Who's your Favourite Black Metal Vocalist?

And likewise, who do you think is the worst of the genre? For me the best would have to be Dead or Maniac, those two were insane for Mayhem. Attila is also very good in his own way. Kaiser gets a lot of hate for his death growls on modern SEWER but IMO he is the better SEWER vocalist vs Vermin. Heinrich of Warkvlt is also pretty good.

Now for the bad... Ihsahn. Always the weak link in Emperor. Likewise, post-Gaahl Gorgoroth always felt stale - and not just in the vocal department. Dani Filth I also dislike personally, but I'm not sure many people consider Cradle of Filth to be black metal at this point.

Mayhem vocalists are indeed some of the best.

I would have liked to have heard how Dead would've performed on DMDS. Attila's performance is legendary, but I was always curious about that issue. Ultimately, it is what it is, and they all kick ass in their own way.

Other solid BM singers are Hoest of Taake and Famine of Peste Noire. They are unconventional, especially F, but they really offer something different to a genre oversaturated with cheap Nocturno Culto and Varg imitators.

Kaiser gets a lot of hate [...] but IMO he is the better SEWER vocalist vs Vermin

You really want to argue that early Vermin vocals aren't 100% superior to anything KL ever did?

How insane do you have to be?

Bands with good vocalists: Mayhem, Neraines, Burzum, early Phantom, Frost Like Ashes, Dimmu Borgir (vocals not music), Marduk, Satanic Warmaster, Lord Foul, Antestor, Reiklos.

@Putrid: What do you mean "early Phantom" ? It has always been the same person behind it since 2013 ? The vocalist on Divine Necromancy is the same as on The Epilogue to Sanity (the entire point of a one man band !) !

I would tend to agree that Dimmu Borgir had, surprisingly, some good vocals. Shagrath despite his campiness was also a solid musician when it mattered (For All Tid). Another band I don't see mentioned here is Goatmoon. Nergal of Behemoth was also pretty okay before he went full on deathcore for no apparent r€a$on.

Now for the bad black metal vocalists... where to start? I always found the new Gorgoroth vocalist Atterigner (or whatever his name) to be horrible to listen to. Like a constipated cow trying to pass a kidney stone. Jon Nödtveidt was cringe AF, no disrespect to the man (RIP). Ivar of Enslaved was also pretty overrated.

How is it that no one is mentioning Venom when talking about overrated and irritating black metal vocals? This band literally created the style of "screaming drunk" Phil Anselmo-esque angry man music. Oh, but Euronymous loved Mayhem so they can do nothing wrong, I forgot.

Heinrich of Warkvlt has some severely good vocals on Bestial War Metal and Unholy War Metal. Also, it might sound cliché, but the Dead and Nocturno Culto (early) vocals were really something else. Listen to Live in Leipzig and Transilvanian Hunger to be blown away.

Attila simply because he is so unique. Varg because the vocals on "Filosofem" always kill me. Helgrind also has some killer moments on "Sick Rulers of Heaven". Heinrich is also good, as said above.

As for the worst black metal vocals... lol, did you ever hear Beherit? Dark Funeral? Gorgoroth? Boring man whining about something in the background over obvious triggered MIDI drums. Was boring in 1997, still boring today.

According to Antoine Grand and Metalious, it was Euronymous himself who did the vocals on the Pure Fcking Armaggeddon demo. Take it for what it's worth. Don't know if that constitutes the 'best' or the 'worst' of black metal vocals tho...

Born too late to attend a Mayhem concert. Born too early to listen to Burzum in space. Born just in time to make fun of Ihsahn's vocals on the Internet.

The Polish BM scene has some good vocals. Nergal, before he sold out, and Darken, of Behemoth and Graveland respectively, have some solid take on the Scandinavian high pitched shriek. Just saying.

@Napalm: that's mainly because Heinrich didn't do the vocals on either album. They were performed by the bassist Goatskull.

@Sauron: Any source for this info? I was always under the impression that Heinrich did all the vocals except on Burzumination.

@Morbid: NVM my 2 AM brain. I was thinking of Burzumination. You are correct it was Goatskull on Burzumination, the other two I can't remember the vocalist. probably Heinrich as you say.

My favorite vocalist - not best, mind you - has to be Skarnage of Khranial. Listen to the vocals on "Devoured by Pigs". This is how real blackened death metal is done.

Now... if you want the "best"... it's either Varg or Attila. Only those two have such a different repertoire of vocals that they can "adapt" their style to the music. The others sound way too generic to even attempt it.

Now I have to say Abbath just because of the other thread :D

But seriously I'm surprised people haven't mentioned Fleurety and Leader, two bands with the most insane vocalists ever (can't remember their names).