If DT16 had guest vocals on just one song, who would you want to sing?

[Schurftkut]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SS_YxiUdGUo

this guy maybe?

[Setlist Scotty]

I would love DT to have a permanent second singer. Not to replace JLB or help him with the high notes, but to complement him and give him a bit of respite. Kinda like when Anathema had Lee Douglas guest on a couple of songs, then they realised it worked really well, and they kept inviting her back and started to write some of the songs around her vocals which complemented the Cavanagh brothers nicely. She later become a full band member.

No thanks. Just like JP makes sure DT is a one-guitar band, I prefer DT remain a single lead vocalist band.

[pg1067]

Yeah, but don't assume; I forget where LITS came in on the countdown (PG can tell us) but for me it's NOT a fan favorite.  Pinnick ruins that song for me.

Thanks, but I'm good with James (and Mike and John) handling the vocals.  Let's leave it at that.

#17 in 2021/22 and #28 in 2024.

I agree that the guest vocals ruined the song.

[DoctorAction]

I would love DT to have a permanent second singer. Not to replace JLB or help him with the high notes, but to complement him and give him a bit of respite. Kinda like when Anathema had Lee Douglas guest on a couple of songs, then they realised it worked really well, and they kept inviting her back and started to write some of the songs around her vocals which complemented the Cavanagh brothers nicely. She later become a full band member.

I was going to say Lee Douglas. 

[crystalstars17]

I agree that the guest vocals ruined the song.

This, 1000%. Unlistenable, EXCEPT for the instrumental part, so what's the point.

I haven't done a proper song ranking (honestly I don't have time for that) but if I did, it would be somewhere down at #150.

[DoctorAction]

Love LITS. Great track in my book. Never felt Doug's vocals on it were remarkable, and by that I mean I don't love them, nor do they bother me at all, which fits my requirements for backing vocals just fine.

[Adami]

Not gonna engage in the whole "no one but DT" mindset, but the LITS thing is odd.

Doug is on the chorus. There's a LOT more to the song. Is it hyperbole or you y'all really consider the entire or majority of the song unlistenable cause of the chorus?

I don't love or hate his vocals, but man, everything else is top quality DT.

[crystalstars17]

Doug is on the chorus. There's a LOT more to the song. Is it hyperbole or you y'all really consider the entire or majority of the song unlistenable cause of the chorus?

I don't love or hate his vocals, but man, everything else is top quality DT.

A little bit hyperbole, but honestly, for me it really did ruin an otherwise good song.

[Adami]

A little bit hyperbole, but honestly, for me it really did ruin an otherwise good song.

I mean, that's fair. Sounds like there's plenty of other DT (and non-DT) to give you unlimited stuff to listen to. I just really really love this song (even if I don't love the chorus) though there's definitely a lot of DT that I think are ruined by certain elements, and others would say I'm missing out. So I get it. No biggie.

[hefdaddy42]

I love the song and love the chorus.  It's just good.

[CraftyCaleb2483]

I love the song and love the chorus.  It's just good.

Same. I'm probably in the minority but I love Doug's vocals in the chorus, it adds to the chaos this song is!

[Stadler]

Not gonna engage in the whole "no one but DT" mindset, but the LITS thing is odd.

Doug is on the chorus. There's a LOT more to the song. Is it hyperbole or you y'all really consider the entire or majority of the song unlistenable cause of the chorus?

I don't love or hate his vocals, but man, everything else is top quality DT.

I don't disagree with you on all points, except I do strongly dislike (I don't "hate" anything, at least not musically; I hate cauliflower) his vocals and I'd rather not listen to that. So the song suffers as a whole. I suppose I could make an edit... (I made an instrumental edit of "War Pigs" by Sabbath and "Tonight" by Ozzy that are pretty killer... maybe I should do that here.

[Setlist Scotty]

I don't disagree with you on all points, except I do strongly dislike (I don't "hate" anything, at least not musically; I hate cauliflower) his vocals and I'd rather not listen to that. So the song suffers as a whole. I suppose I could make an edit... (I made an instrumental edit of "War Pigs" by Sabbath and "Tonight" by Ozzy that are pretty killer... maybe I should do that here.

....or you can just listen to the demo and live versions.   

[Stadler]

No, that's fair.  To some degree James adopts that style of singing, but it's not nearly as bad. 

[Puppies_On_Acid]

I feel like bringing in the likes of Mikael Åkerfeldt, Devin Townsend or Daniel Gildenlöw would maybe have a negative effect since they work in the same field and there's the risk of overshadowing James completely.

I don't know if this is what you meant by this exactly, but I had a similar thought, especially regarding Devin and Daniel. They both have a wider vocal range than James, both higher and lower, and they are both extremely consistent live, unlike James.

I mean look at the Devin Townsend Royal Albert Hall show. He was sick for that show but still crushed it vocally. Not to mention the fact that Devin seems to be aging like fine wine and getting better every year. Granted Devin is kind of a vocal anomaly. He isn't classically trained and he even admits that he probably doesn't do his harsh vocals properly, but for some reason it hasn't taken a toll on his voice.

To be fair, studio James is still fine, but I stopped going to DT shows after 2016 because of how bad James was at the previous 2 shows I went to.

[crystalstars17]

I mean look at the Devin Townsend Royal Albert Hall show. He was sick for that show but still crushed it vocally. Not to mention the fact that Devin seems to be aging like fine wine and getting better every year. Granted Devin is kind of a vocal anomaly. He isn't classically trained and he even admits that he probably doesn't do his harsh vocals properly, but for some reason it hasn't taken a toll on his voice.

To be fair, studio James is still fine, but I stopped going to DT shows after 2016 because of how bad James was at the previous 2 shows I went to.

Ok, it's comments like this that make me come out and do my job here..



... *ahem*

It's really unfair to compare James to other singers. All "wear and tear" aside - everyone has it - what everyone doesn't have is an injury.

That injury is the equivalent of an athlete with a bum knee. They can continue to compete, but may fall sometimes. It may affect their scores. But it doesn't prevent them from being the GOAT if that title is deserved.

[Puppies_On_Acid]

Ok, it's comments like this that make me come out and do my job here..

... *ahem*

It's really unfair to compare James to other singers. All "wear and tear" aside - everyone has it - what everyone doesn't have is an injury.

That injury is the equivalent of an athlete with a bum knee. They can continue to compete, but may fall sometimes. It may affect their scores. But it doesn't prevent them from being the GOAT if that title is deserved.

I'm well aware of his vocal injury and peak James was very good. However, if you want to compare peak James to peak Devin, it still advantage Devin. At the risk of sounding like Wildranger, Devin has been able to, objectively, hit both the high and low notes and stay on pitch far more consistently than James (even pre-injury) in a live setting.

Having said that, I still like James as a vocalist. He has done some amazing things with DT. It sucks his voice was injured, but he actually worked past that by the time 6DoIT came out. In recent years it seems he hasn't done much to keep his voice in shape or maybe that injury is just coming back to haunt him more as he ages, which sucks because I would like to be able to go to a DT show and not be distracted by James. 

I'll probably still check out a show on the upcoming tour, just to see if he has improved.

[TAC]

In this thread, we name our favorite singer or singers and the rest of us roll our eyes.

[Puppies_On_Acid]

In this thread, we name our favorite singer or singers and the rest of us roll our eyes.

[TAC]

Yeah, that wasn't meant at you or your post...at all. I had been thinking it since the OP, but just posted it coincidentally after you.

[crystalstars17]

I'm well aware of his vocal injury and peak James was very good. However, if you want to compare peak James to peak Devin, it still advantage Devin. At the risk of sounding like Wildranger, Devin has been able to, objectively, hit both the high and low notes and stay on pitch far more consistently than James (even pre-injury) in a live setting.

If "peak Devin" ever had any objective advantage, it's simply the fact that he has an entirely different kind of voice. His voice is a larger, heavier instrument, and as such can take a lot more of a beating before showing signs of strain, than a light-lyric voice (James) can. It's like comparing your bicep to a finger - if you try to lift 20lbs repeatedly with one finger, that finger will give out a lot faster than the larger muscle. Sound-wise, it's like comparing a French horn to a tuba - a tuba is just LOUDER, so of course it can carry better across distances and commands more attention - but does it have the nuance?

Having said that, I still like James as a vocalist. He has done some amazing things with DT. It sucks his voice was injured, but he actually worked past that by the time 6DoIT came out. In recent years it seems he hasn't done much to keep his voice in shape or maybe that injury is just coming back to haunt him more as he ages, which sucks because I would like to be able to go to a DT show and not be distracted by James.

I don't think he is doing less to take care of his voice. His interview with The Charismatic Voice on YouTube will dispel that idea.

I'll probably still check out a show on the upcoming tour, just to see if he has improved.

I'm glad you will give him a chance. Believe me when I say that when he hasn't been entirely on top of his game, no one's heart has broken more than mine.

[pg1067]

Not gonna engage in the whole "no one but DT" mindset, but the LITS thing is odd.

Doug is on the chorus. There's a LOT more to the song. Is it hyperbole or you y'all really consider the entire or majority of the song unlistenable cause of the chorus?

I don't love or hate his vocals, but man, everything else is top quality DT.

Perhaps a bit hyperbolic; perhaps not.  I hear the song, and there's a lot of cool stuff, but then the chorus is so bad.  You can't really listen to the song and then skip the chorus, so in a sense, it's legitimate to say that the chorus ruins the song.  It's kinda how I feel about songs that are great musically but have terrible lyrics.  If a song is poor musically, the best lyrics won't save it, but the worst lyrics can ruin a song that's great musically.

[Adami]

Perhaps a bit hyperbolic; perhaps not.  I hear the song, and there's a lot of cool stuff, but then the chorus is so bad.  You can't really listen to the song and then skip the chorus, so in a sense, it's legitimate to say that the chorus ruins the song.  It's kinda how I feel about songs that are great musically but have terrible lyrics.  If a song is poor musically, the best lyrics won't save it, but the worst lyrics can ruin a song that's great musically.

Totally fair points. I guess, because I don't hate the chorus, it doesn't have quite that impact on me. Maybe an equivalent to me is Forsaken. I like parts of it, but the parts I don't simply make the song something I have no desire to hear.

[KevShmev]

If "peak Devin" ever had any objective advantage, it's simply the fact that he has an entirely different kind of voice. His voice is a larger, heavier instrument, and as such can take a lot more of a beating before showing signs of strain, than a light-lyric voice (James) can. It's like comparing your bicep to a finger - if you try to lift 20lbs repeatedly with one finger, that finger will give out a lot faster than the larger muscle. Sound-wise, it's like comparing a French horn to a tuba - a tuba is just LOUDER, so of course it can carry better across distances and commands more attention - but does it have the nuance?

For Devin, yes.  When he is not screaming or belting it out, he is an incredibly nuanced singer.  One need only listen to Casualties of Cool or Ghost to hear this.

And none of them is meant as a comparison to James or to imply that he is better, merely pointing out that Devin's singing is incredibly nuanced as well, and I say that as someone who is much more of a rock guy than a metal one (Devin is probably the only singer I like at all where screaming is a somewhat regular part of his singing vocabaulary).

[Puppies_On_Acid]

One need only listen to Casualties of Cool or Ghost to hear this.

I meant to come back to mention exactly this. There is a reason why Devin is my favorite vocalist of all time.

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

This would be a great idea. I have my fantasy list ranging from the Epica singer to Russell Allen to Roy Khan. I doubt we'll ever get a guest singer in DT but it would be an interesting thing for just one song.

[Architeuthis]

Devin was my first thought, but Jon Anderson would be really cool in a DT song too!

[MoraWintersoul]

Judging by who took the guest spots in their previous songs, they would probably go for a friend or someone they admire who has a longer career in music than them. If they wanted to go for a friend, I would love to hear (inb4 bosk comes in and takes my head for this) Ross Jennings.

[Whitefish]

If they wanted to do something a bit left field I would love to see how someone like Courtney LaPlante could work. Obviously it would need to be one of their heavier songs to make the most of her vocal talents, but she could also do some really fun melodic stuff.

[gborland]

I would love to hear (inb4 bosk comes in and takes my head for this) Ross Jennings.

Oh dear god no. He's the worst example of so-bland-it-hurts diet-mayonnaise generic prog-metal singer syndrome.

[Stadler]

And man, do my eyes hurt now!!!


I think I'd rather hear Hefdaddy (full disclosure: never heard Hef sing even one note) as guest vocalist before I'd like to hear some of the names mentioned here.  Russell Allen?  No thank you. 


Here's my list of people I'd rather hear than the (IMO, tired) names being bandied about here:

- Lemmy
- Hef
- Bob Dylan
- Anthony Keidis
- Thom Yorke (if you know anything about my taste in music, this is the most telling of all the entries)
- Steve Howe
- Jennifer Lopez
- Elon Musk


You get the point... 

[hefdaddy42]

I can sing.  I probably have a better background/harmonizing voice than a lead voice, but I can definitely sing.

[Stadler]

Well, forget that, then. You don't belong on that list of decidedly under-performing vocalists.

[DT05]

- Anthony Keidis
- Thom Yorke (if you know anything about my taste in music, this is the most telling of all the entries)

I'm dead serious when I say that if DT ever worked with either of these people, it would likely be their biggest song, even if the output wasn't qualitatively up to snuff. Either of those two singers would bring such a hilariously new dynamic to LaBrie-sung songs that I'd welcome it. I hope we see something wildly experimental one day, even if DT16 is probably going to be ironclad in its style

[hefdaddy42]

Well, forget that, then. You don't belong on that list of decidedly under-performing vocalists.