Best Metal Frontman?

[deathstorm]

Murph I agree with. You on Pete Steele. He was a great frontman

[H34VYM3T4LD4V3]

I still think that Tim Ripper Owens was one of the best.

[PirateNinja]

I'm hoping King's voice holds up live' date=' it was definitely wavering on his last album. Well, I'll know next month, and either way I think it will be a great show. In regards to Rob Flynn, I prefer him away from the mic, old his Vio-lence material is pretty much all that I dig from him.[/quote'] He ain't the best vocalist around and is definitely better with his guitar but his singing holds up when he uses it and he has a savage bark. And his ability to incite a crowd into a frenzy is paralleled with randy blythe, just pure energy, don't slow up for the entire show. Like hetfield in some ways but without being super cheesy about it. He arrives with the crushing groove and hetfield arrives with the cheddar. I like Vio-lence but thrash bands are 2 for a penny n it's easy to get lost in the sea of them, whereas with Machine Head, along with Pantera, Fear Factory and White Zombie, he helped innovate something which some people view as a sub genre of it own. "The burning red" was dogshit though, I hope he never "raps" again.

[PirateNinja]

Sepultura had a vocalist after Max? [emoji6]

Ouch!! XD

[PirateNinja]

Debate here guys. Which sepultura. Singer. Is better max or Derrick i say max cavalera

I have heard a grand total of 1 Sepultura song with Derrick, convicted in life, and own 4 of the Cavalera Sepultura albums. So I'm gunna choose Derrick cuz he needs someone to big him up lol I feel like I should send him a condolence card XD

[BlutAusNerd]

He ain't the best vocalist around and is definitely better with his guitar but his singing holds up when he uses it and he has a savage bark. And his ability to incite a crowd into a frenzy is paralleled with randy blythe' date=' just pure energy, don't slow up for the entire show. Like hetfield in some ways but without being super cheesy about it. He arrives with the crushing groove and hetfield arrives with the cheddar. I like Vio-lence but thrash bands are 2 for a penny n it's easy to get lost in the sea of them, whereas with Machine Head, along with Pantera, Fear Factory and White Zombie, he helped innovate something which some people view as a sub genre of it own. "The burning red" was dogshit though, I hope he never "raps" again.[/quote'] They were easily one of the worst bands to make the crossover from thrash to groove metal, and I can't really think of any that sounded better as groove metal. You could call them innovators, or you could call them latecomers, as a whole host of other bands had been exploring groove metal for some time before Machine Head's debut dropped. It just reeks of nu-metal, even the albums that everyone else seems to like seem like crap themselves at worst and influential upon musicians making more crap at best.

[RelentlessOblivion]

I'd also debate the quip about thrash bands predominantly sounding the same. Certainly that's true of the generic/retro bands but there is great variety in the likes of Sepultura, Dark Angel, Sabbat, Ritual Carnage, Vektor, Hallow's Eve, Artillery, Overkill, Carnivore etc.

[PirateNinja]

I don't think that they all sound the same, I think that, like with every genre that gains exposure, a lot of bands gain exposure with it, and with that exposure comes more listeners, a lot of whom now want to be in a -insert genre here- band and it's easy to get lost in the sea of em. I'm not saying it's a bad thing either, if anything it's good because there's a lot of music to delve into but the downside is there are a lot of generic bands that you have to wade through to find em sometimes. At one point I'd listened to so many generic thrash bands that I was adamant that I'd heard everything worth hearing (an ignorant point of view I know) so when my friend wanted to play me Overkill (I was fairly late to the party there) I almost refused, cuz I thought they would be just another thrash band, and I'm glad I didn't. I saw the same thing happen with metalcore for example, for every band that I thought had substance, there were 10 who I thought didn't (still remains, all that remains, it dies today, the agony scene etc.) who came out of the woodwork when the record labels smelt money.

[PirateNinja]

They were easily one of the worst bands to make the crossover from thrash to groove metal' date=' and I can't really think of any that sounded better as groove metal. You could call them innovators, or you could call them latecomers, as a whole host of other bands had been exploring groove metal for some time before Machine Head's debut dropped. It just reeks of nu-metal, even the albums that everyone else seems to like seem like crap themselves at worst and influential upon musicians making more crap at best.[/quote'] I suppose innovators was the wrong choice of word lol certainly the origins were there before them and I can't argue that, and it could be argued Sep helped define a blueprint, but considering machine head were formed in '91 (and most songs off their debut had been kicking about since then) I'm not sure how much of a "latecomer" they are, considering pantera's "cowboys..." was released in '90, as was exhorders "Slaughter in the Vatican, fear factorys "soul of a new machine" and white zombies "la sexorcisto..." weren't released til '92, the former of whom weren't formed until '90 and the latter who were playing noise rock since '85. And I'd say the only machine head albums that reek of nu-metal are "the burning red" and "supercharger" (also known as "dogshit" and "dogshit part II) I don't see how the rest fit into the nu metal category at all, especially everything they've done since "through the ashes..." Which has more in common with modern Testament than Korn. They have inspired a lot of bullshit though lol can't argue that

[BlutAusNerd]

I suppose innovators was the wrong choice of word lol certainly the origins were there before them and I can't argue that' date=' and it could be argued Sep helped define a blueprint, but considering machine head were formed in '91 (and most songs off their debut had been kicking about since then) I'm not sure how much of a "latecomer" they are, considering pantera's "cowboys..." was released in '90, as was exhorders "Slaughter in the Vatican, fear factorys "soul of a new machine" and white zombies "la sexorcisto..." weren't released til '92, the former of whom weren't formed until '90 and the latter who were playing noise rock since '85. And I'd say the only machine head albums that reek of nu-metal are "the burning red" and "supercharger" (also known as "dogshit" and "dogshit part II) I don't see how the rest fit into the nu metal category at all, especially everything they've done since "through the ashes..." Which has more in common with modern Testament than Korn. They have inspired a lot of bullshit though lol can't argue that[/quote'] They were late to the party in regards to dropping an album and/or being as influential as other bands who were already well established by then, like the aforementioned Exhorder, Pantera, and all of the thrash bands that were making the transition like Exodus, Forbidden, Overkill, and even Vio-Lence. Something about Machine Head though, even their works not usually associated with the genre, still sound very nu-metal to me, that even if they weren't there yet, you could tell they were moving in that direction. Even on their newer albums, you can hear some metal tunes, but then they mix in some very Korn/ Slipknot flavored nu-metal tracks like Left Unfinished. Even those metal tracks just don't do it for me though, with The Aesthetics of Hate actually coming pretty close in places, but not enough to win me over.

[deathstorm]

Chuck from death is best death metal vocalist. Ever

[Black Milk]

Mikael Akerfeldt is the most talented metal vocalist ever imo. For pretty obvious reasons. Shame they don't do metal anymore.

[deathstorm]

Black milk I think the reasons why some bands. Do that is because. They played out that style. Try a different direction. Musically. Then some time down the road they. Go back. To there old style

[BlutAusNerd]

Mikael Akerfeldt is the most talented metal vocalist ever imo. For pretty obvious reasons. Shame they don't do metal anymore.

For his clean vocals, yes, but his growls were always a bit lacking. Dan Swäno, for example, was a better growler, but not as good of a singer. You make a good point, but I would argue that vocalists like Mike Patton and Attila Csihar are better vocalists for the same criteria due to proficient/masterful demonstration of multiple vocal techniques, which are almost always applied appropriately within the context of whatever project they may be working on.

[Black Milk]

I don't disagree with anything you said, but I will add that Mikael's guitar proficiency definitely factors into my rating of him as an elite frontman, since the term doesn't limit one to simply vocals. And while remaining fairly stationary during live shows his banter between songs is usually pretty entertaining.

[BlutAusNerd]

I don't disagree with anything you said' date=' but I will add that Mikael's guitar proficiency definitely factors into my rating of him as an elite frontman, since the term doesn't limit one to simply vocals. And while remaining fairly stationary during live shows his banter between songs is usually pretty entertaining.[/quote'] Proficient is a good way to put it, not flashy, but unique nonetheless. He could rock out a bit for their short aggressive bursts, but was most successful in their melancholic passages.

[deathstorm]

I know the best kept. Secert in metal frontman jayke from nevertanzera aka ban

[BlutAusNerd]

I know the best kept. Secert in metal frontman jayke from nevertanzera aka ban

Thanks buddy, I appreciate that.

[deathstorm]

Thanks buddy' date=' I appreciate that.[/quote'] Your welcome my friend

[FatherAlabaster]

For his clean vocals' date=' yes, but his growls were always a bit lacking. Dan Swäno, for example, was a better growler, but not as good of a singer. You make a good point, but I would argue that vocalists like Mike Patton and Attila Csihar are better vocalists for the same criteria due to proficient/masterful demonstration of multiple vocal techniques, which are almost always applied appropriately within the context of whatever project they may be working on.[/quote'] Honestly, I don't agree about Åkerfeldt's harsh vocals. He's really expressive and has excellent technique. Swano is a great comparison, and I think his vocals have more guttural urgency than Mike's, but I certainly don't hear anything lacking. His cleans are great for what they are, but not strong enough to carry the band by themselves IMO, at least with his current songwriting. Patton is amazing, but in a way he's the Picasso of metal vocals - he can do anything he wants, but I think he lacks sincerity, and that bothers me. Contrast that with a guy like Pete Steele, who just got more and more brutally revealing as time went on. One of my newer favorites is Nihil, from Furia (POL) - he's got a great sense of variety and expression within the black metal idiom.

[BlutAusNerd]

Honestly, I don't agree about Åkerfeldt's harsh vocals. He's really expressive and has excellent technique. Swano is a great comparison, and I think his vocals have more guttural urgency than Mike's, but I certainly don't hear anything lacking. His cleans are great for what they are, but not strong enough to carry the band by themselves IMO, at least with his current songwriting. Patton is amazing, but in a way he's the Picasso of metal vocals - he can do anything he wants, but I think he lacks sincerity, and that bothers me. Contrast that with a guy like Pete Steele, who just got more and more brutally revealing as time went on. One of my newer favorites is Nihil, from Furia (POL) - he's got a great sense of variety and expression within the black metal idiom.

He is expressive and his lines are solid and don't waiver, but he's lacking in power. It's not as apparent in a more laid back band like Opeth, but his vocals in Bloodbath showcase his weaknesses.

[FatherAlabaster]

He is expressive and his lines are solid and don't waiver' date=' but he's lacking in power. It's not as apparent in a more laid back band like Opeth, but his vocals in Bloodbath showcase his weaknesses.[/quote'] I still haven't listened to much of anything from Bloodbath past the first full length. I recall that you'd recommended one of their other albums. In any case, his vocals on the Katatonia recordings and the earlier Opeth material certainly don't sound like they lack power, and his lower growl is too controlled to give me that impression either. Having said that, I don't think he's the "best" vocalist or guitarist or performer out there. What set him apart was his songwriting skills. The band has certainly come up in musicianship with the new guitarist and keyboard player, but the writing is lacking, and I don't think just adding some death metal growling back in would fix the problem either.

[deathstorm]

Black water park is a opeth cd

[FatherAlabaster]

Black water park is a opeth cd

Yes, one of several awesome albums from them.

[BlutAusNerd]

I still haven't listened to much of anything from Bloodbath past the first full length. I recall that you'd recommended one of their other albums. In any case, his vocals on the Katatonia recordings and the earlier Opeth material certainly don't sound like they lack power, and his lower growl is too controlled to give me that impression either. Having said that, I don't think he's the "best" vocalist or guitarist or performer out there. What set him apart was his songwriting skills. The band has certainly come up in musicianship with the new guitarist and keyboard player, but the writing is lacking, and I don't think just adding some death metal growling back in would fix the problem either.

He definitely had more conviction with Katatonia and Opeth, but he's always been very controlled. As far as Bloodbath goes, their best album IMO is the one they did with Peter Tagtgren on vocals, Nightmares Made Flesh. Not only does his vocal performance smoke anything Mike had done with the band, it's one of his best vocal performances ever, and the band at their musical pinnacle.