I was listening to Iron Maiden earlier and the song "The Evil That Men Do" came on. It occurred to me that this is quite possibly one of the greatest vocal performances in heavy metal. Bruce Dickinson's vocal range at this time was absolutely incredible. Of course Dickinson in the early days was one of the most powerful vocalists in metal. Other great examples of his vocal talents are shown in "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner", "Aces High", "Moonchild", "Infinte Dreams", "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son", and several more. I'm not sure there are too many others out there like him.
Does anyone have any other examples of terrific vocal performances in metal?
As a clean singer when looking at range and power, I'm not sure that metal has done any better than Dickinson.
ReplyDeleteThere are several vocalists I enjoy listening to more, but that's more about their tone, grit, and personality.
I definitely agree that Dickinson is the best metal vocal performer, from a traditional standpoint at least. I also agree that this is one of his strongest performances.
ReplyDeleteAs other fine examples:
- King Diamond's performance in Mercyful Fate's "Gypsy"
- Warrell Dane's in Nervermore's "The River Dragon Has Come" (which also has one of their best guitar performances)
- Dio in Black Sabbath's "The Sign of the Southern Cross" (sometimes understated, but beautifully so)
- Danzig in his very own "Son of the Morning Star" (not so much a virtuoso, but his delivery gives me chills)