Top 10 Best German Metal Singers

Germany has produced some of the greatest metal vocalists in history, and now it's time to decide who truly stands out.

Before you cast your vote, keep in mind that this list isn't just about popularity or which band has sold the most albums. The focus here is on vocal ability, including technical skill, range, power, and unique tone. Some of the best vocalists don't always front the biggest bands, and there are plenty of underrated talents who deserve just as much recognition as the more well-known names. For example, Oliver Hartmann from At Vance might not be as famous as some other singers, but his vocal ability puts him ahead of many frontmen from bigger bands.

This is your chance to have a say in who belongs at the top. Vote for the singers you think truly deserve it. If you believe a certain vocalist has the best combination of skill and style, make sure they get the recognition they deserve. Every vote matters, so choose wisely and support the voices that define German metal.

The Top Ten

Hansi Kürsch

Hansi Kürsch (born Hans Jürgen Kürsch on August 10, 1966) is the lead singer, lyricist, co-composer, and former bassist of the German power metal band Blind Guardian. He has cited Freddie Mercury as a major influence and often creates rich, overlapping choir effects by overdubbing his own voice multiple... read more

Demons & Wizards - My Last Sunrise, Fiddler on the Green, Heaven Denies, Path of Glory.
Blind Guardian - Thorn, Into the Storm, Sacred Mind, The Last Candle, Wheel of Time, Another Stranger Me.
Michael Kiske and Hansi are both fantastic, but Hansi is my favorite singer because his voice is darker, more intense, and more powerful. Hansi's harsh and dramatic vocals give me a stronger metal feel.
Hansi is also a more versatile singer, ranging from abrasive thrashy vocals on Another Holy War to symphonic metal to depressing Pink Floyd-esque vocals on the songs by Demons & Wizards. And of course, his amazing vocals on power/prog power metal songs.

Hansi is the best and the most powerful metal singer.
Michael Kiske

Michael Kiske (born January 24, 1968) is a German singer best known as the former lead vocalist of the power metal band Helloween.
He fronted Helloween during their rise to international prominence in the late 1980s and early 1990s, contributing his distinctive high-range voice to albums such... read more

He's not only one of the best German metal singers, he's one of the best metal singers of all time.
The best singer = best vocal skill/technique.
Kiske's vocal skills and technique are still some of the best known in metal.

I knew he would be first, but he is awesome.
Tobias Sammet

Tobias Sammet (born November 21, 1977) is a German metal musician best known as the vocalist and primary songwriter for the power metal band Edguy. He is also the founder, lead singer, and principal creative force behind the metal opera project Avantasia.... read more

EDIT: I just discovered that this guy is even better than I ever thought. I heard him singing jazz for one minute in the middle of a power metal song!
YouTube this: Aina - Flight of Torek
Jazz is from 3:25-4:25, but his vocals are great throughout the entire song. And he sang that for a band or a side project (Aina) I never heard of.

Tobias Sammet is a very talented singer (also songwriter and lyricist).
Edguy - Nailed to the Wheel, Mysteria, The Piper Never Dies.
Three German metal singers are in the top 10 best metal singers of all time: Michael Kiske, Hansi Kürsch, and Tobias Sammet. I'm talking about lists created by vocal experts, not those lame lists on The Top Tens, where the best singers can't get into the top 50, let alone the top 10.
Ralf Scheepers

Ralf Scheepers is the lead vocalist of the German heavy metal band Primal Fear. He is known for his high-pitched, tenor-like singing voice and often uses shrieks similar to those of Rob Halford from Judas Priest. His vocal range spans nearly four octaves in the modal register, which also includes powerful... read more

Primal Fear - The Man (That I Don't Know), Strike, Diabolus.
Gamma Ray - Last Before the Storm.
This guy's got impressive vocal skills. Think about that - he was seriously considered as a replacement for Halford in Judas Priest. Ralf left Gamma Ray to prepare for this contest, but he lost out to Tim Ripper because Ralf didn't answer questions sent to him by email.
Check out these Judas Priest covers:
Scheepers - Before the Dawn (solo album, 2011);
Primal Fear - Metal Gods.

Phenomenal vocalist and a real nice guy too!
Kai Hansen

Kai Michael Hansen is a heavy metal guitarist and vocalist. Hansen is the founder, lead guitarist, and vocalist of the power metal band Gamma Ray. He is also the co-founder and former member of the German metal band Helloween and played a major role in the development of the European power metal genre... read more

I have listened to both Kai Hansen and Michael Kiske's songs. I heard Michael Kiske's a better singer, but personally, I like Kai Hansen's singing more.

Helloween - Ride the Sky.
Gamma Ray - Rebellion in Dreamland.
Mille Petrozza

Miland "Mille" Petrozza is a German metal guitarist and singer of Italian descent who has been the lead vocalist and guitarist for the German thrash metal band Kreator since 1984. Kreator is considered one of the "big four" of Teutonic thrash metal. Petrozza is widely respected for his aggressive playing... read more

Mille is clearly the best German metal singer that I've ever seen. He's a master of the baritone shouting.
Klaus Meine

Klaus Meine is a German vocalist best known as the lead singer of the hard rock band Scorpions. He and guitarist Rudolf Schenker are the only two members to have appeared on every Scorpions album since the band's formation in 1965.... read more

Klaus has wonderful technical skills, always sings with passion and energy, can make any style work seamlessly, and has led the Scorpions through many decades.
Udo Dirkschneider

Udo "Hassan" Dirkschneider is a German heavy metal singer who rose to fame with the German heavy metal band Accept. He is known for his distinctive raspy voice and energetic stage presence. After leaving Accept, he formed his own band, U.D.O., which has released numerous albums and toured extensively... read more
Steffen Kummerer

Steffen Kummerer, born on June 1, 1985, is a German guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. He is the leader, main songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist for the progressive technical death metal band Obscura. He also fronts Thulcandra, a band known for its blackened melodic death metal style.
Muhammed Suiçmez

Muhammed Suiçmez was born in Karlsruhe, Germany, to Turkish immigrant parents. He is the frontman and guitarist of the German technical death metal band Necrophagist. He is also known for writing and performing most of the instrumental parts on their albums.

The Newcomers

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Sebastian Biesler
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Alexander Wesselsky

The Contenders

Till Lindemann

Till Lindemann is a German singer, songwriter, musician, actor, poet, and pyrotechnician. He is best known as the lead vocalist and frontman of the German Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein. Lindemann is also known for his solo project, Lindemann, and for his provocative and theatrical performance style... read more
Oliver Hartmann

Oliver Hartmann (born 28 June 1970 in Rüsselsheim, West Germany) is a German heavy metal vocalist, guitarist, songwriter, and producer. He's performed in various acts, either as a guitarist, solo artist, or choir singer. He's best known for his role as the vocalist and one of the founding members of... read more

At Vance is not a top 10 German metal band, but their ex-singer Oliver Hartmann is a top 10 German singer. The band has many advantages but also some disadvantages.
At Vance - Lost in Your Love, Only Human, Die in Your Arms, Princess of the Night, Dragonchaser.
Also, check out his ABBA covers because the songs are quite challenging. The voice of the blonde chick from ABBA is absolutely amazing.
At Vance (ABBA covers) - The Winner Takes It All. SOS.
Angela Gossow (Arch Enemy)

Angela Nathalie Gossow is a German vocalist, best known as the former lead vocalist for the Swedish melodic death metal band Arch Enemy. She joined the band in 2000 and was one of the few women to front a death metal band at the time. Gossow stepped down from vocal duties in 2014 to become the band's... read more

She used to sing for a Swedish band, but she's German. I think she's the first female growler.
Andi Deris

Andreas "Andi" Deris is a German singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the power metal band Helloween and co-founder and former lead singer of the German melodic metal band Pink Cream 69. He maintains an active solo career and owns a recording studio in Tenerife. Deris has been... read more

Andi is so underrated in the power metal community! He is a kick-ass singer! But well, most people hate him because he made Helloween better than the Kiske times, and they never thought that someone could do it.
Attila Dorn

Karsten Brill, born on October 27, 1970, is best known by his stage name Attila Dorn. He is a German singer and has been the lead vocalist of the power metal band Powerwolf since 2003. Brill studied classical opera at the National University of Music Bucharest.
Helge Stang

Clean vocals and growls for Equilibrium.
Dero Goi
Loïc Rossetti
Tom Angelripper

Thomas Such, better known by his stage name Tom Angelripper, is the founding member, lead vocalist, bassist, and main songwriter of the German thrash metal band Sodom. He established the band in 1981 and has remained its central figure throughout its history. Under his direction, Sodom became one of... read more
Doro Pesch

Doro Pesch is a German hard rock singer who began her career in Düsseldorf in the early 1980s. She first gained recognition as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Warlock. After the band disbanded, she launched a successful solo career and is regarded as a pioneer for women in heavy metal.
Kevin Russell
Dave Jason
Chris Harms
Jennifer Haben

Jennifer Haben (born July 16, 1995) is a German singer. She is the frontwoman of the symphonic metal band Beyond the Black. She founded the band in Mannheim in 2014.
Elli Berlin