I’m not much of a metal guy these days, but I dabbled in high school. I heard about this list on the radio this morning and had to look it up. It’s bound for controversy. Freddy Mercury at #6? Scott Stapp and Fred Durst made the list but Billy Corgan didn’t? ROD STEWART AGAIN!!! This guy is haunting me lately.
I’ll further assume that punk bands are not included, since Joey Ramone didn’t make the cut.
Some of my personal favorites (other than Corgan) that are not on the list:
Pepper Keenan, Corrosion of Conformity
Phil Anselmo, Pantera
Keith Caputo, Life of Agony
Here’s the full list from Hit Parader.
01. Robert Plant
02. Rob Halford
03. Steven Tyler
04. Chris Cornell
05. Bon Scott
06. Freddie Mercury
07. Bruce Dickinson
08. Ozzy Osbourne
09. Paul Rodgers
10. Ronnie James Dio
11. Axl Rose
12. Sammy Hagar
13. Geddy Lee
14. Geoff Tate
15. Mick Jagger
16. Jonathan Davis
17. Roger Daltrey
18. Paul Stanley
19. David Lee Roth
20. Kurt Cobain
21. Maynard James Keenan
22. Klaus Meine
23. Eddie Vedder
24. James Hetfield
25. Trent Reznor
26. Serj Tankian
27. Layne Staley
28. Steve Perry
29. Gene Simmons
30. Joe Elliott
31. Jon Bon Jovi
32. Alice Cooper
33. Vince Neil
34. Steve Marriott
35. Lajon Witherspoon
36. Sebastian Bach
37. Philip Anselmo
38. Zack De La Rocha
39. Brian Johnson
40. Bret Michaels
41. Udo Dirkschneider
42. David Draiman
43. Ian Gillian
44. Marilyn Manson
45. Jeff Keith
46. Chester Bennington
47. Sully Erna
48. Lemmy Kilmister
49. Aaron Lewis
50. Brett Scallions
51. Chino Moreno
52. Rob Zombie
53. Anthony Kiedis
54. David Coverdale
55. Gary Cherone
56. Andrew Wood
57. Scott Weiland
58. Tom Araya
59. Phil Lynnot
60. Rod Stewart
61. Scooter Ward
62. Ray Davies
63. Sonny Sandoval
64. David Bowie
65. Joan Jett
66. Josey Scott
67. Perry Farrell
68. Scott Stapp
69. Amy Lee
70. Don Dokken
71. Fred Durst
72. Mike Shinoda
73. Pepper Keenan
74. Dez Fafara
75. Gavin Rossdale
76. Blackie Lawless
77. Dave Wyndorf
78. Ann Wilson
79. Jimi Hendrix
80. Ville Valo
81. Peter Steele
82. Dave Williams
83. Dee Snider
84. Joe Lynn Turner
85. King Diamond
86. Corey Taylor
87. Jamey Jasta
88. Justin Hawkins
89. Dave Mustaine
90. Ian Astbury
91. Stephen Pearcy
92. Phil Mogg
93. Biff Byford
94. Cristina Scabbia
95. Dani Filth
96. Wes Scantlin
97. Tim “Ripper” Owens
98. Joshua Todd
99. Kevin Dubrow
100. Ray Gillen
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Out of the 100 vocalists on this list, only like 30 or 4o are actual metal singers. This list is total shit. I think Queen is great and all, but THEY ARE NOT A METAL BAND, AT ALL. I can’t believe this list was published in a magazine for people to look at. Whoever writes for and edits this magazine has no fucking clue what the hell they are talking about. Not only are the majority of the singers on here not metal vocalists, those that actually are metal vocalists are mainstream shitty metal that is a real disappointment to REAL METAL. Considering this is a metal list, you’d think there would be some real thrash metal, death metal, or black metal vocalists, but NOnonONonOnoNOn, ONLY MAINSTREAM SHIT METAL AND/OR VOCALISTS THAT ARE TURNING OVER IN THEIR GRAVES FOR BEING CALLED METAL VOCALISTS.
If you want to hear a truly innovative and great metal vocalist, listen to the album Nespithe by Demilich from Finland.
stephen tyler before mercury?
Did I just see Don Dokken on there? Don f’n Dokken? What idiot put this list together? As far as metal singers go, Rob Halford, Bruce Dickinson and Ronnie James Dio should be at the top of this list. Geoff Tate should be right up there and I’ll give Chris Cornell a top spot as well because he is a great singer with great range. Freddy Mercury is not really a metal singer but there is no doubt that he has an amazing voice and sits upon the ranks of the great. Why is Ian Gillan down at 43? He should be in the top 10. You actually have Bret Michaels, Paul Stanley, Vince Neil, Marilyn Manson Gene Simmons and Jon Bon Jovi above Gillan? A reminder of Gillan perhaps is in order! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OorZcOzNcgE
THIS LIST IS MESSED UP!! let me start with frd durst!, HE SHOULD BE AROUND 110 AND HES NOT METAL!!!, Jonathan davis, great singer! but, 16, maybe a little lower…. COREY TAILOR! whell after his vocal cord injury i can agree he should be lowerd, but 86!!!!! he should be at lest around the 60′s!!!!!. THIS LIST SUCKS!
This is a decent list. All of these are great singers, but most are just rock singers. Chris Cornell of Soundgarden? Freddie Mercury of Queen? Geddy Lee of Rush? Also, I find that Ronnie James Dio (RIP), Udo of Accept, Marilyn Manson, and especially King Diamond of Mercyful Fate should be moved up the list. Glenn Danzig, Joey Belladonna of Anthrax, and Neil Fallon of Clutch should be added to the list, plus a lot more metal singers because this is filled with rock. I am happy to see my favorite singer Rob Halford at the top. I think out of all the comments, Jamie J Griffin made a list closest to my liking.
almost cried when i couldnt find david draiman. but i found him and still live
oh and to all the people who dislike the fact that nu metal vocalists are on this list can go fuck themselves. nu metal completely revolutionized our metal today and quite frankly its awesome. saliva, limp bizkit, and linkin park amazingly epic and anyone who disagrees has obviously never heard their good stuff.
what the list should be (taking into account the bands and the vocalists) :
1. Chester Bennington (Linkin Park) this guy can scream for 19 seconds straight, therefore he must be respected
2. Lizzy Hale (Halestorm) if you have heard this girl in concert, you would know why
3. David Draiman (Disturbed) great meaning and near-perfect voice
4. Matt Tuck (Bullet for my Valentine) boy, he can belt it.
5. Fred Durst (Limp Bizkit) pretty much invented nu metal and started modern rock
6. Amy Lee (Evanescence) mixing beauty with talent in early – 2000′s rock
7. James Hetfield (Metallica) keeping up with good music since the 80′s
8. Sonny Sondoval (P.O.D.) not only can he rap, but his great voice is shown in his hit, “alive”
9. Scott Stapp (Creed) it may be christian rock, but he makes it good
10. Chad Gray (Mudvayne) great voice for rocking out hard
11. Sully Erna (Godsmack) he is what makes godsmack awesome
12. Rob Zombie (Rob Zombie) he takes metal to a whole new level of freaky
13. Adam Gontier (Three Days Grace) his voice would sound great in any band
14. Aaron Lewis (Staind) he can keep metal at a slow beat and still keep it awesome
15. LaJon Witherspoon (Sevendust) you just have to give him credit for being one of the only black singers in metal
16. Josey Scott (Saliva) nu metal at its best
17. Mike Shinoda (Linkin Park) adds the element of rap to metal that is desperately needs
18. Benjamin Burnley (Breaking Benjamin) awesome music with great voice
19. Christina Scabbia (Lacuna Coil) proof that female singers can still be hardcore
20. Wes Scantlin (Puddle of Mudd) may only sing about getting high, but makes it good.
i really dont want to do any more so thats the top 20.
Any list which doesn’t mention Daniel Heiman formerly of Lost Horizon is not a list of top heavy metal vocalists as far as I’m concerned!!! Andi Deris should be on there too!
This can’t be a Metal list. King Diamond at 85! Eddie Vedder, he’s never even been in a Metal band! No sir, my list goes something like this:
10. Chuck Schuldiner
9. Abbath Doom Occulta
8. James Maynard Keenan
7. James Hetfield
6. Bruce Dickenson
5. Rob Halford
4. Ozzy Osbourne
3. Mikael Akerfeldt
2. King Diamond
1. Ronnie James Dio
MICHAEL KISKE! Are you f**in serious?? This guy is the best vocalist in metal history and he’s not even included.. MICHAEL KISKE THE BEST
Something like 50 % of the list is so fake…
ROB FLYNN, man! WHERE IS HE???? HE IS SO HUGE!!!!
Randy Blythe!!!
Zakk Wylde
VASIL RAYKOV!!!
And yeah, Durst… and this guy from LP??? What the fuck man. I can sing better then these scumbags!
Duuuude!!!!!
MATT HEAFY!?!??!?!?!?
JESUS!!!!!!!!!!
Please, close this fuckin hearya site…. omg. Pathetic !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PS: Plant is absolute N1!
Okay, so it seems that most of the gripes here are about the inclusion of Robert Plant, Axl Rose, Jon Bon Jovi, Freddie Mercury, and Rod Stewart. First of, let me say this list is absolute shit, but not necessarily for those reasons.
Robert Plant? *sigh* Okay, I absolutely love Led Zeppelin, and Robert Plant has an amazing voice, and I do realize how influential Zeppelin was on the development of heavy metal, but I am so sick of people calling them “metal.” They may have come close, but they were hard rock, classic rock, and blues rock. But whatever, I understand that one. Robert Plant can stay.
While Rod Stewart is certainly not metal, he’s actually a lot closer to metal than most people would think. As a member of the Jeff Beck Group and the Faces, he helped pioneer hard rock, which of course developed into metal. But that doesn’t excuse his inclusion. He does not deserve to be on here.
Freddie Mercury is fucking amazing, okay? Definitely in the top ten vocalists of all time, in any genre, and in the running for number one. But Queen was absolutely NOT metal. They may have had one or two songs that were kind of metal (“Innuendo,” for one, until it gets to that Spanish breakdown), that doesn’t make Freddie Mercury a metal vocalist. Freddie goes.
Axl Rose and Jon Bon Jovi DO deserve to be one here. There’s a bajillion different subgenres of metal out there, guys, and you’re forgetting glam metal. Sure, it’s a watered-down, closet homosexual version of metal, but at its ccore its metal nonetheless. GNR even more than Bon Jovi, because Bon Jovi’s left most of their metal influence behind, and GNR was much, much heavier than Bon Jovi to begin with. But both can stay.
Also, Jimi Hendrix is great, but shouldn’t be here. Where the hell is Zakk Wylde, and why on earth is Dio not number 1?
Fred Durst blows.
OMG!!!! You are a dipshit!!! It isn’t HearYa’s list. It’s Hit Parader’s. Why don’t you read before spending the time to comment?!?!?!?
When I saw Geoff Tate all the way down to #14 (and below Sammy Hagar, for God’s sake) I stopped reading
I’m sooo glad that Steve Marriott made the cut. He is often forgotten in the scheme of things, but it was his voice with Humble Pie that had the term heavy metal first given to a band.
Neverthless, there are people missing. Amy Lee of Evanesnce is one that I saw on a list above. Also, the placings are all messed up. Gene Simmons ahead of Hendrix and Marriott? Pleeeeaase. Neither Simmons nor Paul Stanley are real belters.
this list is full of great people. Metal ? I dont think so . If your gonna include women , LINDA PERRY IS TOTALLY NESSARY !
Man, Kurt Cobain and Jon Bon Jovi are in a list of METAL singers, but HANSI KURSCH and MATT BARLOW aren’t. That makes the list a shit. Period.
Why is Chris Cornell so high? Soundgarden is terrible!
like i guess everyone, i think theyre’s some things i dont agree with in this list. The one thing i will say is that Corey Taylor should be higher. I say more in the 60′s. And Freddy is just incrediable, but i’m not sure how he is really metal.
Where’s Lzzy Hale? She should be #1
WTF! Where is Jim Morrison? And Janis Joplin?
Seriously,people don’t understand metal inside out and make foolish comments. Almost all people in this list are non metal performers.Before commenting,get to know what metal is.
So,here is the List :
1.Ronnie James Dio – He is the undisputed heavy metal king. The fact that he sounded like a Greek God from day 1 to 10 sec before he died,makes ronnie the greatest ever.I cannot imagine what would have happened to sabbath after continuous flop albums with Ozzy.He revived sabbath and the whole heavy metal thing and Iommy and Geezer butler of black sabbath are the ones who accept that fact. Ronnie was a bassist and he also wrote music as well as lyrics along with iommy. Halford,bruce and others couldn’t do it.Also,ronnie was more gifted than others and sang every song with same intensity.
2.Rob Halford
3.Bruce Dickinson – The top 3 are immovable. Any list that doesn’t have this top three sucks..No singer have been born yet to challenge these legends and no one can sing better than them-simple as that.
4.Ozzy Osbourne( I hate him but this dude is a legend.He may not be as gifted as other vocalist above him,but he is a really great singer.)
5. Chuck Schuldiner – Ok,People.This guy is another legend of the extreme subgenre of metal.Despite the contribution he made to metal,he didn’t want to be called the godfather of death metal…But,he is a great vocalist.
6.James Hetfield
7.Robert Plant
8.Mikael Ã…kerfeldt
9.King Diamond
10.Tom Araya
If you have understood metal enough,you wouldn’t argue with the top 3.Maybe you would want to see robert plant up there.But,he is much of a hard rock singer.Others,you can definitely argue.
Ozzy should be #1!!! to all fags who say Ozzy can’t sing – GO FUCK YOURSELVES!!! He’s the greatest metal voice ever and everyone knows that. Hatfield should be in top5.
so happy joe elliot beat bon jovi, about time someone gets it right… as far as the ppl on the list, the orders are all screwed up
Any list that doesn’t have Klaus Meine in the top 5 is a Joke!!! But, then again we are talking about Shit Parader!!!
1. Dio
2. Klaus Meine
3. Bruce Dickenson
4. Ozzy
5. Rob Halford
FUCK THIS LIST!
Where’s Tim Lambesis? Randy Blythe? J. Mann? M. Shadows? Jacoby Shaddix? Brandan Schieppati? Mark Hunter? Till Lindemann?
And why fred durst’s on the list? My man’s is better than that fuckin gay
where is chuck billy?!! Omg he is one of the best metal vocalist imo. Testament deserves the respect!!
WHY IS DON DOKKEN AT 70!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? HE IS KING OF ALL OF THEM! Here’s My Top 10:
1. Don Dokken
2. Geoff Tate
3. Bruce Dickenson
4. Ronnie James Dio
5. Klaus Meine
6. Ozzy Osbourne
7. Alice Cooper
8. Jeff Keith
9. Steve Perry
10. Udo Dierkschnider
To people saying Freddie Mercury and Queen aren’t metal…
Listen to:
Their whole first album
Ogre Battle
Stone Cold Crazy (pioneered Speed/Thrash metal)
Flick of the Wrist
Now I’m Here
Tie Your Mother Down
Dead On Time
Sheer Heart Attack
Hammer to Fall
One Vision
Gimme the Prize
Princes of the Universe
I Want It All
Innuendo
Headlong
The Hitman
etc.
Rolling Stone actually named Queen the first non-blues based heavy metal band back in like ’73 or ’74 and they have been cited as an influence by Maiden, Metallica, Judas Priest, etc.
So fuck off!
oh and this list sucks!
Till Lindemann, phil bartez, chuck billy, Chris Cornell, Tilo Wolf, Shagrat and max cavalera, where is those guys?, how we say in México: “Hazme el chingao favor!!!, no mamen”, this list is like the vh1 program the best 100 songs of the hard rock, again, NO MAMEN WEYES!!!
What is this!
Ian Gillan from Depp Purple at 43rd spot? Haven’t you heard Child in Time or any of the other classics? And Dio at #10. he shuould be at #1.
This list is simply a joke!
Nils
metal fan from Norway
seriously? where is randy blythe or tim lambesis… you have people on here who are not heavy metal… you are leaving off many talented vocalists of todays resurgence in american metal… keith buckley is not only a great vocalist but one of the best writers… mitch lucker has one the most intense vocal ranges… this list is absolutely biased and a waste of time…
Okay first of all this list is 100 greatest metal singers of all time. Metal’s face has changed over the years. What was considered metal in the late 70s eary 80s wouldn’t be considered metal now. I.E. AC-DC in their time were considered metal. Without a doubt Ronnie James Dio is metal.
The metal of today is a lot harder than it was back then and contains a lot of screamo and growling. Thrash contained this in the 80s but not to the same level as today. So “of all time” is in effect here.
Those of you who say Geoff Tate shouldn’t be on this list should go back and listen to Queensryche’s earlier stuff. He could wail. As a matter of fact there was a time when Tate, Dickinson and Halford were all held in very high regard. They should still be today altho Tate has lost his range as he’s gotten older he’s still performing.
There are some names on here that give me pause like the grunge singers and the emo singers but metal has taken on so many faces over the years it’s hard to argue with any of it unless you’re close minded about it all. Which isn’t what metal was about in the first place. It’s about rebellion and life and change. It’s about the act of creation which is violent and tearing. It’s about us, those of us who lived and those of us who died. It’s a in your face punch of double bass drums and screaming guitars and vicious bass lines. It’s about a driving force that makes your heart hammer in your chest and makes you want to bang your head. It’s about raw emotion and power. You can walk through that list and each and every one of the singers on there has one of these characteristics.
OMG! who the hell put this list together? Brian Johnson at #39 and Steve Perry #28 what the f*ck? Hey at least Ronnie James Dio made the top ten. They got something right.
ozzy should be number 1!!!
james hetfield is missing, most of this arent metal singers!!!!
david bowie?! freddy mercury?!?!
OMFG!! you are high!!!
now i like metal just as much as the next guy but this is bull! now there are sum great singers in here but they should be in this catagory! now queen is my favorite band ever i love them to death but seriously freddie mercury in a metal singer contest i just dont see it, also rod stewart? i love him first guy i ever listened to but again dowsnt belong! david bowie another great that doesnt belong! and no way is robert plant #1 i love zep but cumon dio is after ozzy and plant?!?! this is insane the poeple who make these lists are probably the people that decide on who to induct into the rock n roll hall of fame!!
1. ozzy should be #1 he invented heavy metal
2.if this is metal why is jimi hendrix up there
3.why is james hetfield #24 he ( Metallica) created thrash metal
4. whats the point of calling it greatest metal vocalists if half of them arent even metal
WTF???? ohhh man, you’re confused! This list is a mix of rock AND metal vocalists.
It’s the worst TOP 100 METAL vocalists I’ve ever seen
Every list sucks if Robert Plant is in top 10, because simply there are no free spaces for him and because it is a fucking stereotype that he is best singer and Led Zeppelin is the best rock band too. Did you ever heard Led Zeppelin alive, they are a joke!
I would put Bruce Dickinson on the first place becuse nobody has so MALE powerful voice as him, except Dio only.
My list of top 25 top singers of Heavy Metal would be:
1. Bruce Dickinson
2. Ronnie James Dio
3. Ozzy Osbourne
4. Rob Halford
5. Michael Kiske
6. Geoff Tate
7. David Coverdale
8. Sebastian Bach
9. Joey Belladonna
10. Ian Gillan
11. Philip Anselmo
12. Axl Rose
13. Klaus Meine
14. Ralf Scheepers
15. Steven Tyler
16. Jorn Lande
17. Blackie Lawless
18. Andi Deris
19. Bobby Blitz Elsworth
20. James LaBrie
21. Warrel Dane
22. Biff Byford
23. Kory Clarke
24. Midnight
25. Udo Dirkschneider
26. Tony Martin
27. Don Dokken
28. Kai Hansen
29. Dave Mustaine
30. James Hatfield
George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher anyone? he should definatly be on this list. Tom Araya and Dave Mustaine should both be higher on the list
This is bullshit why is corey taylor in 86 he is one of the best singers in the world this is bulshit!
I never liked Robert Plant’s voice. It’s overtly girly. Fuck him.
I wouldn’t respect anyone who told me they liked Dio’s voice over Axl Rose’s voice. That’s gay. Why downplay Axl and upplay Dio? What the fuck is up with that? Dio wouldn’t make my top million metal vocalist’s list.
Ozzy, Axl Rose and James Hetfield are the only metal vocalist’s I’ve ever been impressed by. I like Oderus Urungus’s voice too, but he ain’t on the list. Axl Rose’s voice is fucking awesome. How can he not be number one? That part in Welcome to the Jungle where he’s screaming about how you are going to die kills every other top ten vocalist on this stupid list.
Lemmy has a great metal voice. He sounds like a guy who could totally kick your ass and easily at that. There’s nothing feminine about his voice.
Just because I like Bon Scott’s voice or Kurt Kobain’s voice doesn’t mean I would put them on a top METAL vocalist list.
Lists suck. It’s almost a given that any mainstream publication is going to fuck up a top X list. If you don’t think Axl Rose has the best metal voice, fuck you. You’re either some old guy who grew up in the seventies or you’re really gay.
COREY TAYLOR SHOULD BE NUMBER 1!!!!
To mattio:
First of all, GNR has very little of metal. They’re mainly a rock band, they’ve got some hard rock songs that could be taken as soft metal due to the time when they were released, for example “Welcome To The Jungle”, “Right Next Door To Hell”, but anyway they’re not overall recognized as a metal band but as a great ROCK band.
Second, though I do like Axl voice, he’s no way near the technique, range and variety that guys like Halford, Dio and Dickinson give to their voices. I assume you’ve never listened carefully to those singers, but if you want to understand what I’m saying check “Painkiller” by Judas Priest, “Dream Evil” by Dio, “Fear Of The Dark” by Maiden…
Third, stop using “gay” and “girly” to describe clean voices, metal it’s not only about screaming your ass off, if you can’t deal with it then it’s your problem. Singers like Hetfield and Lemmy overscream and fuck their voices up in order to disguise vocals that otherwise would sound weak and plain because of their lack of technique or talent; there are of course excepcions like Phil Anselmo, he can (or at least he could) growl like some fucking monster and then sing a song with a “girly” tone as you call it.
“If you don’t think Axl Rose has the best metal voice, fuck you. You’re either some old guy who grew up in the seventies or you’re really gay.”
So we need to think like you?? Do you know the absolute truth?
No sir, please save that fuck you to yourself.
PD: I could give you a thousand reasons about why Dio is better singer than Axl, since you’re confusing the voices that you like with skilled, musically accomplished voices.
Paul Plant? Jimi Hendrix?
Those guys aren’t metal vocalists.
What the fuck is this shit?
Dave Mustaine. Thanks.
Ok, I think that the beginning of this fucking list should be different. Despite the fact that many people have heard of most of these singers, we should take into account and also pay attention to the popularity of the bands in which they sing / sang, or the names what are most associated. I suggest a different beginning of this list:
01. James Hetfield
02. Ozzy Osbourne
03. Bruce Dickinson
04. Marilyn Manson
05. Dave Mustaine
06. Freddie Mercury
07. Axl Rose
08. Jimi Hendrix
09. Ronie James Dio
10. Robert Plant
I know that most of you do not agree with what I wrote, but it is impossible to arrange such a list, which everyone would agree. But one thing is certain… Nobody likes that fucking list! ;]
Of course, half of them are not actually metal singers, but I think, that I don’t have to add it ;]
” Ehm… the fuck? 10.18.09 at 12:44 pm
any valid reason for James Hetfield not even BEING on this list? i mean imo he should atleast make the top 5 on a metal list -.-’
Nr 1. James hetfield
Nr 2. Bruce Dickinson
Nr3. Ozzy Osbourne ” <—– I totally aree that
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