The top 20 Vocalists Thread 3.0 v.Zantera (finished nao)

[Zantera]

Time for the next update, with nr6 and nr5.
Not many to go now.

6. Dustin Kensrue (Thrice)



"I stand on the cliffs with my son next to me
This island our prison, our home
And everyday we look out at the sea
This place is all he's ever known"

Thrice is a fairly new band for me, i did check out Beggars when it came out and loved it, but it wasn't really until a few months ago i started checking out their other stuff.
Amazing band that i like especially for the constant progression on the sound-front, you can hear a clear evolution in the latest albums, and The Alchemy Index deserves the praise it gets, because it's a work of genius, and it's an album everyone with a good range on their music-taste should have.
But enough about the band, what's really impressive is how Dustin's voice just fits with all their different styles.
His voice is very powerful, but he can also manage to get that Thom Yorke-thing going on in Circles, and i also love his performances in songs like "Digging My Own Grave", "A Song For Milly Michaelson" and let's not forget "Digital Sea".
He's one of the best modern vocalists, and that is why he's this high.
(before flaming that i should put him higher, i don't think it's fair when i haven't heard all of the discography yet)

Songs: Daedalus, Digital Sea, Digging My Own Grave and Firebreather.

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5. Mikael Åkerfeldt (Opeth)



"Leave it be
It was meant for me
Soul sacrifice
Forgot the advice
Lost track of time
In a flurry of smoke
Waiting anxiety
For a fair judgement deserved"

Another pretty obvious choice when it comes to the higher places, also the second Swedish vocalist on the list.
No back story should really be needed since most here know Opeth, but Mikael Åkerfeldt is the man who got me into growl-vocals, and even though i'm not really a fan of death metal or growls in general, in the case of Opeth it adds another dimension, and i just love the heavy/light-contrast.
The man can growl amazing, he can sing clean amazing - he must be Jesus in disguise.
I really love the direction Opeth took with the last album Watershed, it feels like Mikael has started experimenting with his voice a bit more, something i really like.
Just check out "The Lotus Eater", the reverse vocals in "Hessian Peel" for example, there are many other moments on the album that goes in the same vein.
Hopefully we'll see him experiment even more with his voice on the collaboration with Steven Wilson, and the next Opeth-album. 

Songs: A Fair Judgement, The Drapery Falls, The Baying of the Hounds and Isolation Years.

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Only 4 to go now.

[Portrucci]

This list is fantastic  Both of them would be in my top 10 too

[Gorille85]

This list is fantastic  Both of them would be in my top 10 too

[faemir]

I can't wait to see 1-4

[Darkes7]

BEST MADE TACOS OF THE EARTH
DIABOLICAL BEANS

[Zantera]

Time for an update, today with nr4 and nr3.
These 2 should be fairly known here.

4. Kristoffer Rygg "Garm" (Ulver)



"I remember some trees which stood black and naked
Weatherbeaten hollows of snow
With sparse lumps of ice,
Been scraped off by the wind alone"

So Ulver is a pretty fascinating band, with one of the most interesting evolution's i've come across.
Black Metal>Folk>Electronic (different sub-genres), and it's really cool how Garm's voice just fits all these styles.
The vocals aren't in the center of attention, but it's hard to overlook them when they fit the soundscapes so great.
Perdition City is my favorite Ulver-album, and even though it features very little singing, the parts Garm sing on "Porn Piece or the Scars of Cold Kisses" and "Nowhere/Catastrophe" are just amazing, and one of the reasons why the first is my favorite Ulver-song.
It's hard not to love his voice.

Songs: Porn Piece or the Scars of Cold Kisses, EOS, Like Music and Dressed In Black.

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3. Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree, Blackfield, solo)



"I won't shiver in the cold
I won't let the shadows take their toll
I won't cover my head in the dark
And I won't forget you when we part"

So i put Steven Wilson higher then many others here, but it doesn't really come as a surprise considering i already wrote in gorille85 or darkes7´s thread that he would make my top3.
Even though Steven is probably more known as the fantastic song-writer, and many people consider him just to have a voice that "fits the music", i think he deserves some more cred.
I wanna mention the amount of emotion in his voice when he sings "Collapse the Light Into Earth", but also how great he sounds in "Salvaging" (from Insurgentes).
Overall i think he has a very personal voice, that British accent is just very unique, and whenever you hear a song where SW sings, you know its him.
The harmony-singing is another major part, just look at songs like "Mellotron Scratch", "Normal" and "Drown With Me".

Songs: Collapse the Light Into Earth, Mellotron Scratch, Sever and I Drive the Hearse.

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2 more to go now.

[Portrucci]

Two god-tier picks there. Both in my top 5   

Some people think Wilson's vocals are just 'good enough' but I have to admit they really make PT what it is to me. 

[faemir]

Faemir approves of both these choices.

[Gorille85]

Again, two fantastic singers. I agree with your choices of favorite songs as well!

[Jakartabassplayer]

mizzl better be number 1

[kári]

Curiously I came in to see if Jónsi was mentioned... Seeing as you mentioned The Pinapple Thief's vocalist in one of the first posts, I got my hopes up. Now I'm really curious!

[Gadough]

Mikael Akerfeldt IS Jesus in disguise.

[Zantera]

Curiously I came in to see if Jónsi was mentioned... Seeing as you mentioned The Pinapple Thief's vocalist in one of the first posts, I got my hopes up. Now I'm really curious!

Sadly i haven't really checked Sigur Ros out that much, it's on my "to do"-list though. 

Time for the next update, to create a little fuzz i'll only update with nr2 now, and save nr1 for either tonight, or tomorrow around the same time as now.

2. John Haughm (Agalloch)



"Here at the edge of this world
Here I gaze at a pantheon of oak, a citadel of stone
If this grand panorama before me is what you call God. . .
Then God is not dead"

Agalloch was for me one of those bands you discover, and initially don't like.
In my case i found the vocals hard to get, because back then i didn't really listen to any music that had vocals like these.
Then i came back to the band when i felt i was a bit more into the music, and wow.
To begin with, John may not be the type of singer that has a powerful heavy metal-voice (like Bruce Dickinson or James LaBrie), but he uses his voice to still create an awesome range.
There are the somewhat darker shrieking-parts, the whispered parts, clean-parts and now on the latest album there are new singing-styles i haven't heard him sing before.
Check out around the 7.30-mark in "Black Lake Nidstång", you can hear the agony in his voice, as he's screaming from what sounds like a far away-place.
Overall i love the combination between harsher/clean-vocals, one example of this can be found in "In the Shadow of Our Pale Companion", the part where he sings "Here is the landscape" with a harsh-tone, then "Here is the sun" clean.
It has a great result.
Also, i think his voice suits Agalloch perfectly, it adds a certain atmosphere to the music, maintaining that "winter forest"-sound.

Songs: In the Shadow of our Pale Companion, She Painted Fire Across the Skyline, Bloodbirds and Black Lake Nidstång.

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So, one more to go.
Probably popping in tonight with it.   

[Portrucci]

My avatar. Enough said.

Extremely unique metal vocalist...have yet to hear similar. Pretty much the perfect voice for the music he's playing

Life is a clay urn on the mantle
And I am the ashes on the floor...
We are the wounds and the great cold death of the earth
Darkness and silence, the light shall flicker out...
 

Throughout all their work, his passion and inflection never ceases to amaze me. And a great lyricist to boot 

[Sigz]

Life is a clay urn on the mantle
And I am the ashes on the floor...
We are the wounds and the great cold death of the earth
Darkness and silence, the light shall flicker out...

*has to put that song on now*

 

[faemir]

 

[Zantera]

No guesses for the first spot?
I doubt someone will get it right though. 

[faemir]

Caleb Shomo?

[Zydar]

Justin Bieber or Daniel Gildenlöw.

[Gorille85]

I'm not that familiar with Agalloch but from what I've heard, John is a fantastic vocalist!

[faemir]

I'm waiting for people to good Caleb Shomo

[Moonchild]

damn. it's a unique list.. so unique I think most of them suck

[Seventh Son]

damn. it's a unique list.. so unique I think most of them suck

oh snap opinions

[Gorille85]

damn. it's a unique list.. so unique I think most of them suck

WTF

[Seventh Son]

damn. it's a unique list.. so unique I think most of them suck

WTF

[Zantera]

Thread derailed slightly? 

I had this awesome idea that i would post Steven Seagal as a fake nr1, seeing as i'm probably the only one on this forum that has his 2 albums.
But then i thought that people would probably think it was my real nr1, considering i normally have controversial opinions.
Oh well. 

[Zook]

David Hasselhoff is #1

[Jakartabassplayer]

No guesses for the first spot?
I doubt someone will get it right though. 

I think kingshmegland is number 1

[Moonchild]

damn. it's a unique list.. so unique I think most of them suck

oh snap opinions

[skydivingninja]

Russel Crowe at number one.

[Seventh Son]

Nicky Spanjaards for #1

[Zantera]

Okey, so i won't drag this out any further.
Before i post nr1, i would just like to thank everyone for following, and it's fun reading comments and such.
Hopefully i've made someone discover something new with this list, it's always fun to get people into the music you love.

So here it is, my favorite vocalist... a choice that no-one could see coming. 

1. Mike Vennart (Oceansize)



"Shapes fall into place
For once in your life you make
A clean breakaway.
...
Love so much to give
And too few to share it with
Wastes you away."

It wasn't until this year that i checked out Oceansize for real, and what an amazing choice that was.
My major discovery in 2010, and it feels funny to say this... but it's the only band i've come across that i would rank next to PT, maybe even higher then PT when it comes to my favorite bands.
The discography is just fantastic overall, there aren't any bad songs, which truly makes it an amazing band.
Mike is probably the singer i've come across that fits the most with the music, and it's one of the things that makes me love the band so much.
The variety when he sings is amazing, take a song like "Sleeping Dogs and Dead Lions" where the vocals are fast, insane and shriek-ish to fit with THAT meshuggah-riff, but he doesn't really sing like that in any other song.
On a funny side-note, Steven Wilson surely ripped that from Oceansize, the whole "pretty soft album, then meshuggah-guitars comes in" which is kinda the main-thing on The Incident.
Anyhow, i can't really praise this band or Mike enough, you just gotta hear it yourself, because it's a really rewarding experience.
The amount of emotion in Mike's voice when he sings "Music For a Nurse", has made it one of my favorite songs ever, maybe even THE song.

Songs: Music For a Nurse, Savant, Massive Bereavement, Build Us a Rocket Then, Legal Teens, Ornament/The Last Wrongs, Sleeping Dogs and Dead Lions, Catalyst, Silent/Transparent and The Strand.

Peace out! 

[faemir]

I walked into the gig late so missed seeing them live.

Whoops.

[zxlkho]

I checked out Oceansize recently and they were great. I really love the vocals on "Savant" so I approve of this choice.

[Gorille85]

Awesome list Zantera! You really have a good taste in music (except for the disturbing lack of Unexpect)

I really need to check out Oceansize too!