend, numbered and supercrush are some of his best pieces. |
| 19 |  | opeth
Blackwater Park
MIKAEL AKERFELDT
The most elegant singer in death metal, he wisely combines death growls with melancholic cleans creating majestic pieces of music. Also a great death metal singer in bloodbath and his ethereal vocals in Katatonia's day are delightful. |
| 18 |  | Scar Symmetry
Pitch Black Progress
CHRISTIAN ALVESTÅM
A magnificent entrance within the Gothemburg scene. The new scar symmetry guys are good with their songs but when it comes to sing Christian's songs there's no comparison. It's incredible to think that those clear majestic vocals and those terrific growls comes from the same person. |
| 17 |  | Alice in Chains
Dirt
LAYNE STALEY
All the pain within this man transpired from his vocals. |
| 16 |  | Queensryche
Operation: Mindcrime
GEOFF TATE
One of the biggest assholes in metal, yet one of the most talented. He had such a great impact on the prog metal scene and his voice is so crystal clear that made him a pioneer in the scene. unpopular opinion: Spreading the disease is the best Queensryche song ever. |
| 15 |  | Acid Bath
Paegan Terrorism Tactics
DAX RIGGS
The unspoken king of sludge, this band influenced many more bands that most people could imagine. His dirty vocals has the power of making you feel uncomfortable while his cleans are hauntingly delightful. Some of the most disturbing music ever. He kept releasing stoner albums rooted in southern rock. |
| 14 |  | King Diamond
Abigail
KING DIAMOND
Diamond invented a whole new kind of singing style, almost like a split personality he sounds like two completely different people. Nobody could ever imitate his spooky vocals. |
| 13 |  | Fair to Midland
Fables From a Mayfly: What I Tell You Three Times is True
DARROH SUDDERTH
The magical voice of a sadly short-lived band that deserved a lot more popularity. This boy is so wrote complex lyrics when he was basically a kid and improved his skills over the years. When he sings it's like he's telling post modern fables in the most epic way possible. He delivers also incredible high notes and occasionally incredibly low growl-like vocals. |
| 12 |  | Obscure Sphinx
Void Mother
WIELEBNA
One of the most underrated perormers ever. Her screams are able to get inside your skin and contraposed to her uplifting cleans creates a gloomy unique sensation that sends shivers down the spine. |
| 11 |  | tool
Ænima
MAYNARD JAMES KEENAN
Overwhelming, technical and versatile, Maynard manage to sing over complex signatures keeping his catchy and haunting tone. He has lots of memorable moments such has the long scream in the Grudge, the itchy vocals in ticks and leeches, the pot intro and several others. One of the best frontmen of the last years. |
| 10 |  | Savatage
Edge Of Thorns
ZACHARY STEVENS/JON OLIVA
I was undecided which savatage vocalist is better so i included both of them.
Zach and Jon creates some of the most intense and emotional songs in metal. Zach has a triumphant voice that uplift the listener and Jon has the natural ability to deliver his pain and woe through his intense lyrics and vocal lines. Plus i love Savatage's queen-like vocal solos, the wake of magellan's bridge may be one of the best vocal parts ever. |
| 9 |  | Soundgarden
Badmotorfinger
CHRIS CORNELL
The best voice in grunge, in the early soundgarden days Cornell gifted alternative metal with his terrific performance in Badmotorfinger, with his four octave range he has been able to sing accessible stuff with his sweet melancholic voice and heavier stuff using his range from lower Baritone to high tenor. |
| 8 |  | Devin Townsend
Terria
DEVIN TOWNSEND
When it comes to songwriters Dev is probably the best around, but he is a terrific vocalist too, covering countless genres and styles. This guy manage both to lull you to sleep with the masterpiece "death of music" and destroying your ears with "oh my fucking god" which contains one of the fastest sung part in metal. Ranging from SYL's devastating anger to peaceful relaxing music such as "ghost" and casualties of cool, Devin's eccentric genius never fail to surprise. |
| 7 |  | Deep Purple
Machine Head
IAN GILLAN
I won't even bother to explain how unbelievable Gillan's range is, besides that he influenced hundreds of vocalists even before heavy metal was so popular, outside of the genre, child in time was one of the best performances in music history. Even if his voice aged quite a bit he still remains one of the most iconic vocalists ever. |
| 6 |  | Rainbow
Rising
RONNIE JAMES DIO
Other than one of the nicest guys in heavy metal he has been a legend of music. When you listen any of his works, from sabbath to rainbow and even his solo band you're taken through an epic journey. It's physiologically impossible to not love the dwarf. |
| 5 |  | Iron Maiden
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
BRUCE DICKINSON
THE frontman. No other man can match talent in entertainment, charisma and terrific vocals like he does. To be honest in senjutsu he sounds tired, yet he has been constantly in shape for almost 40 years, including his solo career and work with samson. I would make a deal with the devil to have his energy when i'll be his age. After countless flawless performances over the years, at 57 he composed and perfectly executed the best maiden song ever: empire of the clouds. |
| 4 |  | Pain of Salvation
The Perfect Element, Part 1
DANIEL GILDENLÖW
One of my favorites composers and singers, Gildenlow basically change sound in every album and often he changes various genres through one album. BE features masterful vocal performances in Gospel, primal, heavy metal, nu metal, orchestral and many others. After he almost died for a disease he released one of his best works still managing to sound awesome and darker than ever. He is both technical and emotional, listen to PoS live version of Hallelujah, one of the best covers of that song ever. |
| 3 |  | Judas Priest
Sad Wings of Destiny
ROB HALFORD
They call him metal god for a reason. Just keep in mind that firepower came out when he was 67. His piercing high pitched screams and vibrato defined a generation. Through the decades Rob adapted his vocals to the various styles he approached remaining recognizable and iconic. |
| 2 |  | Soilwork
The Ride Majestic
BJÖRN "SPEED" STRID
A rare case where a vocalist becomes better with each year. Starting as a regular death metal singer Bjorn went through a vocal evolution that made him the best singer in melodeath. In natural born chaos he combined a kind of melodic growl to ethereal clean choruses, in figure number 5 he went more melodic exploring alt metal and after several awesome performances in metalcore-influenced albums the living infinite came out. Speed combined majestic cleans to aggressive growl in a quite unique way and became even better with ride majestic in which you can find some of the best moments in modern metal. Soilwork also explored a more proggy sound and Bjorn did a sublime job even with it. And most of all, he is one of the best live singers i've heard. |
| 1 |  | Mr. Bungle
California
MIKE PATTON
You just can't top him, the best singer in modern times. Aside his almost unreachable vocal range, this guy can sing everything. alternative metal, rap, opera, funk, soul, gospel, death metal and whatever the fuck was that stuff in Fantomas, often combining many genres in one song perfectly. And he does it with his unique style and stromg charisma.
Recently he has been mentally ill, i hope he gets better. |
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