Top Ten Progressive Metal Vocalists

The Top Ten
1 Mikael Akerfeldt (Opeth) 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. He also has a side project with Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson known as Storm Corrosion. They released their self titled debut in 2012. Akerfeldt also performed lead vocals on Katatonia's sophomore album "Brave Murder Day". He is best friends with their regular lead singer, Jonas Renkse.

Mikael is best by far. His growls are so deep and satisfying, but his clean vocals are even more amazing. His voice is very powerful, and it really goes well with the progressive rock sound.

2 Daniel Gildenlow (Pain of Salvation) 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.

He should be at the top of this list! Distinctive, emotional, powerful vocals. And he can do raps also.

Has such a great tone and can sing any style. Pain of Salvation is so underrated!

In what world is Labrie better than Gildenlow?

3 James LaBrie (Dream Theater) Kevin James LaBrie is a Canadian vocalist and songwriter, who is best known as the lead singer of the American progressive metal band Dream Theater.

The key to a great vocalist is consistency, James LaBrie has some amazing vocals in some of his songs but lackluster in other songs. When he actually tries he is good but when he doesn't he just sounds like your average metal singer

Super underrated. Tone, power and range at his current age is unbelievable. Not many can sing two hour shows of progressive music like he can. Not to mention his lyrical memory is impressive.

I can understand why some people don't like him, but I've always been quite accustomed to his tone. While I prefer John Arch and Midnight, he's still great.

Very good singer but not great. And not the best on this list.

4 Russell Allen (Symphony X) Russell Allen is a singer and lyricist best known as the vocalist of American progressive metal band Symphony X.
5 John Arch (Fates Warning)
6 Devin Townsend (Strapping Young Lad) 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.

Akerfeldt, Maynard, and Devin are the top 3. Get LaBrie out of there.

More for his solo work than SYL.

7 Maynard James Keenan (Tool) 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'm at least happy to Mikael is number one, But Labrie in number 2? You gotta be kidding me. The dude is not even top 20. And MJK at 10? The hell is wrong with you people? he's easily top 3.

Thought he would be number 1

Why is he not in the top 3?

Why is he so low

8 Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree) Steven John Wilson is an English musician, singer, songwriter and record producer, most closely associated with the progressive rock genre. He is best known for his band Porcupine Tree.

Porcupine Tree has plenty of metal songs, therefore when he sings them he is a METAL vocalist.

Not really a metal vocalist though.

Great but not metal so...

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

In his prime his vocals technique was almost with no weak spots and his vocal technique is the best on this list so technically he's the best progressive metal singer. I am not his fan, not even a Queensryche fan but I give credits where deserved.

He may have lost his voice now (and turned into a complete douche), but when he was in his prime, he blew pretty much everyone else on this list out of the water. I would put him at #3.

He can sing the highs and the lows. In my opinion, he's #1. He deserves to be at least top 5.

Should be at the top of the list.

10 Joe Duplantier (Gojira) Joseph "Joe" Duplantier is a French musician best known as the guitarist and vocalist of metal band Gojira.

The way Joe is able to scream on key, by blending in his regular singing voice is nothing short of impressive and relatively unique in the metal world.

The Contenders
11 Tommy Giles Rogers, Jr. (Between the Buried and Me)
12 Chuck Schuldiner (Death) 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 as the "Godfather of Death Metal". Schuldiner died in December 13, 2001 of brain cancer, his death subsequently leading to the disbandment of Death, but has remained influential among many aspiring metal artists. He was also known for his polite and life loving attitude and openly condemned stereotypes of metal musicians being harmful and evil.
13 Jonas Renkse (Katatonia) Jonas Petter Renkse is a founding member, songwriter, lead vocalist and ex-drummer of the band Katatonia, founding member, songwriter, bassist, backing vocalist, ex-guitarist of the band Bloodbath.

I know I may be a minority, but I prefer his vocals on Dance of December Souls over all else.

His voice is incredible.

14 Daniel Heiman - Lost Horizon, Heed Daniel Heiman (born June 11, 1974) is a Swedish power metal singer. He is most famous for his time in Lost Horizon. After leaving Lost Horizon, he recorded an album with the band Crystal Eyes, and later founded the band Heed.

Try this: Lost Horizon - Highlander.
Insanely good vox.

15 Midnight (Crimson Glory)

His range was STRATOSPHERIC and wicked to the core. No one had as much pain in their voice as he did. Rest In Peace John Patrick. I put Midnight at #2, just behind John Arch.

16 Troy Sanders (Mastodon) Troy Jayson Sanders is an American musician, singer, and songwriter best known as a member of the Atlanta, Georgia metal band Mastodon, in which he plays bass and shares lead vocal duties with guitarist Brent Hinds and drummer Brann Dailor.
17 Ross Jennings (Haken)

Ross Jennings’s range is out of this world. The number of styles he can sing is outrageous as well. Listen to Visions. He can do so many things with his voice. Truly underrated.

18 Serj Tankian (System of a Down) Serj Tankian is a Lebanese-born Armenian-American singer-songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, poet, and political activist. He's best known for being the lead singer of the Armenian/American rock band System of a Down. After System of a Down's hiatus in 2006 he began to release solo material. Some of his solo songs include: The Sky is Over, Lie Lie Lie, Harakiri, Baby, Empty Walls, and more. His solo albums and EPS include: Elect The Dead (2007), Imperfect Harmonise (2010), Harakiri (2012), Jazz-iz Christ (2013), Fuktronic (2020), and Elasticity (2021) on top of that he has gone on to perform soundtracks for films in recent years.
19 Tim Charles (Ne Obliviscaris)

He provides the clean vocals and his voice is literally angelic (another vocalist, Xenoyr, provides grows/harsh vox)

20 Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden) 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 of other activities. He undertook a career as a commercial pilot for Astraeus Airlines, which led to a number of media-reported ventures such as captaining Iron Maiden's converted charter aeroplane, Ed Force One, during their world tours. Following Astraeus' closure, he created his own aircraft maintenance and pilot training company, Cardiff Aviation, in 2012. Dickinson presented his own radio show ...read more.
21 Mariusz Duda (Riverside)

His voice is incredibly powerful!

22 Chad Gray (Mudvayne)
23 Mike Patton (Mr. Bungle)
24 Jens Kidman (Meshuggah)
25 Ray Alder (Fates Warning)

100% underrated vocalist!

Best voice ever

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