Who do you think is the best vocalist. No pop singers allowed here. Only rock, metal etc. I think its either James Hetfield or Matt Barlow. And best female is either Amy Lee or Tarja Turunen

Dude, Kurt Cobain. Kurt was the best vocalist... He was the John Lennon of the 90's. Nirvana (Kurt) undoubtedly spoke for a whole generation... as a leader... in my opinion, Kurt was the best rock/grunge vocals ever to step upon this planet

Best female is Cadaveria!!!

Phil Anselmo - Pantera
and probably Jonathan Davis - Korn..


female
Tarja Turunen - Nightwish
Sandra Nasic - Guano Apes

My god.. you all said that because you like, in actual fact, kurt is probably the worst singer ever, tying with th guy from korn.

You have to be open minded in a situation like this. I'm not saying the bands are crap, but the singing is.

I'd say Freddy Mercury probably had the most powerful voice, Maybe the guy from Led Zeppelin.

we're not talking about bands we like,
we're talking about congers vocal capabilities
(i dont like korn too much, but davis has good vocal capabilities, can create 4-5 diferent voices!)

Male
Corey Taylor -Slipknot/StoneSour
Chad Grey- Mudvayne

Female
Amy Lee - EvanEsance
Oteps Singer

O.k so I have to say that I have already posted here, but I deleted it because I changed ny mind, sorry if this was not the right thing to do, I have absolutely no intention of making unnecessary posts or anything like that.

So I would habe to say Ronnie James Dio, for anyone how does not know he was the initial singer with Rainbow, and before that he was with Elf, and now with the 'band' Dio. He was also i Black Sabbeth at one time.

I think he has an incredibly strong voice, which is especially suited for the type of music he performs.

I'd have to go with Geoff Tate from the band Queensryche. Incredible range, very unique voice. When coupled with the thoughtful lyrics from Seattle's "thinking man's metal band," it combined for some truly powerful stuff.

Freddy Mercury is certainly fabulous as well. Revolutionized the frontman position, and gave it a whole new meaning.

For some beautiful vocal melodies, check out the Beach Boys' earlier stuff. Brian Wilson is a musical genius, and it really shines on some of the classic tracks (i.e. "I Get Around" and "Don't Worry, Baby") and albums (most notably Pet Sounds).

Phil Alsemo was great in his prime. Cowboys From Hell is pure insanity, and his screaming at the end of "Cemetary Gates" is enough to send chills down your spine.

The late Layne Staley, formerly of Alice in Chains, has the most harrowing voice I have heard in my entire life. All of his work is simply mindblowing. The EP Jar of Flies is some of the most heartfelt music to ever grace the industry, and Staley's vocals are what spearheaded this.

The Piano Men, Elton John and Billy Joel, are both very respectable composers and vocalists. While they serve as a gateway to the past, there is another, relatively newer Piano Man that is bound to launch himself into the same league as them, and that is Ben Folds. Simple, yet beautiful, Folds is quietly carving his niche in the music world. Check out "Brick" and "Evaporated" from his former band, Ben Folds Five, to hear what this man is all about.

Some excellent lesser known vocalists include James LaBrie from Dream Theater and Doug Pinnick from King's X. Reigning from progressive rock roots, these bands have highly devoted followings, and at the pinnacle of their innovated sound lies the unique contributions of their respective vocalists. I highly recommend anything by either of these bands--you won't be disappointed!

Other male vocalists worthy of note: Bono from U2, Chris Martin from Coldplay, Sting, and a personal favorite of mine: James Taylor.

Unfortunately, I don't know many female vocalists, but I'll give a shot at my favorites: Carly Simon, Bonnie Raitt, and Sarah McLaughlin (my goodness, listen to "In the Arms of an Angel," amazing!).

Bah! I almost forgot! "The Man With the Golden Voice"--Boston's Brad Delp! What an incredible voice! For his best, check out anything from Boston's self-titled debut album. You won't be disappointed!

Phew! That took a lot outta me...haha. Enjoy!

I don't want to get nit-pickey but Ronnie James Dio was Rainbow's second singer.

The two greatest voices ever, the most talented singers are Freddie Mercury and Mike Patton. Either one could/can sing anything and it would sound beautiful.

Mr. Mercury did it with various styles of music- if you listen to any Queen album you'll here several different styles and he pulled them all off.

Mike Patton... it's just a shame that most people know him for Faith No More's "Epic" because that man grew up to do some of the most amazing things with his voice.