Most Underrated Rock Vocalists

Ever get tired of seeing the same vocalists on every single list. Well your time of saying ,"Why not him here, or them there," are over. Let's bow down to the voices of the rockers we now and want the lists to love.
The Top Ten
1 Ian Gillan - Deep Purple Ian Gillan is an English singer and songwriter. He originally found success as the lead singer and lyricist for Deep Purple, and the original singer on the rock opera concept album Jesus Christ Superstar by Andrew Lloyd Webber, where Gillan had the leading role (Jesus Christ).

"Child In Time". Listen to it all the way through at least once and you'll know why Ian Gillan is underrated. One of the greatest songs ever and his great vocals are a huge reason!

His screaming in child in time was so cool.But most of time he doesn't involve in best metal singers.But always includes in most underrated singers.

For sure he does scream powerfully and beautyfully, and most of all all, he is even better on stage than in studio.

And it's not just about screaming. Ian has done all sorts of things - from singing with Black Sabbath to duos with Pavarotti - and he' s all done that greatly

Just listen to Child In Time! You'll get everything ;)

2 Hansi Kürsch - Blind Guardian, Demons and Wizards Hansi Kürsch, born Hans Jürgen Kürsch, is the lead singer, lyricist, co-composer and bassist for German power metal band Blind Guardian . Heavily influenced by Freddie Mercury, he creates a huge choir effect by overdubbing his own voice multiple times in complex, overlapping vocal harmonies. He records ...read more.

He's a vocal god. The most unique combination of beautiful angelic soft tone and raw powerful tone - you can hear them in one song. The most expressive and emotive voice I've ever heard. Unmatched tonal versatility. Awesome technical skills.
Demons and Wizards: Path of glory, Love's tragedy asunder, My last sunrise, Crimson king.
Blind Guardian: The bard's song, Majesty, Thorn, Into The storm, Sacred Worlds, Otherland.

3 Joe Lynn Turner - Rainbow, Yngwie, Deep Purple Joe Lynn Turner is an American singer, known for his works with hard rock/metal bands Rainbow, Yngwie Malmsteen and Deep Purple.

This guy is a definition of underrated.
Even if you don't vote him check out these songs because you are gonna love them and his voice.
Rainbow - Can't Let You Go, I Surrender, Stranded.
Yngwie - Rising Force, Dreaming.
Deep Purple - The Cut Runs Deep, Fortuneteller, King of Dreams.

4 Michael Kiske - Helloween, Avantasia Michael Kiske is a singer best known as the former lead vocalist for the German power metal band Helloween.

His vocal skills and technique are really very good. But he is never in the top 10, not even in the top 50 metal singers.
Helloween - The Tale That Wasn't Right; I want Out.

5 Ralf Scheepers - Primal Fear, Gamma ray Ralf Scheepers is the vocalist for German heavy metal band Primal Fear. He has a relatively high-pitched tenor-esque singing voice and sometimes uses a shriek reminiscent of Judas Priest's Rob Halford, although it is his baritone lows which give him a near four-octave range in the modal register.

He's amazing.
Primal Fear - Strike, King For A Day, Diabolus, The Man (That I Don't Know).

6 Brad Delp - Boston Bradley Edward "Brad" Delp was an American musician, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock bands Boston and RTZ.

Delp is CRIMINALLY UNDERRATED. In my book, he's the greatest rock vocalist of all, bar none. His closest "competitor" is Freddie Mercury.

Delp id have a fantastic range, but what puts him over the top is his beautiful timbre. His voice just sounds amazing, with a nice, rounded sound tempered with a little tartness.

The only reason I think he doesn't get more votes is that Boston has put out a very small body of work over the years.

His voice was also very versatile across a variety of genres. If you don't believe me, check out his albums with RTZ and his work on the "Barry Goudreau" solo album. "Mean Woman Blues" from Goudreau will show you what I mean.

Easily on the top 5 greatest singers list in rock history. He is up there with Freddie Mercury, Jon Anderson, and Geddy Lee, in my humble opinion. Brad Delp should be every bit as famous and revered as they are. It's total BS that whenever I mention his name, the response nine out of ten times is "who? "

Brad brought harmony to Tom's heavy layered guitars to bring rock music back and Brad and Boston don't get the respect because Tom didn't bow down to the record industy.

Hands down; best rock singer with Paul Rogers probably second. Brad had a great vocal range; better than Freddie Mercury.

7 Graham Bonnet - Rainbow, Alcatrazz, Michael Schenker Group Graham Bonnet is an English rock singer and songwriter. He has recorded and performed as a solo artist and as a member of several hard rock and heavy metal bands including Rainbow, the Michael Schenker Group, Alcatrazz, and Impellitteri.

Amazing vocal skills. Criminally underrated.
He was rumoured to have busted PA systems because his voice is one of the loudest ones in metal and hard rock. Bonnet is also known among the vocal experts for his l-o-o-o-o-o-ng and powerful sustain. Poor PA systems ...
He replaced Dio in Rainbow and by the way Bonnet is not a worse singer than Dio (this comes from a die hard Dio fan).

A hard rock song: Rainbow - All Night Long.
A metal song (early symphonic metal): Rainbow - Eyes Of The World (1979).

Alcatrazz - Only One Woman.

I still can't believe Blackmore kicked him out of Rainbow because he wouldn't grow his hair long. Great vocalist.

8 Layne Staley - Alice in Chains Layne Thomas Staley was an American musician who served as the lead singer and co-songwriter of the rock band Alice in Chains, which he founded with guitarist Jerry Cantrell in Seattle, Washington in 1987. Alice in Chains rose to international fame as part of the grunge movement of the early 1990s. In 2002, Staley was found dead in his home of a drug overdose.

One of the best singers of all time, not just grunge or his era. He had such a wide vocal range, and emotional range that came through his music. Most of his songs you can hear him reach out unimaginable notes (Man in the Box, Love Hate Love, It Ain't Like That, etc.), but he also gives you glimpses at a softer side of his voice at other points�"illustrating a multifaceted mastermind.

Such an underrated singer. He had one of the best voices in music history that can never be copied.

Layne does still get respect though

9 Miljenko Matijevic - Steelheart Miljenko Matijevic is a Croatian-American singer and songwriter. He is best known as the lead vocalist and songwriter of rock band Steelheart. He has a big following in South Korea and has worked on several South Korean TV series.

SO UNDERRATED AND UNLUCKY...he didn't even reach his prime and the awful accident happened...

The accident took his career. I am sure he is in the league of Freddie Mercury and Robert Plant.
He is One of the greatest or maybe the greatest ever.
His Falsetto is thundering.

If I recall correctly, he was the real voice of Steel Dragon. I’ve always felt he deserved way more recognition

10 Jorn Lande - Masterplan, Ark, Beyond Twilight, Millenium, Vagabond Jørn Lande is a Norwegian metal and hard rock singer known for his solo career as Jorn, and providing vocals for Avantasia, Masterplan, Ark, Beyond Twilight, Millenium, Allen/Lande, Mundanus Imperium, Vagabond, The Snakes, Ayreon.

His voice is awesome - it's like Dio, David Coverdale and Ian Gillan singing together. Check this out and be convinced:
Jorn - Don't talk to strangers (Dio cover)
Jorn - Burn (Deep Purple cover, David Coverdale)
Jorn - Perfect strangers (Deep Purple cover, Ian Gillan)

You have to agree that you've just heard the best covers of these classic metal songs.

The Contenders
11 Sebastian Bach - Skid Row Sebastian Philip Bierk, known professionally as Sebastian Bach, is a Canadian heavy metal singer who achieved mainstream success as frontman of Skid Row from 1987-96. Since his departure from Skid Row, he has had many television roles, acted in Broadway plays, and leads a solo career.

Easily one of the most talented rock vocalists of all time. Never gets the recognition he deserves.

12 John Lawton - Uriah Heep

Amazing singer- check out lucifers friend... Very underrated album.

Uriah Heep - Sympathy.

13 James Dewar - Robin Trower

By far the most underrated

Stumble down romancer is a fantastic tune!

Sexy, soulful voice. Highly underrated!

Unique soul unlike anyone else

14 Tobias Sammet - Edguy, Avantasia Tobias Sammet is a German metal musician, best known as the vocalist and primary songwriter of the power metal band Edguy, as well as the founder, main singer and bassist of the metal opera Avantasia.

Definitely one of the masters today.
Edguy: Nailed to the wheel; Sacrifice.

15 Phil Lynott - Thin Lizzy Philip Parris "Phil" Lynott was an Irish musician, singer and songwriter. His most commercially successful group was Thin Lizzy, of which he was a founding member, the principal songwriter, lead vocalist and bassist.

His dark voice is very cool.
Thin Lizzy - Killer On The Loose, Angel of death, Cold Sweat, Thunder And Lightning.

KILLER ON THE LOOSE is my favorite TL song. Phil had a great voice... one of the gods of rock.

Number 1 and Gillan number 0

16 Richie Furay Paul Richard "Richie" Furay is an American singer, songwriter, and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member who is best known for forming the bands Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Neil Young, Bruce Palmer, and Dewey Martin, and Poco with Jim Messina, Rusty Young, George Grantham and Randy Meisner.

How underrated you could think of a singer when he doesn't got any user/visitor to comment on him.

17 Serj Tankian - System of a Down Serj Tankian is a Lebanese-born Armenian-American singer-songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, poet, and political activist. He's best known for being the lead singer of the Armenian/American rock band System of a Down. After System of a Down's hiatus in 2006 he began to release solo material. Some of his solo songs include: The Sky is Over, Lie Lie Lie, Harakiri, Baby, Empty Walls, and more. His solo albums and EPS include: Elect The Dead (2007), Imperfect Harmonise (2010), Harakiri (2012), Jazz-iz Christ (2013), Fuktronic (2020), and Elasticity (2021) on top of that he has gone on to perform soundtracks for films in recent years.

His solo music is just phenomenal. He has also taken a step aside from rock music and proven himself to be talented composer in classical music.

he really should earn more credits. he sings of freedom too.

Greatest living vocalist in the 2000's

1 of the best vocals ever heard

18 Adam Gontier - Three Days Grace Adam Wade Gontier is a Canadian musician and songwriter. He is the lead singer, rhythm guitarist and main songwriter for Saint Asonia, but is best known as the former lead singer, rhythm guitarist and main songwriter of the Canadian rock band Three Days Grace.
19 David Coverdale - Deep Purple, Whitesnake David Coverdale is an English rock singer most famous for his work with Whitesnake, the commercially successful hard rock band he founded in 1978. Before Whitesnake, Coverdale was the lead singer of Deep Purple from late 1973 to 15 March 1976, when he resigned from the band and established his solo ...read more.
20 Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman, known by his stage name, Little Richard, was an American musician, singer and songwriter. He is widely regarded to be one of the most influential rock musicians of all time.
21 David Byron - Uriah Heep David Garrick, better known by his stage name David Byron, was a British singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist with the rock band Uriah Heep in the early 1970s.

Uriah Heep - July Morning, Bird Of Prey, Look at Yourself.

Number 35? Seriously. Number one more like it.

He is very underrated.

22 Geddy Lee - Rush Gary Lee Weinrib, known professionally as Geddy Lee, is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for the Canadian rock group Rush.

Zxm could do with ear wax removal, Geddy has a unique voice, often much derided by those outside the Rush bubble but appreciated my many and both he and the band as a whole have been an incredible influence on so many other modern musicians.

I don't think he is underrated. Cause he doesn't have a very good voice

23 Glenn Hughes - Deep Purple Glenn Hughes is an English rock bassist and vocalist, best known as a member of Deep Purple and the rock pioneers Trapeze, and his solo career. Hughes was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Deep Purple. He is acclaimed for his wide vocal range.

Best singer on the planet and nobody's heard of him. It's criminal! Check out his solo stuff, or more recently Black Country Communion and be convinced!

24 Chris Cornell - Soundgarden Christopher John "Chris" Cornell was an American rock musician and singer-songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist, primary songwriter and rhythm guitarist for Seattle rock band Soundgarden and as former lead vocalist and songwriter for the supergroup Audioslave. His vocal range was C2 to A5, while his highest notes went up to G6. He died on May 17, 2017.

Chris Cornell is mostly just known for Soundgarden, but since then he's done tins of amazing songs. He's not just an amazing singer, but also a gifted songwriter that weaves gentle ballods and powerful rock into sole albums or song, and truly deserved the same amount of fame as Kurt Cobain.

He's a vocal god.

25 Matt Barlow - Iced Earth Matthew 'Matt' Barlow is an American heavy metal singer and police officer. He was the lead singer for Iced Earth in the 1990s and 2000s. He is currently the lead singer for Ashes of Ares. After the September 11 terrorist attacks Matt Barlow decided to become a police officer and contribute to the "real world" instead of living the illusion of a "rock star." In 2007 he returned to music.

This is a huge voice - try Melancholy, Dracula, Damien.

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