This project's evolution makes sense as Bryan Black was a keyboard tech for Prince at Paisley Park Studios, which is a great place to learn your craft and network in the industry. So Ian Astbury on the first song makes perfect sense in this regard. It is more electronic than industrial, though it's only the first song so let us see where it goes. The second song is darker and more mechanized, thus falling more in line with industrial. The pairing with ACTORS works really well though the groove hits like 90s edm.
Both eardrums and the dance floor are properly pounded by the driving techno beats you are attacked by. He is joined by Front Line Assembly for "Meth Rain". From this point the industrial drive is well documented, the sounds creating it are less mechanical and more synth-oriented. "Blast" hammers its beat home with enough authority to win over most rivet heads. For me, this leans in more of a button-pushing/mouse-clicking direction.
"Into My Body' features Blush Response. It recalls some of the earliest forms of industrial that were scraped from the 90s. However, it dances into a drugged-out drone. Great sounds are captured by not the most dynamic song on the album, It is less droning than the song after it. It does ebb and flow in the waves of sounds, but there is not much melodic variance outside of this pulse. A darker robotic dystopia is painted for your ears on the title track. I will give this album a 9, he makes what he does work, and everything comes together in the end.
Now half way into our list of the top 200 greatest rock singers, inspired by the travesty that was Rolling Stone's supposed list. Where they got it wrong, this list hopes to be more effective, not only focusing on rock singers and those adjacent to the genre. If you have been reading you know the focus is not only on technical vocal ability, in terms of range and power, as well as their dynamics, phrasing and the overall character of their voice. Can they emote from different places? How well does their voice hold up live? . How they control a crowd or their entertainment value as performers is also not a factor; there are some great front men who are also sub-par singers. There are also not going to be any Bob Dylan like singers, who are better songwriters than vocalists.
. Most pop singers won't appear here, but there are a few country or jazz singers who crossover just enough to qualify for this list, while having a significant influence on rock music. Don't expect rappers on this list or metal vocalists who just scream or growl, but never actually sing. I am keen on singers who are derivative of other singers. The bulk of these are doing their own thing, the few paying tribute to other artists have still made enough of an impact with their music. Having a unique vocal quality is going to be one of the most important factors often trumping technical ability. If they sound too much like Steve Perry from Journey after listening to their vocal coach rather than developing their own style, it is also not going to fly. Some of these might have been ignored by mainstream music media, but by the time we get to the top 10, I am sure it will all make sense, so here are the Top 200 greatest rock singers.
100- Ray Lamontagne
This Soulful folk vocalist carries bluesy husk to his voice that allow him to carry a retro vibe that recalls classic Motowm. It is not about range or power as much as it where he puts his voice, which is in all the right places.
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99-David Drainman
The Disturbed front-man aside from the spastic monkey noises he sometimes makes, owes more to classic metal singers than the other singer from the nu-metal scene his band got lumped into. With each album they moved further from those tropes allowing him to his display his aggressive yet melodic style of singing
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98-Julie Christmas
The former vocalist of Made Out of Babies qualified her self to be on this list due to the quirky nature of her voice that goes from growls to sounding like an insane preschooler, but she can also belt it out with the best of them and has matured into an excellent singer over the years.
97- Anneke van Giersbergen
Flowery female sirens adding a softer layer of atmosphere to metal was not always a thing. It was not until Anneke graced the Gathering with her pristine pipes that this came about.
96-Ics Vortex
The Arcturus vocalist is perhaps most known for his soaring clean vocals he lent to the golden years of Dimmu Borgir where he stole the show with his operatic hooks while playing bass. This provided the needed contrast to their normal growls.
95- Ripper Owens
Being the man who replaced Rob Halford is a heavy title to carry around your career. Instead of just being a tribute act he preformed well with bands like Iced Earth, to show he can be his own man.
94-Ian Astbury
Another singer who filled in for an icon is the Cult vocalist who filled in for Jim Morrison. He has more power and range than Morrison, his powerful baritone is what makes the Cult sound so distinct.
93-Keith Caputo
When Life of Agony broke in the 90s, their style of melodic hard core was in many ways ahead of it's time thanks the pained bellow of Caputo that could smooth into a chilling croon. Other wings tried to fill the gap during Caputo's time away from the band and failed because they could not capture the raw emotion of suffering his voice held.
92--Jaz Coleman
His one of a kind voice that inspired the roar of most industrial bands thanks to the output of hit band Killing Joke, is also very nuance and he is capable of a new wave like croon to give a depth of dynamics
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91-Mat McNerney
His most notable work is with Beastmilk aka Grave Pleasures and Hex Vessel, which shows how flexible his evocative baritone is. He can go from grim post punk to 60's psych-folk. He sings with both power and feeling in equal measure.
These albums are straight up rock, but not packing enough punch for the hard rock list. Much like in years past sort through the genre lists before making the overall top ten of the year The fact these artists made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. . I do hope you can find your next favorite on this list and have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out audio on these guys. Anyways here are the top 10 rock albums of 2022
10- Scorpions - "Rock Believer."
There is still a great deal of gas in their tank. The Scorpions were one of the biggest heavy metal bands of their day. Once they tasted big chart-topping success with their 1984 album "Love at First Sting," they became more of a rock-and-roll band, losing much of their metallic edge. This album is big 80s-flavored rock that finds the band with their boots firmly planted in where they came from. This is album the first album with Drummer Mikkey Dee, who played with both King Diamond and Motorhead. On this album, he is collecting a paycheck as he gets nowhere near as aggressive with his playing. One thing that is impressive and perhaps the album's strongest selling point is the youthful nature of Klaus' vocals. At age 73 he can still get up there.
Why did the fact Lizzy from the Vains of Jenna went on the form this band go under my radar? Not that I actively seek out a ton of hair metal. I grew up listening to this sort of thing in the 80s until I found heavier music. Compared to Vains of Jenna these guys are bigger and more polished-sounding. They do what Steel Panther does but take it seriously.
These guys have been doing this since the mid 90s. Former members of Entombed and Backyard Babies playing straight up 80s flavored rock n roll. There was once a more punk feel to it, but now they are totally almost party 80s rock. The opener is solid, surprised how slick of a production they have.
This band has been in my awareness for some time, as I have watched the hair metal revival of the mid 2000s from the corner of my eye. Like most of the higher quality stuff in this vein, this band is from Northern Europe. These Swedes have been at it for over 20 years, so are still going pretty strong as this has a big sound and is very polished.
This album hooked me quick has tonally it owes more to rock than metal, but it does work off a grim tension that is still explosive. This Swedish band are skilled weavers of sonic gloom, it's still punchy with a hint of 70s rock. The instrumentation is warmly recorded in analog. The retro thing is not the band trying too hard to capture a bygone era. Great dynamic vocals that belt it out with a great deal of convincing power.
Their 12th album finds the band still strong with a darker and rawer sound. The key to their success is dependent on how well Astbury's vocals hold up at the age of 60. Billy Duffy has less on the line as his guitar tone has only continued to improve the years. Ian sounds strong, his trademark croon which at one time positioned him to fill in for Jim Morrison, for a Doors reunion of sorts. That Doors like element is still in play here, though the music has a more passionate creepiness to it
The brainchild of A Perfect Circle is back. This is not his first solo effort, as the Ashes Divide band was that as well. The only reason I can presume he is not releasing this as Ashes Divide is due to the departure from harder edged rock music here and something closer to Depeche Mode. This should not be surprising as A Perfect Circle covered "People are People" on "Emotive". There is a familiar moodiness here, though his songwriting continues to mature.
Not a huge fan of Dillinger Escape Plan I do have a great deal of respect for them and have heard most of Greg's solo work. This album is a great deal different in that it does not try to emulate new wave from the 80s he has moved onto the 90s , drawing on an alt-rock sound that makes the most of hooky choruses.
2006's "Meds" was the last album I was into by this British glam band. By into I mean listened to every moment of the day as these guys were once numbered among my favorite bands. The key to Brian's success as a songwriter lies in his ability convey the struggle of his anger, darkness, metal health and addiction. It is in that struggle where their music has found its fire. Moloko succeeds in recapturing that moodiness on their new album. It is important that Stefan is still working with Brian as that duo is clearly Placebo and not just Brian Moloko solo album. There is none of the kinetic punk tension that colored their early work. It works off smooth grooves and melodies, with sonic layers of guitar embellish the dynamics.
Releasing album 13 at the ripe age of 73, Ozzy is holding up better than expected, especially when you consider the tour cancelling issues of the past few years. This album has less of a pop sheen and feels more like a rock record than "Ordinary Man". He brings Zakk Wylde back, along with Toni Iommi, Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton. So, the big guns of rock guitar. They helped him crank out a batch of songs that I have not heard him get as catchy since "Ozzmosis"
This Bands's early goth roots, remained a fabric of who they are even amid the arena rocking of "Sonic Temple" Their 12th album finds the band still strong with a darker and rawer sound. The key to their success is dependent on how well Astbury's vocals hold up at the age of 60. Billy Duffy has less on the line as his guitar tone has only continued to improve the years. Three songs into the album and I am very confident, as Ian is strong, his trademark croon which at one time positioned him to fill in for Jim Morrison, for a Doors reunion of sorts. That Doors like element is still in play here, though the music has a more passionate creepiness to it.
Former Robert Plant bassist Charlie jones fills in nicely, with a great tone and a smooth playing that allow for him to melodically embellish these songs that do not find him limited to just holding down the bottom. "Knife Through Butterfly Heart" is somewhat Zeppelin like in its steamy power ballad dynamics, though far from what Astbury saying in interviews that this was going to be a blues album, that is not the case though certainly an influence. The slithering groove found here are better than anything I have heard from the band since say "Ceremony" . Former Testament / White Zombie drummer John Tempesta continues to earn his place in the band.
By "Mirror" the fact that things are dark and steamy makes up for the fact the songs begin to gradually reach beyond the hard rock edge of the band's peak years. Astbury's smooth croon glides like velvet when the songs give him the space to do so, though largely his success as a singer is attributed to their punchier moments. This song does have a powerful dynamic shift and build, even when their grandiose thinking goes beyond radio hooks. One thing I like about this album is lack of it's Rolling Stones swagger that we got lots of on albums like "Electric"
"Outer Heaven " is the first song that begins to sound like filler to me, sonically it shares many of the sounds that have worked for them on this album, it does not feel like they are as emotionally invested in this one. That is even with the Jammy part that unfolds as the song progresses. They break out acoustic guitars and symphonic backing for the title track. It reminds me more of something Nick Cave might do. It begins to congeal two minutes in. There is something about it that makes it feel like a James Bond theme song to me, the electronic pulse helps to empower the groove of the last song and make it more vital. I will give this album a 9.5 it's one of their strongest efforts in sometime,
We are taking a break from this month's regularly scheduled program to give this rather iconic band a listen. What I like about the Cult is they meet at the cross roads between L.A. cock rock and post-punk.Ian Astbury has made it a point of saying the Cult is not a legacy act. It's true they are not just re-hashing what you know from them. Duffy's guitar sound has evolved. I had to listen to the first three songs a few times to really soak in where they are at. For an opener "Dark Energy" is a little of the road and if you came here looking for them to rock the fuck out you might have to wait to catch them live. Finds the band looking for their place in the current musical landscape.Not new ground for them as they have managed to find a niche for themselves and transition from hair metal to grunge years.But neither grunge exists in a relevant way today, and a song like "No Love Lost" shows hints of that displacement. The verse breaks down to almost a power ballad level , with the chorus picking up into something that would not have sounded out of place on a Stone Temple Pilots album. Ian's voice settle into a croon rather than going for the more powerhouse bellow that propelled the more rocking moment of the "Sonic Temple " album. Billy Duffy who actually helped form the Smiths, continues to explore interesting guitar tones even on the more straight ahead rock songs like "Dance the Night"
The first moment that really grabs me is the song "In Blood". The band takes the darker turn that I think is a wise move for them. They maintain a slinking momentum as the lyrics take on more of a murder ballad tone. I'm ok with them dialing back the arena rock if that is what makes the most sense as it seems the more mid-paced songs that don't try quite hard give Astbury the room he needs to croon. The begin to dig into deeper grooves on "Hinterland" that might be alternative by definition, but at it's dark heart, its just a well written song.Lyrically Ian drops several occult references through out the album, but on this song they are particularly telling.They take a step back into a more crowd pleasing bag of tricks on "Goat". It's blues rock that shows the wrinkles in their veneer suggesting the are beasts from a different age.
They really work best when in the more shadowy side of the Sunset Strip styled rock. The pulse to "Deeply Ordered Chaos" is one of the albums best moments. If they aren't going to sell me sanctuary then this is what I want from these guys. While they are no strangers to the style of rock they indulge themselves in on "Avalanche of Light" it doesn't play as strongly to their current strengths as a band, if it was a b-side off "Sonic Temple" then it might have worked better, but "Sonic Temple" was the band at their peak you say, ....yes that was 1989, this is now. "Lillies" finds the band in ballad country. They do this with a grace that might have influenced Stone Temple Pilots. Astbury does seems to waver in the upper register, I noticed it earlier, but it becomes most apparent here. It doesn't hinder "Heathans" , though my only complaint against the song is the band tends to go for a more middle of the road rock sound rather than putting the fire to the woman.
They close the album with the ballad "Sound and Fury' which could have been on Nick Cave's last album. But this song would work better for me if it was Nick Cave. Astbury is 53, so his voice is holding up pretty well and when he is in the croon is fits best, not sure the last time he really sang balls out. I'll give this one a 9 as they are faring much better than many of their peers and the album has some really strong moments, for me it's a little weird because I haven't pain much attention to post- "Sonic Temple" output so this is a bigger leap for me than most of their fans I'm sure.
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