Hey guys welcome back again to Ken Tamplin Vocal Academy where the proof is
in the singing. I'm doing the Top 20 Best Male Metal
Vocalists of All Time and I'm starting at number 20. I'm gonna work my way towards
number one and definitely stick around because I've got some incredible
honourable mentions coming up after number one. Now it was a little difficult
to decide which camp to put whom in and let me explain this. I just did the Top
20 Best Male Rock Vocalists of all time and so I tried to really separate these
out in a very fair concise way. Rock vocalists that were known for rock
before 80s metal and 90s metal and whatnot. I tried to keep them in their
own camp as more you know Bryan Adams was certainly more of a rock vocalist,
certainly wasn't a metal vocalist in that sense. Whereas a Bon Jovi that came
up through the 80s metal thing was kind of more of a metal vocalist. So I tried
to separate those out. There's a couple cross-pollination you know, one guy is
a David Coverdale that was popular Deep Purple, certainly would fit the metal
category. So I tried to really be careful about what.. you know not overdoing and
doubling up on these things as I go along so. Now I also have a singing
course and the course is called How To Sing Better Than Anyone Else. You can
find it right here at Ken Tamplin Vocal Academy.com where we negotiate all of
these different styles and techniques and whatnot that made these singers
great in hopes to help make you great. So starting at number 20 and again a lot of
this was done by popular poll. So we pulled a lot of the people that you know
gave us who they wanted, whoever surfaced the highest is what made its way
towards number one but is definitely Kip Winger and so Kip comes in at number 20
and Kip is just an amazing talented guy. Great bass player, good guitar player,
great singer, high range, great energy, great performer, had a fantastic band,
good composer and just an all-around phenomenal guy. So he's one of those guys
too that sort of slipped through the cracks and didn't make it to quite the
same icon status as an Axl Rose or a Bon Jovi or whomever but he certainly wa..
force to be reckoned with. So we're gonna start with Kip let's check out Kip
Winger and let's move on towards, from 20 towards number one. Here we go.
Alright next up is Geoff Tate from Queensryche. Now we all know Geoff is
that amazing high range singer from Queensryche and maybe one of the
greatest progressive metal/rock albums of all time being Operation Mindcrime. So
let's check out Geoff.
Next up is James Hetfield from Metallica. Now before we talk about James. I got a
lot of flack from guys saying oh you're not gonna put James you know in the top 20,
you know he's not one of the greatest top metal singers. Well this is actually
done not just because of their ability to sing we in fact put Lemmy Kilmister
as number 20 in the rock Best Rock Male Vocalists of all time, this has to do with
their amount of influence they've had as a band, how long they've lasted and the
influence that they've had in general as well as their stage performances, their
songwriting, the guitar playing and everything that goes in that. So I think
James Hetfield definitely deserves to be in the Top 20 and we're gonna see why.
Next up is Jeff Keith from Tesla. Now Jeff had one of those really unique,
distorted, naturally distorted voices kinda like Rod Stewart or some people
even say Axl Rose. I wouldn't go that far but definitely great, soulful, unique,
distorted sound. Great melody, songwriting they did some great ballads, they did a
lot of great rock stuff, just an all-around great rock band and just a
great rock vocal. Let's check out Jeff.
Next up is another really great naturally, distorted sounding vocalist
which is Tom Keifer from Cinderella. Now Cinderella had a really unique sound
because they in some sense had kind of an AC/DC vibe on the one hand with their
great ballad songwriting on the other and just a quintessential example
of a great 80s metal band. Here's Tom.
Okay next up is David Lee Roth from Van Halen. Now I took a little guff for some
people and they said hey you can't put him in a top 20, he's not one of the greatest
metal singers of all time. Yes I can. David had a very unique character voice.
I mean he was just a wild, crazy dude, really funny, a phenomenal frontman and
come on like you know "California Girls", "Just A Gigolo", "Hot For Teacher". You know
there's so many great Van Halen songs "Jump" right that you look at and go you
know get his very unique sound and he certainly fronted the top of the front
of the heap in the pack for 80s metal. Quintessential example of great 80s
metal singing so with that said let's hear from David.
Now here's one I'm proud to put in the Top 20
and that's Ray Gillen from Badlands. Left us way too early, just an incredible
singer. You guys know him from Badlands but he also had a brief stint with Black
Sabbath and I actually did "Dreams In The Dark Myself, I'll put that in the
description you can see how well I did stacked up next to that but Ray was
just a phenomenally talented singer and definitely very influential for the very
short period that we got to enjoy him. So here's Ray Gillen.
Wiggling his way into the Top 20 is Sebastian Bach from Skid Row. Now we know
of Sebastian not just because of his cute factor but also just his incredibly
high range and powerful stamina and vocals. So he's definitely very influential and
has certainly etched his way into the Top 20. So let's check out Sebastian
Bach.
Cruising in is Jon Bon Jovi. Now what a better example of 80s metal than Jon
Bon Jovi right. I actually did quite a few Jon Bon
Jovi or Bon Jovi songs. I'll put those in the description you can see how I did
but I'll tell you what man "Livin On A Prayer" and some of the other songs that
he's got out, pretty tough tunes to sing. So let's check out Jon Bon Jovi.
And of course we can't forget Joe Elliott from Def Leppard. Another
incredible 80s metal band. Now Joe also has some very
difficult stuff to sing I actually did a version of "Photograph". I'll put that in
the description but just a great band, phenomenal production and just a great
live performance all-around. So here we have Joe Elliott.
Next up is Michael Matijevic from Steelheart. Now this dude is probably one
of the greatest high range metal vocalists of all time.
Straight up. I mean every time I've seen that guy live or on TV or whatever, just
spot-on vocals, just power, range, pitch, control, tone. The guy had..and handsome.The
guy had it tall man just crazy. I did a version of "She's Gone". I'll put that in
the description and my student Katie did a version of "Never Let You Go". I'll put
that in the description also. Tell us how we did but the other thing too about him
is he also did the movie or was one of the voices in the movie Rockstar and
that was also a great soundtrack. So let's check out Michael.
All aboard.
What would a Top 20 countdown be without Ozzy Osbourne. Of course he's Ozzy right.
Now we all know him back in the day from Black Sabbath. We know him from Ozzy. We know
of his biting bats heads off, we know Ozzfest and just a crazy, crazy
maniac, madman. Surrounds himself with some of the world's greatest players,
great songwriting, great melody, just fits right smack dab square in the middle of
the perfect example of 80s metal. Now I did a version of "Crazy Train" myself. I'll
put that in the description as well and let's just check out Ozzy.
It doesn't get much more metal than Rob Halford of Judas Priest "Breaking The Law".
Anyway yes mister screaming meme Rob Halford is just the quintessential
example of awesome 80s metal. Now I've done some Priest myself, I'll put that
in the description for you to check out and let's all check out Mr. Rob Halford.
Next in is Klaus Meine from the Scorpions. Now I know I included Klaus on the Best
Rock Male Vocalists of All Time and now he's in the Best Rock Metal Male
Vocalists of All Time but it was kind of weird because he straddles both you know
genres. I mean Scorpions started out you know him being more of a rock singer and
the Scorpions pre kind of eighties metal of course and then was really came to
fame I'd say theyir big fame happened through the 80s of eighties metal. So I
kind of had to put him in here too. I tried not to double up on guys that much
but we just had to with Klaus. So here we have Klaus Meine.
When one thinks of some of the most popular 80s metal bands, you can't
possibly go through that list and not think of Guns N Roses and Axl Rose. Axl
had one of the most powerful, high range kind of buzzsaw
sounding vocals in all of 80s metal and certainly some great songwriting and
some very energetic performances. I myself did "November Rain". I'll put that
in the description. I also did "Paradise City" and my student Gabriela did
"Welcome To The Jungle" and I'll put all that in the description so you can see
how we did but we've got to check out Axl Rose.
Next beastly vocals up to bat is Bruce Dickinson from Iron Maiden. Now this was
a little bit of a tough one because did I put..should I put him in the rock
category, should I put him into metal category, maybe both. I felt that he was a
little bit more on the metal side than in the rock side itself so he definitely
is way at the top of the heap of the metal category. So Bruce Dickinson, Iron
Maiden here we go.
Now next up is a combo. I went ahead and put Brian Johnson and Bon Scott together
in 80s metal but I'd also included them in the Best Rock Male Vocalists of all
time because they straddled both fences if you ask me. So I'm gonna put both of
them back-to-back because there's no way you can do 80s metal without including
the whole package of AC/DC. So let's check out Bon Scott and Brian Johnson
back to back.
Moving forward we have David Coverdale from Whitesnake. Now yes I included David
as one of the Best Male Rock Vocalists of All Time but I'm also including him as
one of the Best Male Metal Vocalists of All Time.
He certainly has spanned across both categories in my opinion and you can't
really list Metal Male Vocalist without listing "Still Of The Night", "Here I Go
Again", "Is This Love". Now I've covered a couple
of these. I'm gonna put these in the description, you can see how I did but
definitely David Coverdale deserves to be in the Top Twenty and then even in
the Top Five. Here's David.
Coming in at number two is Steven Tyler from Aerosmith. Yes I included Steven also
in my Best Male Rock Vocalists but it'd be pretty tough to not include him in
the metal era as well with his flamboyance and his metal clothing and
all of the metal songs that came through Aerosmith through the 80s. So here we
have Steven Tyler.
The moment we've all been waiting for but before I tell you who comes in at
number one, I want to mention a few things. Please stick around for some
honorable mentions. If your person didn't get mentioned, they're probably in the
honorable mentions so check that out .I'm gonna be doing a series on modern rock
vocalists, postmodern rock vocalists, metal and grunge and some other things, scream.
So those will have their own categories so stay tuned for those as well. I also
have a singing course it's called How to Sing Better Than Anyone Else where we
negotiate how all these guys got to their greatness in hopes to help give
you some ability to get great at singing as well. You can find it right here at
Ken Tamplin Vocal Academy.com and coming in at number one is none
other than Ronnie James Dio. Deservedly the greatest Metal Rock Vocalist of all
time in a poll opinion and in my opinion. So stick around for some honorable
mentions after this and let's hear from Ronnie.