It has been said that “Wherever there is great metal, there are great vocals.” From the dawn of the genre to its decline and rebirth, vocalists have defined the truly great hard-rock and metal groups. Death H\u00e4us decided to venture into the brut\u00e4l wastelands of finding the greatest vocalists through history, coming up with four finalists: Bruce Dickinson, Geoff Tate, Ronnie James Dio, and Phil Anselmo. (Phil Anselmo was placed into the finals during the airing of the show, however it should be noted that James Hetfield won the user poll later in the evening.)<\/p>\n
Ronnie James Dio: Renowned vocalist of Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and his own solo project, Dio sports one of the finest voices in Metal history. Known for his operatic style and flowing vocal melodies, Dio paved the way for future generations and is widely considered the father of Power Metal.<\/p>\n
Elf (1972)- Never More<\/a><\/p>\n Rainbow (1976)- Stargazer<\/a><\/p>\n Black Sabbath (1980)- Heaven and Hell<\/a><\/p>\n Dio (1983)- Dont Talk to Strangers<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Geoff Tate: Ignoring any personal issues the members of Death H\u00e4us might take with Tate, he is a phenomenal vocalist. Drawing from the styles of the new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) and evolving with the times, Tate’s ringing tenor has blown away listeners for decades.<\/p>\n Myth (1982)- Take Hold of the Flame<\/a><\/p>\n Queensr\u00ffche (1986)- The Whisper<\/a><\/p>\n Geoff Tate (Solo Album, 2002)- Forever<\/a><\/p>\n Operation Mindcrime (2015)- The Stranger<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Phil Anselmo: Known for his involvement in Pantera, Anselmo has been in a plethora of bands and worked with numerous other artists. His later harsh vocals offer an approachable alternative for those who don’t want to slog through hours of Death and Black Metal, while his early work is reminiscent of Rob Halford of Judas Priest.<\/p>\n Pantera (1988)- Death Trap<\/a><\/p>\n Pantera (1996)- Drag The Waters<\/a><\/p>\n Iommi (with Tony Iommi, 2000)- Time is Mine<\/a><\/p>\n Down (2012)- Bury me in Smoke<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bruce Dickinson: Another Metal legend, Dickinson made a name for himself as one of the greatest vocalists of all time with Iron Maiden. Dickinson’s soaring melodies and operatic style have cemented him in the annals of rock music for time immemorial.<\/p>\n Samson (1981)- Bright Lights<\/a><\/p>\n Iron Maiden (1983)- Where Eagles Dare<\/a><\/p>\n Bruce Dickinson (Solo Album, 1997 )- Welcome to the Pit<\/a><\/p>\n Iron Maiden (2010)- Mother of Mercy<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In the end, our listeners spoke and voted Ronnie James Dio as the greatest voice in Metal history. While all these vocalists are amazing in their own right, Dio’s sound and contributions to the genre cannot be denied. If you’re interested in more of Dio’s work we strongly suggest the following:<\/p>\n Sign of the Southern Cross<\/a>
\nChildren of the Sea<\/a>
\nMetal Will Never Die<\/a>
\nGates of Babylon<\/a><\/p>\n