Top 25 Favorite Singers countdown thread! (Top 2 Revealed!!!)

[Animal]

I enjoy speculation too but I get that it spoils the fun for many - maybe a separate thread would do. I certainly won't start it as I am quite content just keeping my mouth shut and waiting for Kev to reveal the standings. But it might be a good idea for those who wouldn't enjoy these threads without speculation.

And I don't think it is all that different from song countdowns. Yeah, in theory, we have a close to infinite pool of singers but I am fairly confident in guessing who at least 7 out of the remaining 8 are going to be. And at least for of them are bleeding obvious - so naming any of them would really spoil the fun to many, the same way it does with songs.

[Animal]

I didn't rank James. To be honest, he's fallen way off my list in the last decade or so. As much as I respect the hell out of JLB, I just don't enjoy listening to him sing live any longer, and his recording "prime" for me, was in the 1990s. Specifically I&W, Awake, ACOS and SFAM. (I love FII, but it's not one of JLB's best singing performances.)

I went with my favorite singers in their prime, Ian Anderson being one, and Kevin Cronin another, both who I was confident would not make the DTF list.  They became quite bad/horrid afterwards, but I chose not to think of those eras.  I'm certain that there is one singer coming up that falls into that same category (along with 'questionable' personality traits )....not to spotlight

Like you, I ranked singers based  solely on their prime - so I am happy to see I wasn't the only one to rank Ian Anderson. An extremely distinctive voice, almost a bass-baritone in the type of music dominated by tenors. He is also the only singer I know of whose voice declined even more than JLB's.
   

[jingle.boy]

re: JLB

I didn't rank James. To be honest, he's fallen way off my list in the last decade or so. As much as I respect the hell out of JLB, I just don't enjoy listening to him sing live any longer, and his recording "prime" for me, was in the 1990s. Specifically I&W, Awake, ACOS and SFAM. (I love FII, but it's not one of JLB's best singing performances.)

I'm sure not ranking him is not cool at this forum. But if I had to guess, I'd say he'd be...in the high 30s for me.

By that logic, I’m assuming you didn’t rank <insert singer from the band you know most about> either?  I’m kinda serious here …. He’s had more “bad” years than good ones.

I don’t disagree that JLB has fallen way off over the years, and is awful live. Imo, that doesn’t devalue the 90s and 00s enough to drop him off the top 25.

[Animal]

re: JLB

I didn't rank James. To be honest, he's fallen way off my list in the last decade or so. As much as I respect the hell out of JLB, I just don't enjoy listening to him sing live any longer, and his recording "prime" for me, was in the 1990s. Specifically I&W, Awake, ACOS and SFAM. (I love FII, but it's not one of JLB's best singing performances.)

I'm sure not ranking him is not cool at this forum. But if I had to guess, I'd say he'd be...in the high 30s for me.

By that logic, I’m assuming you didn’t rank <insert singer from the band you know most about> either?  I’m kinda serious here …. He’s had more “bad” years than good ones.

I don’t disagree that JLB has fallen way off over the years, and is awful live. Imo, that doesn’t devalue the 90s and 00s enough to drop him off the top 25.

Agreed. If we were to count overall vocal decline and inconsistency in live performances against singers, there wouldn't be many left to rank, IMO. On the other hand, this is anything-goes kind of thread - if vocal longevity is an important factor to anyone in the way they rank their favorite singers, they can rank them however the hell they want.
    I have noticed someone dismissing a singer that ranked pretty high because of his personality - I find this ridiculous because let's face it, there aren't that many nice singers with great personalities and I am pretty sure that quite a a few of the singers that have been or are yet to be revealed are way above average or (in at least one case) even supreme assholes. However, if anyone needs to believe that their favorite musician is also a great human being in order to enjoy their music, there is no way to argue with that.
   

[KevShmev]

Let's keep it moving...

08 Devin Townsend

Appeared on 10 of 36 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (Metropolaris, Puppies_On_Acid)
6 Top 10 Finishes

I realistically could have put Devin 1st and been good with it, but I had him 6th.  I haven't been in a Devin mindspace lately, so maybe that is why he didn't finish top 5 for me, but he can do it all vocally, and sings with such raw emotion.  Amazing singer.


07 Russell Allen

Appeared on 12 of 36 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (jingle.boy)
7 Top 10 Finishes

Not a fan.  His contributions with Ayreon/Arjen strike me as solid, but not really memorable, and I have zero regard for bands like Adrenaline Mob and Symphony X.

[HOF]

Not a fan of either, and I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, but Allen being this high kind of does at least.

[SwedishGoose]

Not a huge fan of either. They were not on my top 25.

[lonestar]

Figured Allen would make the list. Didn't even think about Devin but his appearance definitely isn't surprising.

[twosuitsluke]

At last, someone else from my list!

For me Devin is one of those artists who is just the full package. He is an incredible songwriter, amazing guitar player, an artist with great vision and passion for his work and a genuine person to boot. That is all before you get to his voice.

I first heard Devy when I heard Love? by Strapping Young Lad. It was a perfect introduction but I didn't delve much deeper at that point. However, about 10 years ago, when I was travelling abroad, a Canadian guy I was working with shared a load of mp3s. This started the path but joining DTF in '14 solidified it. By 2015 I was fully on board, and by that time I was scouring youtube for all the interviews I could find. As I mentioned, Devin is a genuine artist who cares about his art, and humble depreciating when talking about it. This only made me love him and his music more. When I think what the world would be like with a few more Devin's, it truly makes me happy.

Devin's vocal range is legendary and has reached that without any vocal coaching (from what I can recall), just through sheer force of will (his words).

His voice is powerful, soft, raw, crooning, anger fueled, psychotic and soul warming, sometimes all in one song. Again, what's all the more striking is that his voice is just one part of his skill set. The voice on it's own warrants a place on this list, but for me all the other parts that make up Devin Townsend just take him almost to the top of my list.

The only singers that placed above him on my list were two similar artists to Devin (in that they are the full package).

I've rambled enough, love the dude


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6. Einar Solberg
5. Mikael Åkerfeldt
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3. Devin Townsend
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[jingle.boy]

Totally understand Hevy Devy making it.  I didn't rank him at all, but that's more a function that I'm not generally a huge fan of harsh vocals, or his 'wall-of-sound' music style (generally speaking... there are many exceptions, including a few DT/DTP albums).

Allen on the other hand... I rated him number 1 just 'cuz.  Honestly, my 1-5 could've been interchangeable so I just went with him for the depth of his contributions (A Mod notwithstanding... not a fan) - TSO (live), Allen/Lande, Allen/Olzon, Avantasia, Star One, Level 10, Joel Hoekstra's 13, Timo Tolkki's Avalon, Genius, Amadeus Awad's Eon, and then a host of individual song contributions with more than a few bands.  Plus, he's cool af, and has great stage presence as a frontman.

TSO / Good King Joy

[lonestar]

Totally understand Hevy Devy making it.  I didn't rank him at all, but that's more a function that I'm not generally a huge fan of harsh vocals, or his 'wall-of-sound' music style (generally speaking... there are many exceptions, including a few DT/DTP albums).

Allen on the other hand... I rated him number 1 just 'cuz.  Honestly, my 1-5 could've been interchangeable so I just went with him for the depth of his contributions (A Mod notwithstanding... not a fan) - TSO (live), Allen/Lande, Allen/Olzon, Avantasia, Star One, Level 10, Joel Hoekstra's 13, Timo Tolkki's Avalon, Genius, Amadeus Awad's Eon, and then a host of individual song contributions with more than a few bands.  Plus, he's cool af, and has great stage presence as a frontman.

TSO / Good King Joy

I actually ranked (or intended to rank, I fucked up and got the name wrong) another TSO singer, Kayla Reeves, based solely on her version of Someday.

[SeRoX]

Not listed both names. And as much as I liked SX back in the day I can't stand Allen.

I do think Devin is quite talented, not my cup of tea but I understand why he is listed. Allen is just so ordinary. Too many Allen out there sound like him. Nothing special, nothing extraordinary. And his live performance is like he sings all the songs same way, same gritty tone... 

[LithoJazzoSphere]

Russ barely missed mine, easily top 30.  He does tend to narrow his range of expression live, but on album he has a wider palette.  The first verse of "The Odyssey" is beautiful, for example. 

Devin is easily top 50 for me, awesome vocalist. 

[jingle.boy]

Totally understand Hevy Devy making it.  I didn't rank him at all, but that's more a function that I'm not generally a huge fan of harsh vocals, or his 'wall-of-sound' music style (generally speaking... there are many exceptions, including a few DT/DTP albums).

Allen on the other hand... I rated him number 1 just 'cuz.  Honestly, my 1-5 could've been interchangeable so I just went with him for the depth of his contributions (A Mod notwithstanding... not a fan) - TSO (live), Allen/Lande, Allen/Olzon, Avantasia, Star One, Level 10, Joel Hoekstra's 13, Timo Tolkki's Avalon, Genius, Amadeus Awad's Eon, and then a host of individual song contributions with more than a few bands.  Plus, he's cool af, and has great stage presence as a frontman.

TSO / Good King Joy

I actually ranked (or intended to rank, I fucked up and got the name wrong) another TSO singer, Kayla Reeves, based solely on her version of Someday.

Oh, god yes.  :drool.

I could've made a top 5 just from any performance of Promises.  This version by Georgia Napolitano is particularly moving.

[Adami]

Pretty sure both were on my list, but not sure where.


I actually forgot about Russell and I am a bit surprised to see Devy on this list, but pleasantly so.

[Metro]

Devin was of course #1 for me. Favorite singer of all time and just overall my favorite musician of all time. The guy can sing you to sleep and scream you awake. Also the coolest, most down to earth musician you'll ever meet.
I've seen him live 3 times, and have done the VIP meet and greet thing all 3 times. Here's a pic from the most recent time, in March 2020 in Atlanta just a week or so before the pandemic was declared. I gave him my old ZILTOID license plate from my first car. That should tell you how big of I am. 




25. Layne Staley
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11. Jon Anderson
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9. Rob Halford
8. Geddy Lee
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5. Chris Cornell
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2. Peter Gabriel
1. Devin Townsend

Russell Allen has always sounded like a generic tough guy singer and his main bands do nothing for me. Adrenaline Mob is just embarrassing and Symphony X is too cheesy.

[lonestar]

Kind of bummed the two singers I have pictures with on my list won't be in the top 6 

[Stadler]

Not a fan of either, and I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, but Allen being this high kind of does at least.

EASILY the most over-rated singer on this list.  I just don't get it.  Generic at best.  "I'm mutherfuckin' psychosane!"  Yeah, it's mutherfuckin' psychosane to be at number 7! 

I really debated Devin; he ultimately didn't make the cut, but when he sings clean, he's a real monster.  "Deep Peace" from Live in London for anyone that cares (I think I have Jingle to thank for that; I hated Devin for the longest time but heard that and it changed my world, no lie.)

[Lethean]

Neither made my list.  I have a lot of respect for Devin, just not into his vocals all that much.

I used to be a huge fan of Russell Allen with Symphony X up to The Odyssey and Star One and Ayreon.  But his vocals are part of what turned me off of Symphony X after Paradise Lost.  And then I disliked him more with Adrenaline Mob.  I never liked the Lande/Allen or Olzon stuff.  He certainly has a great voice but I guess just doesn't use it my liking as much anymore.

[TAC]

I'm kind of not surprised that Devin Townsend made the list, but I definitely didn't expect him this high. He's a talented guy for sure.

Russell Allen is amazing, but he's one vocalist that I just cannot connect with.

I had neither on my list.

[Dream Team]

Not a fan of either, and I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, but Allen being this high kind of does at least.

EASILY the most over-rated singer on this list.  I just don't get it.  Generic at best.  "I'm mutherfuckin' psychosane!"  Yeah, it's mutherfuckin' psychosane to be at number 7! 

I really debated Devin; he ultimately didn't make the cut, but when he sings clean, he's a real monster.  "Deep Peace" from Live in London for anyone that cares (I think I have Jingle to thank for that; I hated Devin for the longest time but heard that and it changed my world, no lie.)

He's not on the list because of stupid A-Mob songs 

Anyone putting him down has quite clearly never listened to Symphony X classics like The Odyssey, The Accolade, Candlelight Fantasia, Lady of the Snow, The Divine Wings of Tragedy, etc.

I had him at #4.

[twosuitsluke]

I'm kind of not surprised that Devin Townsend made the list, but I definitely didn't expect him this high. He's a talented guy for sure.

I think it probably goes without saying that those who voted for him (kinda like Einar) would've ranked him highly. As Kev said, 6 out of the 10 who voted for him, had him in their top 10.

[lonestar]

Not a fan of either, and I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, but Allen being this high kind of does at least.

EASILY the most over-rated singer on this list.  I just don't get it.  Generic at best.  "I'm mutherfuckin' psychosane!"  Yeah, it's mutherfuckin' psychosane to be at number 7! 

I really debated Devin; he ultimately didn't make the cut, but when he sings clean, he's a real monster.  "Deep Peace" from Live in London for anyone that cares (I think I have Jingle to thank for that; I hated Devin for the longest time but heard that and it changed my world, no lie.)

He's not on the list because of stupid A-Mob songs 

Anyone putting him down has quite clearly never listened to Symphony X classics like The Odyssey, The Accolade, Candlelight Fantasia, Lady of the Snow, The Divine Wings of Tragedy, etc.

I had him at #4.

Or they did listen to them, and it never appealed to them. It does happen...

[Stadler]

Not a fan of either, and I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, but Allen being this high kind of does at least.

EASILY the most over-rated singer on this list.  I just don't get it.  Generic at best.  "I'm mutherfuckin' psychosane!"  Yeah, it's mutherfuckin' psychosane to be at number 7! 

I really debated Devin; he ultimately didn't make the cut, but when he sings clean, he's a real monster.  "Deep Peace" from Live in London for anyone that cares (I think I have Jingle to thank for that; I hated Devin for the longest time but heard that and it changed my world, no lie.)

He's not on the list because of stupid A-Mob songs 

Anyone putting him down has quite clearly never listened to Symphony X classics like The Odyssey, The Accolade, Candlelight Fantasia, Lady of the Snow, The Divine Wings of Tragedy, etc.

I had him at #4.

Oh, I've heard it.  I used to get a lot of SX in roulettes, but after a while people got wise and didn't want to take the score hit.    I think he's average at best.

The only Russell Allen I like is some of his work with Ayreon, but I think that has more to do with the fact that I really like Arjen's work.

[DragonAttack]

I'm kind of not surprised that Devin Townsend made the list, but I definitely didn't expect him this high. He's a talented guy for sure.

Each day I figured I'd see his name mentioned.  Then it got to the point I figured he didn't make it.  Certainly talented, but not close to being my style of music.

Metropolaris....nice pix, and love the license plate!  (I had QUE3939 for a few years decades ago)

Allen:  NR  I'm with Stadler as to the Psychosane (all I can think of is Adolf's reactions on youtube ). 

[lonestar]

Not a fan of either, and I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, but Allen being this high kind of does at least.

EASILY the most over-rated singer on this list.  I just don't get it.  Generic at best.  "I'm mutherfuckin' psychosane!"  Yeah, it's mutherfuckin' psychosane to be at number 7! 

I really debated Devin; he ultimately didn't make the cut, but when he sings clean, he's a real monster.  "Deep Peace" from Live in London for anyone that cares (I think I have Jingle to thank for that; I hated Devin for the longest time but heard that and it changed my world, no lie.)

He's not on the list because of stupid A-Mob songs 

Anyone putting him down has quite clearly never listened to Symphony X classics like The Odyssey, The Accolade, Candlelight Fantasia, Lady of the Snow, The Divine Wings of Tragedy, etc.

I had him at #4.

Oh, I've heard it.  I used to get a lot of SX in roulettes, but after a while people got wise and didn't want to take the score hit.    I think he's average at best.

The only Russell Allen I like is some of his work with Ayreon, but I think that has more to do with the fact that I really like Arjen's work.

Mark this moment, Stads and I agree on something.

[Adami]

And that's the real reason Russell is on this list. His voice truly unites people.

[lonestar]

And that's the real reason Russell is on this list. His voice truly unites people.

It's not about how appealing he is, it's about the friends we make on the way

[cramx3]

No surprise IMO on these two.

I mentioned early on that I had no pure harsh vocalists on my list but some who do both the harsh and clean vocals with Devin being my favorite of that style.  The guy really can do it all.  He's not only a fantastic singer, but song writer, guitarist, producer, and person.  I've met him a couple times and even told him a story about something he said that inspired me to give a homeless man $20 when I was in Chattanooga randomly that he seemed genuinely happy about.  Here's a pic of us right after I chatted wtih him that night in NYC:



As for Russell, I've never been too much of a fan.  I sampled SX many years ago and wasn't into it.  AMOB did not thing for me for the song or two I checked out back then as well.  I did see SX twice this year touring with Haken and at those shows, I think I finally saw what others saw in him.  He was very good live IMO and I earned an appreciation for SX that previously didn't exist.  Having said that, it didn't really change my mind to think he was some great or special to me though, just a solid singer and SX was a solid band.  I didnt vote for him, but I know this forum generally thinks very highly of him though.  (how many times in the last 15 years have I read someone say that he should replace JLB for example?)

[TAC]

That's an awesome pic, Marc!

[Lethean]

Not a fan of either, and I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, but Allen being this high kind of does at least.

EASILY the most over-rated singer on this list.  I just don't get it.  Generic at best.  "I'm mutherfuckin' psychosane!"  Yeah, it's mutherfuckin' psychosane to be at number 7! 

 

I really love his voice on songs like Communion and the Oracle, Rediscovery pt2, etc.  But stuff like psychosane is a big reason why he's turned me off and didn't make my list.

[Samsara]

I didn't rank James. To be honest, he's fallen way off my list in the last decade or so. As much as I respect the hell out of JLB, I just don't enjoy listening to him sing live any longer, and his recording "prime" for me, was in the 1990s. Specifically I&W, Awake, ACOS and SFAM. (I love FII, but it's not one of JLB's best singing performances.)

I went with my favorite singers in their prime, Ian Anderson being one, and Kevin Cronin another, both who I was confident would not make the DTF list.  They became quite bad/horrid afterwards, but I chose not to think of those eras.  I'm certain that there is one singer coming up that falls into that same category (along with 'questionable' personality traits )....not to spotlight

Like you, I ranked singers based  solely on their prime - so I am happy to see I wasn't the only one to rank Ian Anderson. An extremely distinctive voice, almost a bass-baritone in the type of music dominated by tenors. He is also the only singer I know of whose voice declined even more than JLB's.
 

You both are assuming that I didn't take prime into consideration. I absolutely did. For me, James was good for 3.5 albums - I&W, Awake, SFAM, and maybe ACOS. And I've never overly enjoyed him live, as he's very inconsistent (I respect what he does every single night, but the results are regularly unsatisfying). So prime WAS considered on every singer on my list. JLB just wasn't inspiring for long enough, IMO. Couple that with his live performance, and he fell off my list.

[Samsara]

I didn't rank Devin Townsend, nor did his name even enter my mind. Not sure what all the hype is about, but he's always been so off-putting to me.

I had Russell Allen at 14. Great singer. What I love best about him is that he can sing ANYTHING. Ask him to sing any part, and he delivers an amazing performance. Folks may find this interesting, but I'm not much of a Symphony-X fan. I like them okay (saw the tour this year), but it's all about listening to RA sing. Just killer ability and emotion.

[HOF]

I didn't rank James. To be honest, he's fallen way off my list in the last decade or so. As much as I respect the hell out of JLB, I just don't enjoy listening to him sing live any longer, and his recording "prime" for me, was in the 1990s. Specifically I&W, Awake, ACOS and SFAM. (I love FII, but it's not one of JLB's best singing performances.)

I went with my favorite singers in their prime, Ian Anderson being one, and Kevin Cronin another, both who I was confident would not make the DTF list.  They became quite bad/horrid afterwards, but I chose not to think of those eras.  I'm certain that there is one singer coming up that falls into that same category (along with 'questionable' personality traits )....not to spotlight

Like you, I ranked singers based  solely on their prime - so I am happy to see I wasn't the only one to rank Ian Anderson. An extremely distinctive voice, almost a bass-baritone in the type of music dominated by tenors. He is also the only singer I know of whose voice declined even more than JLB's.
 

You both are assuming that I didn't take prime into consideration. I absolutely did. For me, James was good for 3.5 albums - I&W, Awake, SFAM, and maybe ACOS. And I've never overly enjoyed him live, as he's very inconsistent (I respect what he does every single night, but the results are regularly unsatisfying). So prime WAS considered on every singer on my list. JLB just wasn't inspiring for long enough, IMO. Couple that with his live performance, and he fell off my list.

While there was a definite drop off for James after Awake (and the unfortunate food poisoning incident), I still enjoyed his vocals on FII, as he took a somewhat more low key approach. Still had a lot of warmth to his voice at that point, and he sounded fine when he was doing more of the classic rock/pop thing. The first two Mullmuzzler albums have a good bit of that, and then the Frameshift album is possibly his best post-Awake performance. He got forced back into more of the metal box with DT after SFAM (and his solo stuff too to be fair), and that isn’t the best role for his voice IMO.

[Samsara]

I love FII. But it isn't one of my favorite JLB performances. I felt like SFAM he was a lot stronger.

After that, he just didn't impress me.