Top 10 Best Death Metal Vocalists of All Time
Death metal is nothing without its vocalists. The growls, shrieks, and guttural roars define the genre just as much as the crushing riffs and relentless blast beats. A great death metal vocalist isn't just someone who can sound like a demon with a grudge. They're the ones who push their voices to extremes, making you feel the aggression, despair, or pure chaos in every syllable. Some are pioneers who shaped the sound of death metal from its earliest days, while others refined and expanded what was possible with vocal technique. Some specialize in deep, animalistic growls, others unleash high-pitched screams that could wake the dead. And then there are those rare few who seamlessly switch between multiple styles, making you wonder if they're even human.The best of the best aren't just loud, they're instantly recognizable. The moment you hear them, you know exactly who's behind the mic. Some have spent decades destroying their vocal cords in legendary bands, while others are newer but have already proven they belong in the conversation. These are the voices that fuel mosh pits, send chills down spines, and make lyrics about war, death, and destruction sound like a prophecy instead of just a song.
Who do you think deserves to rise to the top? Vote for your favorites, support the ones you think deserve more recognition, and see how your choices stack up against the rest of the metal community.
Charles Michael "Chuck" Schuldiner (1967-2001) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist, best known as the founder and vocalist, guitarist and bassist of the American heavy metal band Death. He is considered the most influential figure in Death Metal, with some publications referring to Chuck... read more Chuck is amazing. I don't really like the death growls like the Cannibal Corpse style kind of vocalist. I like Chuck's vocals. His first three albums were brutal but sounded really good. Then his vocals evolved into a high-pitched type, and I was amazed when I first heard it.
I love Chuck and Mikael Åkerfeldt the best. It would be very awesome to hear a full song with Chuck's soft vocals like he did for a minute on Painkiller. But that's Chuck, still a badass caring dude. Man, I wish he didn't die like that. He only drank and smoked a little grass, which aren't bad drugs, but he got brain cancer. Well, at least he's in a better place. R.I.P. Chuck, we love you.
Lars Mikael Åkerfeldt is a Swedish musician, prominently known as the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of progressive death metal band Opeth, as well as being the former vocalist of death metal supergroup Bloodbath for three albums up until 2012... read more If we were looking at this from a non-biased point of view, we would see that this man is the best death metal vocalist (and one of the best metal vocalists or even vocalists in general) by far. Absolutely NOBODY else has death growls that sound this good. I don't think that the word "growls" does this man justice. He death ROARS.
Not only is he an amazing growler, but he has one of the most beautiful singing voices that I have ever heard, which is even more important. He can go from angel to demon or vice versa in the blink of an eye. And not only is his sound and technicality impressive, but he writes some of the deepest, most poetic lyrics that you are likely to hear in music. A true prodigy of his craft.
George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher is an American extreme metal vocalist for the American death metal band Cannibal Corpse and the lesser-known melodic death metal band Paths of Possession. George Fisher is obviously the greatest of all time. Chuck Schuldiner is overrated since he does more high-pitched screams. Corpsegrinder is so mighty with his monstrous growling, and it is obvious that he has mastered it fluently. Death growling is not easy on the throat, but Corpsegrinder seems willing to growl no matter what.
On top of it all, he is very friendly and cool to be around.
Great vocalist! He has insane high-pitched screams and strong, monstrous growls. His style is very recognizable. He is the perfect vocalist for Cannibal Corpse, and he has also done some great work in his own melodic death metal band, Paths of Possession. It's really great stuff (maybe the best vocal work he's ever done. If you don't know the band, you should seriously check it out). I wouldn't have thought that his voice would fit melodic death metal, but it was perfect.
Johan Hegg, born in 1973 in Stockholm, Sweden, is the singer of melodic death metal band Amon Amarth. He joined the band in 1991. Amon Amarth was the first death metal band that I ever listened to. Johan was, of course, the very reason I can do death metal vocals today. He's the very reason death metal is my favorite genre of metal. This man manages to perfectly balance power and melody.
With his vocals, Amon Amarth just wouldn't be the same band I fell in love with when I was 15. AA isn't my favorite band as it was, but it--and he--is the reason I and many others like all the death metal we do today. He is without a doubt the most pleasurable death metal vocalist to listen to, which is why AA is melodic death metal.
Chris Barnes is an American musician mainly noted for his deep-throat vocals, explicitly violent lyrics. Barnes was a founding member of Cannibal Corpse before his dismissal and would later form Six Feet Under, which he fronts to this day. His vocals in Cannibal Corpse and Six Feet Under are incredible. He just gets more unique and better with every album. No one grinds in a melody and sounds like a zombie out of a creek that's been drinking hydrochloric acid as it's roaring at you.
Chris Barnes was excellent on the first four Cannibal Corpse albums, but his work with Six Feet Under is mostly pretty abysmal.
Just watch Cannibal Corpse eat Moscow alive. He has the most badass style.
David Justin Vincent, also known as Evil D, is an American musician who is best known as the former lead vocalist and bassist for the death metal band Morbid Angel as well as the bassist for Genitorturers. I have a lot of respect for this man. He never fails to ace his work both as a bassist and as a vocalist.
For me, his voice makes the perfect death growl. Many of the others either sound screechy like Chuck Schuldiner or like the Cookie Monster, like George Fisher.
Glen Michael Benton (born June 18, 1967) is an American death metal musician. He is best known as the vocalist and bassist for the death metal band Deicide. He was also a part of the band Vital Remains, where he performed in recording sessions and occasionally live... read more I remember when I first heard Desire. I was already a fan of Morbid Angel, Entombed, Carcass, Suffocation, etc. But when I heard Deicide and Benton's vocals, I was blown away. He has this naturally demonic and aggressive voice that comes across fast and fluently. Early Deicide was at another level of speed, percussive brutality, and heaviness.
Mikael Åkerfeldt's voice is brutal, but what he lacks is speed and intensity like Glen Benton. To be a great death metal vocalist, one has to be able to sing with such speed and intensity.
Mark "Barney" Greenway is an English extreme metal vocalist, who has been a member of Napalm Death, Extreme Noise Terror, and Benediction. Barney Greenway's vocals sound like a 20-foot monster ripping through the roof of a building. Powerful, deep, brutal, and massive. A great vocalist among the many great vocalists in death metal/grindcore/deathcore.
#1, why? Benediction - Subconscious Terror, Napalm Death - Harmony Corruption. The vocals are so intense, dark, and brutal. The BEST!
The most brutal, aggressive, and powerful harsh voice I've ever heard!
Frank Mullen, is the vocalist of the American death metal band Suffocation, and met band mates Terrance Hobbs and Mike Smith in high school. His growls are brutal but still natural. I like when he squeals from growls and then shows the most brutal powerful vocals in death metal music. I like that he does exhales. That's interesting because he does music where there are inhales more often. With John Gallagher, he is the best vocalist ever.
So much rage and power in his vocals. He changes it up from album to album, so there is great variety.
When I think brutal death metal vocals, I think of Frank Mullen.
I find Tardy's vocals to be humorous at times. Heck, the animated music videos convey that even more.
I personally like Tardy's vocals. It's not too gravelly, but it's deep and seething enough to give it a notable identity.
The most unique and original-sounding death metal vocalist ever! No one sounds like him!
Reminds me of Chuck Schuldiner during the Human era. Love this guy!
The Newcomers
Do you have any doubt about his talent? Listen to Seven Churches then! He was an influential figure as well.
Way more extreme than your run-of-the-mill thrash vocalist!
Brutal and relentless with a no-holds-barred punk attitude. The man has great pipes! Underrated underground death metal vocalist, in my opinion.
Listen to Salvation in Vain. Killer.
Joseph "Joe" Duplantier is a French musician best known as the guitarist and vocalist of metal band Gojira.
Such a generous dude. He has done guest vocals for many smaller bands, and he always chats and drinks with fans. Great vocalist and cool guy outside of the stage.
He is the vocalist from Asphyx and the ex-vocalist of Pestilence and Hail of Bullets.
The best death metal vocalist. Absolutely brutal.
Jeffrey Walker is a bass guitarist and vocalist from Windle, St Helens, UK. He is best known for his work with death metal band Carcass for which he is also the main lyricist. A unique, crazy, but already classic voice. Jeff is getting older, but his voice just doesn't change!
Jeff is classic. One of the best death metal vocalists of all time!
Songs like Edge of Darkness show why he should be number one.
Jari Mäenpää (born 23 December 1977) is a Finnish heavy metal multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. He is the founder of metal band Wintersun for which he records all instruments. Before forming Wintersun, Mäenpää was best known for his role in the folk metal band Ensiferum. Surprised to see him this high, but he deserves to be at least in the top 5. He sings amazingly, both cleanly and uncleanly, and he still sounds better than almost everyone who focuses on only one of those styles.
Hero in a Dream, Winter Madness, Battle Song, Death and the Healing, Sword Chant, Token of Time, Tale of Revenge, and Guardians of Fate are some of his best.
Dan Greening, aka Lord Worm, is the original vocalist for Cryptopsy, a Canadian technical death metal band. He is also an English teacher. Lord Worm's voice is complete madness. If you are a brutal death metal fan, he is your perfect choice!
Can't get gored more by anyone else!
His growls are as powerful as Corpsegrinder's and as brutal as Chris Barnes'! And his scream in Open Face Surgery is insane!
Lord Worm is king of screams when it comes to death metal. Even though you can't understand a word listening to None So Vile or Blasphemy Made Flesh, after a while he grows on you. Lord Worm is ten times better than Matt McGatchy. Matt definitely needs to learn from Lord Worm on how to be better. But overall, Lord Worm needs to be in the top 10.
Bengt Mikael Stanne is the vocalist and one of the lyricists for the Swedish melodic death metal band, Dark Tranquillity and the ex-vocalist for Swedish power metal band HammerFall. The best one, in my opinion. His growls and screams are superb, sometimes even soft and gentle although still brutal, which makes him unique in the metal scene. On top of that, his clean vocals are simply beautiful and so atmospheric. Whenever you see him perform live, you know how much passion he puts into music.
He has a very notable rasp and scowl in his growling vocals, which gives Mikael a nice identity of his own in the death metal community. His baritone clean voice is also excellent.
The man of Dark Tranquillity! His growls are soft and evil, dark and gloomy. Mikael is much better than many others listed here.
Petri Lindroos is a melodic death/folk metal guitarist and vocalist. He is currently the lead vocalist in Ensiferum and, prior to this, was a founder and lead vocalist for Norther.
He has a perfect deep brutal voice, not a screechy one, so you can feel the power of one of the best death metal bands, Bolt Thrower, and you can hear the lyrics too.
If you listen to how deeply this guy whispers "spearhead" or the intensity of the growl at the beginning of "Eternal War" and still have doubts about who's the best (and one of the most unique) death metal voices ever, search for medical help. Quickly!
Karl Willetts and Johan Hegg are the best death metal vocalists.
Best growl in the history of metal, and he does it perfectly live.
Alissa White-Gluz is a Canadian vocalist, best known as the former lead vocalist and one of the founding members of the Canadian metal band, The Agonist, and current lead vocalist for the Swedish melodic death metal group, Arch Enemy. Great vocalist in both death and clean singing. She should be higher than Oliver Sykes, who is not even death metal. She should at least be in the top 20.
Wow, Alissa should be like number 10. She is just amazing!