Top 10 Most Legendary Vocalist Screams
Which Vocalist has the most legendary scream in their songs?
Chester Charles Bennington (March 20th, 1976 - July 20th, 2017) was an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor, best known for being the lead singer of Linkin Park. Before he was known for Linkin Park, Bennington was the lead singer of post-grunge act Grey Daze who was heavily inspired by Stone... read more Incredible voice, powerful screams, meaningful lyrics, and a master of screaming! No one could beat Chester when it comes to screaming. No one could scream for 17 seconds except him! The legendary vocalist is CHESTER! Hands down...
Coming back here after he died. I remember seeing his name on the top of this list, and I couldn't be prouder of my childhood hero. Now that he's gone, only his achievements remain. Rest in Peace, man.
He is by far the best screamer I have ever heard. He will scream his heart out, and then the next song will be slower, showing no signs of vocal fatigue.
Corey Todd Taylor was born in December 8, 1973. He is an American musician, author, and actor best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the Nu-metal band Slipknot and hard rock/alternative metal band Stone Sour. His scream is so deep and dirty. You can feel his emotions when he sings, like in Disasterpiece.
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). Speaking of legendary, Child In Time is where it started. Ian Gillan screams for about 2 minutes and does it extremely well. Before him, The Beatles screamed too, but Gillan made screams part of the singing art because his screams are well-controlled and mastered. He screams on most of the songs, and his screams are systematic on many songs like Hard Lovin' Man and Bloodsucker.
It's not only Child In Time where he screamed. He screamed in other songs too. However, two of my favorite screaming songs of his are Smoke On the Water (remix version) and Highway Star (the song starts with a scream).
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. Seriously, he should be number one for sure. Just listen to Painkiller before you vote. I also think that Freddie Mercury should be higher up!
Painkiller, A Touch of Evil, Victim of Changes, Dreamer Deceiver - and Chester is number one? Guys, please.
One of the masters truly uses screaming as an instrument and not just some wall of noise.
Serj Tankian (Armenian: Սերժ Թանգյան. Born August 21, 1967) is a Lebanese-born Armenian-American singer-songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, poet, and political activist. He is best known for being the lead singer of the Armenian-American rock band System of a Down... read more Serj is an absolute legend, unique and inspiring. His vocals are intelligent, passionate, and emotive. There really isn't anyone like him.
Not only are his screams legendary, but his vocals are among the best I have ever heard. A true master of his art.
Serj can do anything he wants with his voice, including screams. While he's not as heavy nowadays, he can still perform these as well as he did during System of a Down's glory days.
Dinmukhamed Kanatuly Kudaibergenov, commonly known as Dimash Kudaibergen (born May 24th, 1994) is a Kazakh singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Dimash is best known as a contestant of Chinese talent show "Singer 2017" where he was declared a runner-up. He is also known for possessing a wide... read more Dimash can scream for more than 25 seconds!
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. No matter how much of a douchebag this guy is, he is one of the most legendary metal vocalists ever.
David Lee Roth is an American rock vocalist, songwriter, actor, author, and former radio personality. Some have said the high-pitched screams, yelps, and squeals heard on virtually every Roth-era Van Halen song were actually done by bassist Michael Anthony. I don't think so. I think it was Roth. Those were such a signature sound for him and a major part of the appeal.
The only one that screams in two octaves at once. What's with his screams, like the woo woo in Somebody Get Me a Doctor? NO ONE could add those chilling screams at the end of every line like DLR. THE BEST. He should be number 1. Gotta love the guy.
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. I used to think Chester was the champion with his 17-second scream in Given Up. However, Maynard's scream in The Grudge crushes it, coming in around 24 seconds. He said he couldn't talk for quite some time after the recording. It's not his only good scream either. The DIE at the end of Jerk Off is great. Most of his work has some great screaming, especially in the late '90s. Check out those tracks before you write him off as the best screamer ever!
Listen to him scream "DIE!" at the end of "Jerk Off," and I guarantee you'll all see why he deserves to be in the top 5.
Louis Marullo (born July 12, 1952), known professionally as Eric Adams, is an American singer who has been the frontman of the heavy metal band Manowar since its inception in 1980. Previously, he sang for the group Looks, which also included childhood friend and future Manowar bassist Joey DeMaio. His... read more By far... THE longest and continual non-stop scream.
He screams often and long. His scream on Thor is about 33 seconds long (go to 4:35). This is the longest scream I know.
The Newcomers
Michael Lee Aday, better known by his stage name Meat Loaf, was an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He was noted for his powerful, wide-ranging operatic voice and theatrical live shows. His debut album, "Bat Out of Hell", is still one of the top-selling albums ever... read more
Thomas Edward "Thom" Yorke is an English musician best known as the singer and principal songwriter of the alternative rock band Radiohead.
Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara, 5th September 1946 - 24th November 1991) was a Zanzibari-born British singer of Indian descent, songwriter and record producer, known as the lead vocalist and songwriter of the British rock band Queen. He also became known for his flamboyant stage persona and four-octave... read more Yes, like the visitor said, he did a bit of high-pitched screaming in Under Pressure. And it was great.
Ogre Battle, anyone? Under Pressure has a good scream, though.
Great scream in "Under Pressure." What a great man he was!
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. Ending scream of God Hates Us live (2011).
Starting scream of Beast and the Harlot, Second Heartbeat, Critical Acclaim, Almost Easy, all live in the LBC (2008).
There you have the loudest and most powerful screams in metal. :) He is number 1 by far.
Dan Greening, aka Lord Worm, is the original vocalist for Cryptopsy, a Canadian technical death metal band. He is also an English teacher. About 28 seconds long, in the song Open Face Surgery.
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 thrash metal band Metallica.
Roger Harry Daltrey, is an English singer and actor. In a music career spanning more than 50 years, Daltrey came to prominence in the mid 1960s as the founder and lead singer of the English rock band The Who, which released fourteen singles that entered the Top 10 charts in the United Kingdom during... read more Won't Get Fooled Again and Love Reign O'er Me. He has done more, but that's all he needs. The greatest thing about his screams is they weren't just loud noises. They conveyed something. Won't Get Fooled Again showed his bitterness and frustration with the world and his desire to fight, while Love Reign O'er Me showed his anguish and despair.
The song "Won't Get Fooled Again" on the "Who's Next" album. Daltrey earned his stripes the day he recorded the standard of Rock 'n' Roll screams.
"Won't Get Fooled Again" has one of the most famous screams, raw and intense. I think you can see it in the grooves on the record!
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 His screams are awesome - powerful and very well-controlled. Some of his screams are even somewhat melodic, which is an achievement. He's got the screaming experience from his early material when he used a "screaming" vocal technique that was more aggressive and harsher than his later stuff. My favorite scream is in "Fiddler on the Green" by Demons & Wizards (4:05).
Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948) is an English musician, singer, and songwriter best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band Led Zeppelin.
Kurt Cobain was born February 20, 1967, in Aberdeen, Washington. In 1987, he started the grunge band Nirvana, which became one of the most successful bands ever. He was a talented yet troubled grunge performer. Kurt Cobain became a rock legend in the 1990s with his band. He committed suicide at his... read more How can Kurt Cobain not be #1? Listen to his live performance of "Where Did You Sleep Last Night." This guy shouldn't even be listed here. He should be on the Best Rock Howl of All Time list.
In their live show at Club Quattro, Nagoya, Japan, 02/16/92, Cobain bursts out with a 10-second scream during Aneurysm.
I'm talking about scream, not metal songs, etc.
He has to be number one. His screams were raw and uninhibited.
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... read more Love, Hate, Love and Bleed the Freak are just two of Staley's vocal masterpieces. I've been listening to him for over 20 years, and he still takes my breath away with his vocal power and passion. RIP.
For me, he is the obvious number one. I've never heard another scream that sounds like Layne's. It was so unique and filled with pain.
Layne Staley's scream is so unique and powerful. His singing ability is unmatched, and he is extremely underrated.
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 Number of the Beast was the first thought that came to mind when I first read this topic.
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.
Kyo is a Japanese musician, singer, lyricist and poet. He is best known as the vocalist of the metal band Dir en grey. He has been with the band since its inception in 1997 and was formerly in La:Sadie's.
Steven Tyler is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and former television music competition judge, best known as the lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, and occasional piano and percussion. While Chester Bennington is good and all, there's a reason why Steven Tyler is called the Demon of Screaming. He should at least be in the Top 3!
Tyler's voice and scream are unique and very recognizable. He should be number one. He became super popular thanks to his legendary scream.
Another one who can sing while screaming, mostly in tune. For example, "Dream On."
About 23 seconds in the song Laying the Demon to Rest.
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 Dio brought this to the forefront of music, as far as I'm concerned. There's no screaming in popular music without Dio.
"The Mob Rules" by Heaven & Hell, from Radio City Music Hall in 2007.