Greatest Metal Voices

gemcloben This is not the best singer, this is the best voices. singers who's voices sound good, but who don't have technical will not be on the list.

The Top Ten

1 Bruce Dickinson

Paul Bruce Dickinson, known professionally as Bruce Dickinson, is an English musician, airline pilot, and broadcaster. He is most well known for being the lead singer in heavy metal band Iron Maiden and his solo career.

His voice has unbelievable power in it - gemcloben

2 Rob Halford

Robert John Arthur "Rob" Halford is an English singer and songwriter, who is best known as the lead vocalist for the Grammy Award-winning heavy metal band Judas Priest and famed for his powerful wide ranging operatic voice.

He's like bruce, but with a higher and more distinctive scream - gemcloben

Still doing it after all these years. The Metal God!

3 Randy Blythe

David Randall "Randy" Blythe is the vocalist and lyricist of American heavy metal band Lamb of God and side-project band Halo of Locusts.

The most underrated vocalist that ever was - gemcloben

4 Phil Anselmo

Philip Hansen "Phil" Anselmo is an American musician who is best known as the former lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Pantera. He currently is the vocalist of heavy metal bands Down and Superjoint Ritual.

He's the original randy blythe - gemcloben

5 Corey Tayler

He is definitely one of the best. His songs contain a mix of rap, growls, singing, and screaming..A feat that most singers can't boast.

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6 Michael Kiske

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

He is the best...

A singer who sings better than you can imagine...

7 Ronnie James Dio

Ronnie James Dio (born Ronald James Padavona; July 10, 1942 – May 16, 2010) was an American heavy metal singer, songwriter and musician. He fronted and/or founded numerous groups including Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and Heaven & Hell. He is credited with popularizing the "metal horns" hand gesture ...read more.

One of the original metal singers - gemcloben

Mr. Golden Voice - one of the best ever. His personality is unbelievable, too. It's really sad that he's underrated in some segments of the metal community. - Metal_Treasure

8 Hansi Kürsch

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.

The greatest voice is right here - powerful, resonant, expressive, emotive. Very distinctive timbre, amazing technical skills, overall - ear raping vocals. His tonal versatility is unmatched - surprisingly angelic and shockingly demonic voice at the same time. You can often hear this incredible contrast within one song - you hear both Heaven and Hell. His voice just epitomizes the metal vocals and his lyrics - the nature of the metal genre: "Taste no evil, touch no evil... All I think and feel is evil" (My Last Sunrise).
This guy's got everything for a fair #1 on this list.

Songs by Demons & Wizards ��" My Last Sunrise, Heaven Denies, Path Of Glory, Crimson King, Tear Down The Wall, Fiddler On The Green.

Songs by Blind Guardian ��" Majesty, The Bard's Song, Thorn, Time What Is Time, Sacred Worlds. - Metal_Treasure

9 Tom Araya

Tomás Enrique "Tom" Araya Díaz is a Chilean American musician, best known as the bassist and vocalist of the American thrash metal band Slayer.

The most aggressive singer ever - gemcloben

10 Jarkko Ahola

Jarkko Kalevi Ahola is a Finnish performing artist, composer and singer, best known as a metal singer. He is the vocalist, bass player and one of the three songwriters of the metal band Teräsbetoni. He also started a solo career as Ahola, a metal band.

One of the best voices in metal! He is not so famous outside Finland but should be. An amazing vocal range.

What a voice, I wish he was more famous because he deserves it!

Try one of Ahola's live performances in Viiala, last stop of his X-Mas charity tour - copy and paste into the YouTube window:

Ave Maria -- J. Ahola -- 8.12.2013

Oh My God, what a voice! He's a metal singer but his Ave Maria (live! ) reveals his capacity to be an opera singer, too - the second half is more impressive, especially towards the end (after 2:45). - Metal_Treasure

He's an amazing young singer from Finland. His skills are natural - he wasn't trained but very often he hits the notes such as an opera singer and those notes sound very powerful and absolutely effortless, even live.

His sustain is really impressive - he does that very often and effortless for 6-10 seconds and even 14-15 seconds! (Teräsbetoni - Pyhä maa, 3:15).

Here's his gorgeous voice on an epic slow metal song: Teräsbetoni - Teräksen taakka (2008).

Also try an ELO cover: Northern Kings - Don't bring me down (intro scream and 2:55-3:05! ) - Metal_Treasure

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The Contenders

11 Max Cavalera

Massimiliano Antonio "Max" Cavalera is a Brazillian singer, guitarist, and songwriter who currently plays in heavy metal bands Soulfly, Cavalera Conspiracy, and Killer Be Killed.

Best south-American singer ever - gemcloben

12 Matt Barlow

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 ...read more.

His voice reaches operatic power and his tone is raw but pleasant somehow. It sounds quite unique and is quickly recognizable. Matt can handle intense epic pieces like "Dante's Inferno" (Iced Earth).

13 Tobias Sammet

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.

This guy is really talented - godly range, beautiful tenor voice, amazing vocal skills.
Edguy - Nailed to the wheel, Mysteria. - Metal_Treasure

No kidding, he sounds like Bruce Dickinson Jr.
Very cool metal tone, very agile voice. Remarkable technical skills, too.
Check out: Edguy - Nailed to the Wheel; Sacrifice; New Age Messiah; Mysteria.

If you're a Maiden fan you may like his lyrics of the song 'England' (2014, bonus track):

Vienna has got Mozart
Chopin they had in Paris (kind of)
The Catholics got the Pope
England's got the Beatles
And even more so:
England's got Steve Harris

England's got Steve Harris
And if that wasn't enough for you
England's got Bruce Dickinson
And on top of it - the other ones
In Iron Maiden too, yes it's true - Metal_Treasure

14 Jon Oliva

John Nicholas Oliva, known as Jon Oliva, is an American composer, multi-instrumentalist and singer. Co-founder of the metal band Savatage and the rock opera Trans-Siberian Orchestra. He's got a real 4 octave range, able to morph the sound of his voice to any style, from John Lennon and Freddie Mercury, ...read more.

Clean vocals but spiced with some of the most 'evil' vocal effects and screams in metal.
Check out:
Savatage - Hall Of The Mountain King, Morphine Child, Commissar, Gutter Ballet, Surrender, Jesus Saves.
Avantasia - Death Is Just a Feeling. - Metal_Treasure

15 Eric Adams (ManOwaR)

Eric Adams has been the singer of the American heavy metal band Manowar since its inception in 1980. Previously, he sang for a group called LOOKS, a band which also included future Manowar bassist and childhood friend, Joey DeMaio.

Actually I am here to Vote for Kiske... The best! But I am totally shocked that Eric - This awesome singer is only Nö 25!

16 Bobby Ellsworth

Robert Ellsworth, mainly known as Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth, is the lead vocalist of New Jersey thrash metal band Overkill.

17 Alice Cooper

Alice Cooper is an American singer, songwriter, musician and occasional actor whose career spans over five decades.

Marilyn Manson is just a rip-off of this legend. - gemcloben

Alice has elements of metal. Albums like Brutal Planet are pretty much metal. Very diverse artist and a true legend.

Uncle Alice Cooper is a great showman but I never thought of him as metal because he is not - his stuff is shock rock.
And yes, M. Manson is shock rock, too, just updated. None of them is metal. - Metal_Treasure

18 Jeff Scott Soto

Jeff Scott Soto is an American rock singer of Puerto Rican descent. He is most well known for being the lead singer for the group Talisman from 1990 till the end of Talisman in 2007, the vocalist on Yngwie Malmsteen's first two albums, and the lead vocalist for Journey on their 2006–2007 tours after ...read more.

Yngwie - I Am A Viking, As Above So Below, Disciples Of Hell, Anguish And Fear, Mistreated (Deep Purple cover). - Metal_Treasure

19 Ian Gillan (Deep Purple, Black Sabbath)

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).

Hell yeah! The first metal screamer?

Great vox - the first typical metal singer (operatic style). His screams are legendary - from regular to bizarre and psychotic.
Ex. - "Disturbing the priest" (Black Sabbath), "Child In Time" (Deep Purple).
Gillan vox for Jesus Christ Superstar - amazing, too.
Pavarotti himself called Ian Gillan "a genius". - Metal_Treasure

20 Jørn Lande

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 resembles Dio so much - check out his cover of 'Don't talk to strangers'. You are gonna be pleasantly surprised. - Metal_Treasure

21 Devin Townsend

Devin Garret Townsend is a Canadian musician, songwriter and record producer. He was the founder, songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist in extreme metal band Strapping Young Lad from 1994 to 2007 and has an extensive career as a solo artist.

22 Russell Allen

23 Ralf Scheepers

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.

Currently a singer for Primal Fear, ex-singer for Gamma Ray. In case you don't know - this guy was a frontrunner as Halford's replacement in Judas Priest in the mid 90s. Ralf lost out to Tim Ripper Owens because... he didn't answer several questions sent to him over internet. I don't know the reason - if he didn't see this email, or something else. So there wasn't a real duel between them as singers. I love them both and can't say who is better but I think Ralf's voice and singing style sound closer to Rob's.

24 Matt Smith

25 Tim 'Ripper' Owens

Timothy S. "Ripper" Owens is an American heavy metal singer who first gained attention as the lead singer of Judas Priest, and then Iced Earth. He took the nickname "Ripper" from the Judas Priest song "The Ripper" during his time in the tribute band "British Steel". He currently performs with Beyond ...read more.

Judas Priest - Cathedral Spires.
Amazing vox. - Metal_Treasure

26 James Hetfield

James Alan Hetfield was born on August 3, 1963. He is an American musician, singer and songwriter known for being the co-founder, lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and main songwriter for the American heavy metal band Metallica.

His voice on kill em all - gemcloben

His distinctive roar instantly speaks 'metal' to me. Very addictive voice. - Metal_Treasure

27 Paul Di'Anno

Paul Andrews better known as Paul Di'Anno, is an English singer best known as the first vocalist to record with heavy metal band Iron Maiden, from 1978 to 1981.

Think about it. bruce Dickinson was hired to replace this guy. - gemcloben

28 Fernando Ribeiro (Moonspell)

Fernando Ribeiro has been the lead vocalist for the Portuguese metal band Moonspell since 1992. He sings gothic metal, black metal, doom metal, melodic death metal.

He can do both clean vocals and growls, and very often he switches between them within one song ('Everything Invaded'). Sometimes he sings on the borderline and this technique sounds really cool and interesting (example - 'Sacrificial').
His clean voice is hypnotizing and unusually low for metal, where higher voices are preferred ('Opium', 'White Omega', 'Mr. Crowly' - Ozzy cover). - Metal_Treasure

29 Glenn Danzig

A hypnotizing and rare type of voice - baritenor (baritone's voice, tenor's range). Sounds awesome. A very dark combination of Jim Morrison, Ozzy and Elvis.

Songs: How The Gods Kill, Am I Demon, Mother. - Metal_Treasure

30 André Matos

André Coelho Matos is a Brazilian vocalist, pianist and composer. He was involved in the heavy metal bands Viper, Angra and Shaaman.

The best South-American singer (Brazil). He reminds me so much of Michael Kiske - Kiske was his idol for sure.
Try:
Angra - Metal Icarus
Shaman - Distant Thunder (it's live version is great, too).
- Metal_Treasure

31 Geoff Tate

Geoff Tate is a German-born American singer and musician who rose to fame in the 1980s with the progressive metal band Queensrÿche.

32 Daniel Gildenlöw

Daniel Gildenlöw is a Swedish musician and songwriter. He is best known as a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist for the progressive metal band Pain of Salvation.

Pain of Salvation - Sisters, Linoleum, Hallelujah. - Metal_Treasure

33 Stu Block

Stuart "Stu" Block is a Canadian singer-songwriter, who was the frontman for Canadian progressive death metal band Into Eternity, and is now the lead vocalist for American heavy metal band Iced Earth.

34 Daniel Heiman (Lost Horizon)

Lost Horizon - Highlander.
A vocal performance that can compete with Painkiller and Victim of Changes. - Metal_Treasure

35 Trent Reznor

Michael Trent Reznor, known professionally as Trent Reznor, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and film score composer. He is known for his intense music videos.

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