If I had to pick a favorite death metal vocalist, my pick would be Martin Van Drunen. Van Drunen has fronted several bands over the years and is something of a hired gun since he has rarely started any of them on his own. However, the Dutch singer has provided vocals for Pestilence, Asphyx, and Hail of Bullets as well as Comecon and his own band Submission. Van Drunen is so highly esteemed in the death metal genre that he was even brought into Bolt Thrower for several years while Karl Willets was out. He never actually recorded an album with Bolt Thrower but performed for several tours. Van Drunen's vocal style is very distinct, made up of deeper-register, manic screaming. He also utilizes a lot of vocal sounds that are not words, similar to the grunts Tom G. Warrior is known for. Van Drunen was at his best in the early years of Asphyx, a band that played a style of death/doom that was virtually unheard of at the time.
Van Drunen currently fronts both Asphyx and Hail of Bullets after Asphyx recently reunited. Hail of Bullets will release their sophomore album later this fall. I am very much looking forward to it.
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