NUMBER 2Vocals: Devin Townsend (Solo, Strapping Young Lad)
I don't even know why I'm bothering to put a write-up here. Everyone knows my sick obsession with everything this man creates, so it should be no surprise he'd show up on this list somewhere. While my appreciation for Devin resides mainly in his unbelievable talent for songwriting and composition, his voice is a big part of what ties his extremely varied output together. Devin moves from utterly ear-shattering screams and growls to a soft, delicate tone in seconds, topping it all off with an insanely powerful operatic croon that would put many a classical singer to shame. He uses a ton of layers, but the layers are used more to enhance and deliver a choral effect rather than make up for any lack of power. When Devin turns his voice into an 8 part choir, it's probably one of the most beautiful things you could ever hear. He harmonizes so well with himself and the other singers he's worked with over his career, it's almost scary. Hell, being able to sing throat-ripping yells with Strapping Young Lad and the ethereal, ambient stylings of Ghost is impressive in and of itself.
Favorite performance:
DeadheadGuitars: Jeff Loomis (Nevermore, Solo)
Jeff Loomis is so good at guitar that it honestly hurts me. The crushing defeat of knowing that you can never live up to someone's skill is something every musician goes through. Jeff's strength lies not in soloing, nor riffing, it lies in a downright unbelievable proficiency at both major components of metal guitar playing, and he does it all within the confines of his insane mastery of the seven-string guitar. The added range makes it so that the riffs crunch harder than anything else, and the soloing is just in league of its own. Jeff uses diminished scales all over the place, which can be extremely difficult on guitar. Furthermore, Jeff Loomis' least complicated riff could very easily be another guitarist's most complicated solo (See:
The Termination Proclamation). It's really a shame that Nevermore is...well, no more, but Loomis' career has extended into the realm of instrumental shred, with tremendously satisfying results as well.
Favorite performance:
The Psalm of LydiaBass: Geddy Lee (Rush)
God fucking dammit, I just love Geddy Lee. His basslines make me extremely moist. Rush is already a rhythmically complex entity, and when you factor in that Geddy sings and plays keyboards along with providing much of the backbone of the illustrious power trio, and you've got pure unbridled musical talent. Miraculously, Geddy manages to hardly ever showboat. Sure, his bass solo/duel with Alex in By-Tor is a bit wanky and silly, but that's all in the spirit of the song. Geddy's bass is just one of the many components that make Rush one of the best bands on the planet. Love or hate Geddy's voice, one has to admit that it's pretty cool that Geddy can sing, do keyboard patches, and play such ridiculous basslines all at the same time. Mad respect for this guy.
Favorite performance:
HemispheresDrums: Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater)
I'm honestly not sure if I'll get flak for this or if people will remember that despite Portnoy's media drama over the past few years, he's still a fantastic drummer. The fact remains, he's one of the best. Coming from a wide range of influences in the progressive rock and metal world, Mike Portnoy is pretty much the embodiment of a great progressive drummer. Prog typically features a ton of ridiculous time signatures and goofy rhythms, and Mike makes them seem effortless. While his drums are often rather high in the mix, the rhythms never seem to overpower the melodies at all. Mike shows restraint when it's necessary, and lets loose when it's called for. His tenure with Dream Theater will be remembered forever, but I'm excited to see if he can become a part of a truly excellent band that lets him flaunt his creative side as well as he could with DT.
Favorite performance:
The Dance of EternityWhat would the hypothetical band sound like?: This one would be interesting, for sure. Jeff Loomis seems like he would be the odd one out in this band, strangely enough. Devin's a vocal chameleon, so there's no worries there (Incidentally, the thought of Devin's voice over Jeff's riffs just caused a disturbance in my pants). The main problem is that I've never really heard Jeff Loomis in a role other than "crushing, fast metal," which is something I don't think Geddy would want to keep up with. Of course, Mike Portnoy would probably be thrilled to be playing with Geddy, but I could just as easily see him being able to drum around Jeff's riffs. Really, the most awesome thing that could come from this band would be a vocal duet between Devin Townsend and Geddy Lee.
Topic: UMH's "Top 10 of the Four Main Components of a (Predominately Metal) Band" (1) (Read 12634 times)