Top Ten Best Metal Lyricists
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. From 'Ride the Lightning' up to and including the 'Black' album, James, as a very young man, penned some of the most poignant and poetic lyrics any metal musician has ever concocted. From capital punishment, child abuse, corruption, perception, addiction, and religion, the master did it all.
Even the great Maynard James Keenan has acknowledged how great Metallica's first five albums are. People consider Hetfield a drunkard, but despite his issues with the drink, he spoke for a generation of kids, as a kid, for a decade. I was barely learning how to talk to a girl while this genius was busy critiquing the world.
Dio didn't write lyrics, he wrote poetry and poetic philosophy.
"For every moment of truth, there's confusion in life" (Heaven and Hell, Black Sabbath)
"Don't write in starlight 'Cause the words may come out real Don't hide in doorways You may find the key that opens up your soul Don't go to Heaven 'cause it's really only Hell Don't smell the flowers They're an evil drug to make you lose your mind" (Don't Talk to Strangers, Dio)
"They say that life's a carousel, spinning fast, you gotta ride it well!
The world is full of kings and queens who blind your eyes and steal your dreams, it's Heaven and Hell!
And they'll tell you black is really white, the moon is just the sun at night, and when you walk in golden halls, you get to keep the gold that falls, it's Heaven and Hell!"
Terence Michael Joseph "Geezer" Butler is an English musician and songwriter. Butler is best known as the bassist and primary lyricist of heavy metal band Black Sabbath. "Generals gathered in their masses, just like witches at black masses." - War Pigs
"The blood runs free, the rain turns red, give me the wine, you keep the bread." - God Is Dead?
He wrote pretty much every song before Dio entered the band.
Main lyricist in Black Sabbath. Do I need to say anymore?
David Scott "Dave" Mustaine (born September 13, 1961) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, actor and author. Mustaine is best known as a pioneer in Thrash Metal, being the former lead guitarist of Metallica before his dismissal in 1983, leading to finding and becoming the front man of his own... read more Just look at "My Last Words." He should be at the top of the list.
The most politically and socially aware lyricist, much better than the ones above him on this list.
Stephen Percy "Steve" Harris is an English musician and songwriter, known as the bassist, occasional keyboardist, backing vocalist, primary songwriter and founder of the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden. Listen to anything from the 80s. He is the best lyricist in the band, but sometimes he wrote questionable songs like From Here to Eternity and The Angel and the Gambler. Iron Maiden's lyrics and musical style would be nothing without Steve. He deserves more recognition than Hetfield, whose lyrics nowadays are dry, plain, and uninspired.
Very amazing lyricist. Try "Hallowed Be Thy Name," "Dance of Death," "The Final Frontier," "When the Wild Wind Blows," and other great lyrics written by Steve Harris.
Top 3 are Harris, Hetfield, and Mustaine.
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 Very amazing lyrics about society and humans. He is my favorite lyricist. Try "The Flesh and the Power It Holds," "Crystal Mountain," "Empty Words," "Symbolic," "0 Tolerance," "Lack of Comprehension," and "Suicide Machine."
Lyrics were deep and meaningful. Every word meant something and contributed to the story perfectly.
The album "Symbolic" has the best lyrics in all of extreme metal.
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 Some of the most intelligent lyrics out there. Dark, hopeless, or aggressive, Hansi's lyrics always create vivid images in your mind, strong emotions, or unexpected turns and different viewpoints.
He wrote the lyrics to 12 albums: 10 with Blind Guardian and 2 with Demons & Wizards. His early lyrics for Blind Guardian were aggressive and violent, while his later lyrics were reminiscent of Dio's fantasy style. Lyrics for Demons & Wizards focused more on personal struggles, fears, painful memories, depression, and unhappy life events (death, suicide, baby born with Down Syndrome).
"Nightfall quietly crept in and changed us all" (Nightfall / Blind Guardian)
"Taste no evil, touch no evil... All I think and feel is evil" (My Last Sunrise / Demons & Wizards)
"When the moon child is crying and silence has broken the darkest truth" (Time What Is Time / Blind Guardian).
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. Very rich vocabulary, despite English not being his mother tongue.
My favorite lyrics (not typical for him - it's a 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" (Edguy - England, 2014, bonus track).
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 He writes beautiful lyrics about nature, relationships, life, and inner struggles with Opeth.
Maynard James Keenan, often referred to by his initials MJK, is an American musician, record producer, winemaker, and actor, best known as the vocalist for Grammy Award-winning progressive metal band Tool. He also is the singer of A Perfect Circle and Puscifer bands that vary in style. "But enough about the collective Judas, who could deny you were the one who illuminated your little piece of the divine."
Maynard should be celebrated along with Whitman.
As below, so above I imagine. Drawn outside the lines of reason. Push the envelope, watch it bend.
An amazing lyricist with a powerful voice backing it.
Anyone who knows anything about writing will tell you how good Maynard is as a lyricist.
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. There are probably very few visitors to this website who understand his German lyrics. Being German, I'm amazed by his often allegorical lyrics. "Reise, Reise" and "Deutschland" are great examples of his songwriting.
Matthew Charles Sanders, better known by his stage name M. Shadows, is an American musician, best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter and founding member of the American metalcore/alternative metal band Avenged Sevenfold.
Ville Hermanni Valo is a Finnish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the lead vocalist and main songwriter of the Finnish gothic rock band HIM.
Ronald Joseph Radke is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, musician, and record producer born in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is the current singer of the band Falling In Reverse and is the former singer of Escape The Fate.
Jeff Waters (born February 13, 1966) is a Canadian metal musician and founder of the metal band Annihilator. He's best known as the guitarist for Annihilator, appreciated for his fast riffs and solos. Waters is also the primary songwriter in the band. Very often he has taken on the role of lead singer,... read more
Tomás Enrique "Tom" Araya Díaz is a Chilean American musician, best known as the bassist and vocalist of the American thrash metal band Slayer. "Skeletons of Society" has great lyrics. I noticed that the initial letters of the words of the title read together as SOS (distress signal).
Paul Bruce Dickinson, known professionally as Bruce Dickinson, (born 7 August 1958) 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.Outside his career in music, Dickinson has pursued a number... read more "Mist is in the trees, stone sweats with a dew The morning sunrise, red before the blue"
His storytelling is spectacular. His lyrics have an amazing fluidity that can really paint beautiful, vivid images in your mind.
"Empire of the Clouds," "Coming Home," "Man of Sorrows," "Tears of the Dragon," "Navigate the Seas of the Sun," and "Out of the Shadows" are among his best writing. His singing also complements his lyrics so much.
Jon Ryan Schaffer is an American heavy metal musician. He is best known as the guitarist and last remaining original member of the Florida-based heavy metal band Iced Earth, which he formed in 1985 under the name "Purgatory".
Honestly, I feel that Dani Filth should be at the very top of the list. He has a very high intellectual ability when it comes to writing poetry. I feel that he has the most complex writing ability of anyone in the metal music industry.
Dani Filth is the best lyricist I've ever heard, better than all metal, hip hop, or poetry writers I've ever heard. The way he delivers the gothic stories, the imagery, and the complexity in his poetry is just perfect!
Dani Filth is number 1, and it's not even close. There are two classes of lyrics in rock/metal: Dani Filth and everyone else. Period. He is a god of word usage.
David Randall "Randy" Blythe is the vocalist and lyricist of American heavy metal band Lamb of God and side-project band Halo of Locusts. Very amazing lyricist. I think he is the only lyricist who can come up with double-meaning songs and sometimes hidden meanings. Try "11th Hour," "Omerta," "Laid to Rest," "Walk with Me in Hell," "Descending," "Ghost Walking," "Hourglass," and "Vigil." (Some people view "Vigil" as an anti-Christian song, but look deep and you will find it is about the Iraq War, politics, and George W. Bush.)
Great singer and lyricist who writes pure emotions! Once you hear it, you will be addicted.
Fantastic lyricist! One of the best out there.
Kai Michael Hansen is a heavy metal guitarist and vocalist. Hansen is the founder, lead guitarist, and vocalist of power metal band Gamma Ray. He is also the co-founder and former member of German metal band Helloween.
Alice Cooper is an American singer, songwriter, musician and occasional actor whose career spans over five decades.