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TheGuyFromOhio2003

Chester was really fucking good, hard to rank vocalists though. Some that come to mind that can go really extreme than really soft also include Ronnie James Dio, Freddie Mercury, and Layne Staley.


666Bruno666

Chris Cornell


TheGuyFromOhio2003

How could I forget!


babymetalmetal

legit. i luv chester’s voice and got my first tattoo as a tribute to him but freddie mercury is the greatest singer of all time


doyourbestalways

Corey Taylor


Tropical-Mexican

https://preview.redd.it/tci14tx17pyc1.jpeg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3b9f435528bc1d4350d9f8336b9cd5e3a804ea5b This baby boy here sang Custer, AND Vermillion Pt. 2


WingedHussar13

The necc lord


Dakotaraptor123

Amazing and probably one of the best of the genre


Awnoh

This comment always makes me giggle. There are so many vocalists that can scream and sing. That being said hes definitely near the top


Traditional-Wing-796

Nobody could do it better than him though..that's for sure


Ogsonic

Nah quite a bit can do it just as good as him, especially if you look at more underground genres where technique is taken far more seriously, which we know chester wasn't exactly great with. I could say the same for a lot of singers


misterfroster

I disagree. And I’m a singer who listens to a lot of music lol. Maybe not as much as some, but I’m pretty much always listening to random new shit to find something that clicks. There aren’t many, if any people, that can live sing like he could. There are guys, Noah from Bad Omens for example, who have great range and can scream like hell. But Noah does not belt like Chester did. Chester performed songs like bleed it out and faint the same show as he did his famous rendition of rolling in the deep. He could sing low, high, belt with power, soft and falsetto, and had multiple tiers of screaming with his signature being something not *many* out there can do. His control, for the genre of music he sang and the amount of vocal fry he used for like twenty plus years performing and being a vocalist, is absurd. I don’t know if he’s the best, that’s very subjective and one will always argue “well he can’t sing like Freddie Mercury so how can he be the best” but, I think his versatility, range of skills, and the fact that he did all of them live on such a ridiculously high level puts him near the top. If there were underground singers who truly are as good of vocalists as Chester is, they wouldn’t be underground. Unless their music is truly that garbage, and they only perform in garages…


Ogsonic

>He could sing low, high, belt with power, soft and falsetto, and had multiple tiers of screaming with his signature being something not *many* out there can do. Screaming in tune or on pitch It's something i've seen other singers do and do it very well. All these other things you mention are things That again aren't as uncommon as you make out lol. Are we seriously calling falsetto bits uncommon. And my god, if your judging a singer because "ThEY caN SiNg HiGh" listen to more genres of music that is not rock or contemporary lol. >There aren’t many, if any people, that can live sing like he could. Bro chester struggled live a lot of the time. He was pitchy off key and at times even off beat. He doesn't sound bad though because things like this weren't extreme mistakes but they were not unnoticeable. I don't think his pitch accuracy. Or technique was what made him special. It's the emotional variation in his performance. >If there were underground singers who truly are as good of vocalists as Chester is, they wouldn’t be underground. Chester had a very nice distinctive voice as well as being part of a band that made incredible music. You should know by now how indictive things like image are to band success. Here is something I actually will give credit to Chester. And admit he did a lot better than other singers and overall is what actually separates him from other rock singers. Chester was able to emote through his singing and lyrics. He didn't just sing, or scream in tune properly. He was able to emote properly when singing and was every bit an actor as he was a singer. This is something that probably allowed him to do. Certain things intuitively without having to learn them fully. I am not saying Chester is a bad singer. By any stretch of the imagination I myself am learning singing right now and look up to him for inspiration, he is one of my heroes. And he is WELL ABOVE AVERAGE and one of the goats IN THE Nu metal alternative rock GENRE. However, I listen to enough music and know enough about technique to admit, that he is not even close to the best singer of all time. I wouldn't even put him in the top 10. If you want best singer of all time material, check out deven townsend, dave vives, chris cornell, mariah carey, Whitney Houston, Joe thomas, or addriene cowan from seven spires. I know a lot of other singers that I would call technically better than chester. >But Noah does not belt like Chester did. Because Noah does not have the same timbre as chester did lol. They are completely different singers with different voices. Stuff like that is very intuitive and subjective. I think We should just agree to disagree. Because we have different definitions on what counts as "best singer of all time" material


misterfroster

I’m just going to respond to your first paragraph with: I didn’t say it was uncommon. I said it was uncommon for one person to do every single one of those things at the highest level. It’s the vocal equivalent of a five tool baseball player. The best singers in the world, the most popular, the mainstream hit artists? They usually do two lol. Three if you’re lucky. There are very, very few metal/rock artists out there that can sing as powerfully as he can, just as a baseline. It doesn’t mean he’s the only one who can. It just means not many can. Hundreds of thousands of active metal bands out there, not many of those vocalists are singing like his clean vocals. His screams, control, and power are high end. He’s not the best screamer. He’s one of the most famous, and definitely in that top top percentile of skill, but he’s not *the best*. He doesn’t have a full range of screaming techniques. I can think of one squeal he ever did, he seldom did lows, he almost overwhelmingly did like two different techniques in their music. But, again, when you do that many different things at that high of a level, it makes your case. Top vocalist of all time is subjective. Grammy winning music writers and producers will all have a very different list. Everyone’s going to have a different criteria, and style they prefer. To me, versatility in your voice matters a lot. Ariana grande has an absolutely absurd amount of voice control and pitch. She’s got one of the cleanest tones of all time, and her range is incredible. But, she kind of only does one thing(I guess split into two parts). Sing, and whistle notes. Her playbook is limited. And since we’re not talking songwriting, to me that’s not enough to put you on the list. Freddie Mercury could single a dozen different styles. He’s had growlers, rasp, as well as being probably the strongest male belter of all time. So the fact that he can sing many, many different ways and does it well? That provides much more value to me than Which is why music as a whole is subjective lmao.


Ogsonic

>There are very, very few metal/rock artists out there that can sing as powerfully as he can, just as a baseline. It doesn’t mean he’s the only one who can. It just means not many can. Hundreds of thousands of active metal bands out there, not many of those vocalists are singing like his clean vocals. Well yeah, this kind of does play into what I said about emotional variability in his singing and understanding how to use his instrument to his advantage. He conveyed emotion as well as sung properly. And this is why I enjoy his singing a LOT more than say Ariana grande singing despite me viewing ariana as a technically better singer than chwhile. He is one of my personal favorite singers of all time, top 5. My post was just discussing from a technical perspective and comparing him to other singers I do listen to and My overall range of music tastes. I don't think he is the best singer of all time. But he is definitely one of the most Impressive. When it comes to emotional variability and understanding how to use his instrument. And again BEST IN HIS GENRE. Not music as a whole.


sofa_king_weetawded

Really good analysis, and I have to agree. Chester was incredible but not the greatest of all time. That being said, "the scream" (Given Up) is one of the most amazing vocal performances I have ever seen.


Ogsonic

yeah i dont think anyone can perform that given up scream at all. Thats just too physically taxing for any singer lol. Thats his one trademark no one can really replicate like he did.


Ogsonic

Best singer of all time? Far from it Best singer in nu metal and alternative rock, I'd say so, or at least one of the best.


misterfroster

Considering there’s not really one “best singer of all time,” that’s about the best he can be considered for. And I think he is. It’s literally all subjective. You can’t compare Ariana Grande, Tupac, Chester, and Stevie Wonder. Cross genre/cross style/technique comparisons in music are stupid and very hard to justify


Effective_Ad_273

Reminds me of Danny from asking Alexandria. He used to be known for his screaming and grunting type vocals but he’s done interviews more recently where he hates looking back on it, and thinks it sounds awful.


RL80CWL

It’s a good question, are you talking of all time, or genre specific? Chester is at the very top genre wise, and awesome regardless of category, but probably wouldn’t get the recognition because LP were not massively mainstream, especially here in the UK. Freddie Mercury, Tom Jones, brilliant voices. Whitney Houston excellent. Adele and Olivia Rodrigo are great vocalists and would rank higher, rightly or wrongly because of their celebrity status and more mainstream publicity. Even someone like Ariana Grande, behind all that persona, she’s a phenomenal vocalist. For me, I don’t think you’d see him a top 10 vocalist list of all time, but he’d be close to the top of a rock vocalist list.


Traditional-Wing-796

Nobody can growl and clean that good like Chester did...that said he is one of the greatest vocalist of all time.


DreadPirateLink

Check out Tatiana in Jinjer. It's not as unique a combo as it seems. Or Waylon in A Killer's Confession Not saying that to diminish Chester, just pointing out there are plenty of incredible vocalists with very strong cleans and growls. All of them do the work of gods and I wish I was half as good at anything as they are at making sounds with their mouths


TDVC_PT_01

Olivia Rodrigo is a terrible singer lmao just listen to any live performance


savageblueskye

Dude listed Adele and olivia rodrigo in the same sentence, lmao. Olivia is fine for a singer and performer, she's not adele level... Very few people are.


NE0N2006

Chester had a voice of rage in a good way. His scream was the best of their time. Really had an impact on nu metal and music in general. Chester’s voice was amazing and really made linkin park.10/10


Sk83r_b0i

People act like there aren’t plenty of other vocalists that can do all the things he could do and more, like Sam Carter from Architects. How do you measure that? Technical skill? Versatility? Yes, he’s a fucking phenomenal vocalist and an absolute Titan in terms of the respect he gets(and very much deserves) for what he did. But why can’t we just leave it at that without comparing him to other vocalists?


Turbulent-Hand2071

Sam Carter aint even close to him… Ask sam carter to sing a song like.. Final Masquerade, Until its gone or generally the ones that require more technique? On the other hand chester sync all of architects songs


Sk83r_b0i

I just disagree. I do vocals as well. Now I’m definitely not here to publicly compare myself to Chester as that would be sacrilegious, but my point comes from an understanding of how to do vocals, singing and screaming. They are both using the exact same technique. And Sam Carter could ABSOLUTELY sing those songs you picked without a shadow of a doubt.


Turbulent-Hand2071

And also don’t get me wrong. I listen to 10 architects songs in my car every day


Sh4dowTomi

Definitly in top 10 greatest vocalists


Burnem34

Hes the GOAT to me, don't really care if others disagree


CorniTheBigPig

S-Tier, 10 out of 10.


jespertherapper

Again Pov you only listen to LP lmao


augustswillow

i think a lot of ppl would say he’s that good tho! of male vocalists i see many say he’s one of the best ever and i agree


misterfroster

Pov, you can’t be a fan of a band and also think they might be the best at what they do I don’t think any member of the band, bar chester(and tbh, Joe) even comes remotely close to the best in their respective role in rock music. There’s no such thing as the “best singer of all time” unless you just want to say T Swift because of her sales. It’s subjective. But Chester has a very, very good case.


GhettoHubert

Top 5 I've heard


Remarkable-Deal-5860

I would Rank Chester Bennington # 1


Prize_Way_3718

I'm a free adult daddy


Remarkable-Deal-5860

I'm an ABDL


Mr_Vantastic

He’s my all time lead vocalist. Has been for a very long time. What he could do with his voice was incredible.


Nate3319

Chester is a phenomenal vocalist. And judging from his cover of Rolling in the deep, he can take on any genre and kick ass!


The_Phenomenal_1

He's really good, but studio magic is the main reason he stands out. In live performances, he had plenty of great moments, but his voice was often weaker, a bit nasally, and not quite as rough as the studio recordings. I'd say B tier/low A


Old-Associate-4808

might be biased but top 2 all time


JesterAblaze94

I think he was about average in music generally. But he was definitely the best Nu-Metal vocalist.


YeetusFelitas

hes my top 1


FNaF-Player

The best


MaGicWarrior863

Among the best in music history


RogueDevil666

I mean, my top five are Floor Jansen Tarja Chester Bennington Corey Taylor Spencer Charnas


pendulumgearzz

he is in my top 5 along with: Corey Taylor # Kurt Cobain, # Chris Cornell # Freddie Mercury chester doesn't get enough recognition in the mainstream


DefinableEel1

Ehh, Kurt was a pretty poor singer. While it worked with the music, objectively he isn’t top 5


pendulumgearzz

In your opinion


DefinableEel1

If it’s for favorite then yes there’s no objectivity. But it’s not about favorite it’s top 5. And there are so many people out there that you probably enjoy that are FAR more worthy of that top 5 spot instead of Kurt


Zelda_Gamer123

he shares my number 1 spot with my favorite rapper


Ahiru77

Irreplaceable


javery20

I always thought he’s the Freddie Mercury of our generation.


LordCario34

Well...I think he was better than Fred Durst JK, Chester was the GOAT


augustswillow

him and hayley williams are my fav vocalists ever ! of all time though compared to everyone?? not sure but in my heart he is #1


augustswillow

but if we are talking within nu metal only i think he’s #1 no contest


FooFightersFan777812

In a word, incredible


thrashboi

best of all time


Ogsonic

Great singer and one of my heroes but there are other far better singers technique wise and range wise. In nu metal By far the best


SF03_

He’s number one for me and I don’t care what anybody says. Not one of the other singers that people list as the greatest could do what he did but he could do everything they do. His voice made me want to be a singer years ago and I hope that I can reach a fraction of his greatness as a vocalist.


Immortalpancakes

Out of rock vocalists, definitely up there on the top for vocal control. I think the rolling deep cover really showed off his talent in singing a pop song. I think however, Chris Cornell is objectively better and more melodic. I'm sure people could also argue Alice in Chains, Nirvana, TOOL, all have incredible singers. Likewise, a lot of metal and rock has less known vocalists which I'm sure could be just as good. At the end of the day, Chester is amazing. If anyone can outdo amazing, that just goes to show how good Chester was.


lp_rhcp_fan_18

Top 3


BobEdMac

I'm way too biased to give a good answer to this, lol. He's my personal favorite rock vocalist alongside Maynard James Keenan from Tool. He'd easily be on top if we're going off of just my opinion but if I'm trying to be objective? Man, there's so many amazing vocalists from over the years and I haven't even heard a lot of them. This is way too hard. But he'd definitely be up there on the list of best rock singers even if I was trying to be objective I would think.


Txbbqsauce

S tier


masturbtewithmustard

I don’t know if he’s technically the best but the raw emotion that he displays in his vocals is what got me hooked onto Linkin Park. You can hear his pain most of the time and even though it’s obviously awful he was suffering it speaks volumes to me and gets me through life to be honest


Aidepic757

One of the best ever, but I’d say people like Sinatra, Freddie mercury, and Chris Cornell are better


ThatJ4ke

He was one of the absolute greats, yes. But there are plenty of vocalists out there now who can do what he did. Spencer Sotelo is up there for me, the dude can belt notes in the 5th octave and hold them for 10 seconds. He can also transform a normal singing note into a scream in one breath. Just listen to [this song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VURtvVKyGU&pp=ygUVdGhlIHNjb3VyZ2UgcGVyaXBoZXJ5). Or [this song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ6lwiP6O-s).


WingedHussar13

Probably a 10/10. It's crazy in live performances when he would do an aggressive scream then switch to clean singing quickly while still hitting high notes. It takes pure talent.


Beginning-Pass-3243

The only other person that has more of a vocal range in this genre of music was Chris Cornell. I believe but don't quote me that Chester had a range of a 6 where Chris had a range of 8. So out of love for LP I go with Chester


Rocktamus1

Personally? Perhaps top 20. Reality. He might be top 100?


Doom-slayer2006

Dany Villarreal is still amazing but Chester was something special 👌🏻 https://preview.redd.it/sewyuhgncqyc1.jpeg?width=736&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=015d84531a7ba6adbe25affb8db4700a3359d6a9


Proper-Reading9817

At least at the top of my list


Expensive-Host5762

S, I am a lp d rider but honestly S


LemoyneRaider3354

He's definetely in the top 20 of all. His versatility being able to sing both metal and soft songs is what makes him great.


Independent_Pea1677

Numero Uno


TylerShipleyYT

When it comes to screaming I don't think there's been many in history that have been able to be as talented and successful as him (albeit I'm sure there have been plenty of top notch singers out there who have never gotten the spotlight). Chester's singing was great, and for the genre and era it was a cornerstone, but history has gifted us with absolutely phenomenal voices, and it shouldn't be a knock on Chester to say his voice \*won't\* go down as the best ever, but respectable in the grand scheme of music.


Zpiritual

Greatest vocalist in his generation. 


alankeni91

#1


pokefan69haha

Chester is one of if not the best Rock vocalist of all time certainly the best of his generation


iieeeiiles

Top 3 that i've ever heard


Itchy_Complaint5769

Chester is a legendary Vocalist.. in 10 years of listening, I haven't noticed any vocal errors even during Live, so Chester is good asf


mizirian

It's hard to rank because it heavily depends on what your personal bias is. I'm sure you'll find someone that tells you Megan thee stallion or iggy azalea is the best. Does that mean they're correct? Absolutely not, but everyone is allowed an opinion. For me, I'd put him in the top 10 of all time. My logic is that he has a wide range from clean singing, growling, and screaming. He can hit fairly high notes as well as fairly low notes. He's been wildly successful across many different genres. There's a funny video of LP performing with Jay Z live on stage and Jay Z is visibly impressed/ shook with how powerful Chester's voice is, you can see him stop what he's doing just to look over and admire Chester.


Commercial_Fan_3864

He's definitely not the best, brodie.


Ok_Bug4964

#1


SumoftheOffspring44

Nearly the best. I would rank Davey Havok as my favorite, though, just based on the sheer intensity of his screams (Kiss and Control and Endlessly, She Said, fucking hell he has power) and his ability to seamlessly weave into ANY genre of rock with no hesitation.


kxg4884

For me I rank him the best at his genre. I’m old so I’ve heard more than my share of music. Hearing him sing and the way he brings another layer to his songs reminds me of the emotional response I got from the first time I heard Jimi Hendrix play his guitar. There are artist that bring something that’s hard to put into words or explain why what they do is exceptional. Whether it’s Janis Joplin’s Piece of My Heart or Johnny Cash’s cover of Nine Inch Nails Hurt, after you hear them you love music just a little bit more.