The Top 10 All-Around Vocalists
There are many great vocalist in metal both screamers and singers, but it is much more rare to find one vocalist who truly excels at both. It's very common for metal bands to use separate vocalist for the alternating styles as switching between singing and screaming places great strain on ones vocal chords. This list will be ranking the select few who manage to stand out performing both vocal styles to the highest level.
1. Corey Taylor (Slipknot/Stone Sour) - While not the first vocalist to blend both singing and screaming, Corey was one of the first to truly master both. His brutally harsh screams accompanied by his iconic singing voice set him apart from the moment Slipknot hit the scene in 1999. Corey Taylor is widely considered one of the greatest vocalist of all-time.
2. Spencer Sotelo (Periphery) - Lead vocalist of progressive metal band, Periphery, Spencer Sotelo is known for his extremely high vocal range, easily the highest on the list. As the years have gone on Sotelo's screams have improved tremendously making him undoubtedly one of the most talented vocalist in all of music.
3. Ryan Kirby (Fit For A King) - Metalcore vocalist, Ryan Kirby excels at both deep guttural screams and soaring vocal melodies but perhaps his greatest talent is how well he patterns his vocal delivery to fit the accompanying music. It's also worth noting he shares his singing responsibilities with another great vocalist in Ryan O'Leary, making his ability to stand out all the more impressive.
4. Phil Labonte (All That Remains) - The argument can be made that based purely on talent, Labonte could be higher on this list. The problem lies wherein All That Remains has had very inconsistent output for about a decade now, often dabbling in radio-friendly hard rock. This does not change the fact that when firing on all cylinders, few can match the vocal prowess of Phil Labonte, who is perhaps the best at death metal vocals of any metalcore vocalist.
5. Chris Motionless (Motionless In White) - Few others, if any vocalists on this list have made such drastic improvements as Chris Motionless. Having started with more of a ''scene" or pop punk style of signing before significantly improving his vocal performances with each album, Chris has become one of the most talented multidimensional singers in metal.
6. Jesse Leach (Killswitch Engage) - Possessing one of the most soulful voices and rawest screams in metal, Leach is an easy choice for this list. When Leach rejoined Killswitch Engage he worked ferociously to improve his singing range to hit the powerful notes established in the bands material by now former vocalist Howard Jones and he succeeded tenfold.
7. Phil Bozeman (Whitechapel) - A few years ago this ranking would've shocked any reader of this article. Mostly known as a deathcore band, fans were shocked when Bozeman gave them his first taste of singing vocals on 2016's "Bring Me Home". The band added more singing on 2019's follow up record "The Valley" met to universal acclaim. Bozeman will move up this list once he truly unleashes his singing capabilities all over a record.
8. Aaron Pauley (Of Mice & Men) - Another vocalist who has made drastic improvements throughout the years. Since taking over full vocal responsibilities in 2017, Pauley has done nothing but improve and impress with his ability to sing beautiful melodies and deliver raw harsh screams. Pauley hit a new peak as a vocalist in 2019 and it feels as he's just coming into his prime which should be a delight for any metal fan.
9. Caleb Shomo (Beartooth) - Shomo is arguably the most talented man on this list, arguably in all of music. The first two Beartooth records were entirely written, performed, and recorded by Shomo himself. Aside from his other talents, Shomo has a great energy to his voice with a rock n roll twang, making him easily one of the genres premier performers.
10. Matt Heafy (Trivium) -Nobody would argue that Trivium's Matt Heafy is the greatest singer in the world, however when you couple his still very good singing with his unique extremely raw and harsh screams, he immediately shoots right into the list. Heafy has suffered several vocal injuries due to his style but he has left his mark all over several all-time great metalcore records.
