James Labrie

[FuturesEnd]

It's quite simple really... he has an annoying, whiny voice. He's a talented guy, with a wide vocal range and a fair amount of power. However, I simply find his voice unappealing, especially in the higher range.

And if we're nominating vocalists to replace James, to allow Dream Theater to reach their full potential, I nominate Lance. Instead of being a band I almost never listen to, they'd probably be my favorite band.

Zod

Haha! I had mentioned to Lance that he would be the perfect replacement. He said 'Yeah, I am waiting for their call. Should come any time now."

 

[mitchgx]

It's quite simple really... he has an annoying, whiny voice. He's a talented guy, with a wide vocal range and a fair amount of power. However, I simply find his voice unappealing, especially in the higher range.

I think this is well-put. It's certainly not fair to say LaBrie is a bad singer, because he can hit the notes (and seems to have really improved over the past few years on that front).....it's just that I've never liked his voice. "Whiny" isn't exactly the right word, but it's pretty close. There's a thin quality to his voice, and this music demands something a little more punchy. I think you're right; Lance would be a good fit.

Also, I've had a problem with him ever since I saw them on the I&W tour (w/ Psychotic Waltz opening....geez I wish I had a time machine because I didn't realize what a treat I was seeing then). At the time, he really seemed to be trying to play the rock-star lead singer, and he came off as a pretentious poser - it really detracted from the band. I think he fortunately lost those tendencies over the years, but I still just don't care for his voice.

 

[imaskinbeater]

I've been a DT fan since they were Majesty. Being from Long Island I had witnessed them at a very early stage (before Charlie) and was totally impressed. When James joined I absolutely loved his voice, much more than Charlie's. A few albums down the road and after he had vocal chord problems he started to get annoying (more so live), so I know what you guys are talking about. Obviously he is the least talented in the band and I bet he would even agree with that statement.

I did also get to see his solo stuff live with Sfogli and Macaluso, that was a kick ass show and he wasn't annoying in the least

 

[Jasonic]

There are very few vocalists who could join that band and NOT be the weakest link.

Once again, I think we all agree James has a good voice.
Just needs more power to front DT.

Not to get too far off topic, but I was once in a debate on DIO VS TONY MARTIN. It ended up like this. Most agree Tony Martin has a better voice, but DIO is a better singer, in the fact that his delivery is a ton more powerful.

So, LaBrie might be a VERY good vocalist, but lacks the power to make an explosive vocal delivery.

Does this make sense???????????

 

[imaskinbeater]

I think he needs to take lessons from Tommy Karevik

 

[DEATHZILLA]

Dream Theater in the past years for me has failed as a unit. They have leaned heavy to the prog rock side of things and thier music has sadly became boring. What drew me to this band the most was their ability to be very technical and melodic but within the same song crush you with thrashy heavy riffs , they had a one of a kind structure to their music. The last 2 cds have been very disapointing for me. 5 songs total off the last 2 discs is all i can withstand. I think they have become stagnant. They need to go back and grab ahold of the energy they had with images and words, Awake, and Metropolis pt2 scenes from a memory. Mix it with the darker pissed off vibe from Train of thought and put out a damn good Dream Theater cd! If i want to hear Yes, Rush, Kansas, Riverside, Pink Floyd ect. i will listen to them.

 

[zedowns]

Labrie hasn't been the weak link in the band since Jordan Rudess joined.

Dream Theater in the past years for me has failed as a unit. They have leaned heavy to the prog rock side of things and thier music has sadly became boring. What drew me to this band the most was their ability to be very technical and melodic but within the same song crush you with thrashy heavy riffs , they had a one of a kind structure to their music. The last 2 cds have been very disapointing for me. 5 songs total off the last 2 discs is all i can withstand. I think they have become stagnant. They need to go back and grab ahold of the energy they had with images and words, Awake, and Metropolis pt2 scenes from a memory. Mix it with the darker pissed off vibe from Train of thought and put out a damn good Dream Theater cd! If i want to hear Yes, Rush, Kansas, Riverside, Pink Floyd ect. i will listen to them.

Uh...

Systematic Chaos is EASILY their heaviest album to date. Only Train of Thought comes anywhere near it.

 

[TheLongshot]

I have a lot of love for LaBrie in whatever he's been in, whether it has been DT, Mullmuzzler, his solo album, Frameshift, Ayreon, Tim Donahue's album.

Maybe he isn't the greatest of singers, but overall I think he does do good work in whatever he's in.

 

[axehomeyg]

I think, for Scenes or Images, he was like the perfect singer for the material. I can't imagine anyone better. But, I never really liked Awake, or Train of Thought, precisely because his vocals don't seem to fit the 'heavy' DT stuff. Alas, I can't think of many singers that can span all of those different moods that they create (between FiF, Octavarium, ToT, etc), and I would rather hear him nail the emotional shit, than have someone who really only has the 'bawlz'.

Also, you guys all probably knew this already, but its news to me... He had some kind of food-poisoning induced vocal chord damage right after the Tokyo tour (on their Tokyo video). He apparently did not regain his voice or use of his higher registers until very recently. I've seen them live countless times the last decade, and thought, 'wtf, how can you NOT be hitting the notes, you suck', but, now I feel kind of bad. Any naysayers, need to hear the Score DVD, he nails those notes in way that will erase the atrocity of Scenes in New York from your memory.

 

[cslebn]

There are times he makes me mad, times he makes me sad and times he's made me happy. At the end of the day I'm glad he replaced Dominci and I would die happy (probably) if I got to see DT play Killing Hand live with Labrie singing.

His range is there, his soft tones are great, his lows are fun and his shrill screams hurt my ear drums (they're supposed to the last time I checked). I think that makes him more than worthy of singing in DT (I don't get the Rudess hate either, wtf).

Funny memory though was Labrie ripping the seam of his pants while his back was to the audience so we all saw the tear and he peeked around with a look crossed between shock and horror on his face. After some minor repairs ala duct tape he tried to play it off as a joke.

And another random question, how people knock James for being whinny in this thread yet laud Rush (sorry I love Geddy but voice is shrill) in another thread?

 

[ProgMetal_Lover]

Geddy's voice is better than Labrie's.

 

[Met-Al]

For starters, LaBrie is the reason why I'm singing in a progressive metal band today (and I know I'm not the only one). Nobody sounded like him when "Images And Words" came out, and everyone took notice. Yes, his vocal cord rupture did much to hurt his live performance for quite some time, but if you don't think he did a hell of a job despite this shortcoming or that he has regained the good majority of his range in the past six years, then I seriously question the quality of your eardrums.

Had LaBrie been given ample time to recover from his vocal cord rupture, he most likely would have come back stronger for subsequent tours. However, he went on a world tour a mere three weeks after surgery. Any other singer would have insisted on the band cancelling the tour. It just goes to show the dedication that LaBrie has to the band and their fans.

LaBrie still has nights when he sounds shrill (just watch "Chaos In Motion" for some examples; Portnoy should have--and easily could have--chosen better performances for this DVD), but keep in mind that no other singer in this genre tours even half as much as he does, let alone performs for the length of time that he does each night. I would love to see any other singer step up to the plate for James. I guarantee you that their voices wouldn't hold up any better.

I know there are a lot of complaints about LaBrie on forums, but I think that comes with being a well-known artist. The more famous you are, the more detractors you have. Let's face it: James LaBrie is the most well-known singer in the world of progressive metal. By comparison, John Petrucci is considered sloppy in plenty of online communities. Has that stopped thousands and thousands of people from seeing them in concert or buying their CDs? Not in the least.

Jasonic, I can understand your distaste for LaBrie, considering your choice of bands. However, to say that he sounds weak covering Metallica is rather harsh. Being that James is primarily a melodic vocalist, I think he utilizes his grit rather well. I feel that he did justice to "Master Of Puppets." Oddly enough, I think he sounded weaker covering Iron Maiden. You would think he'd have it easier with Bruce Dickinson's material than James Hetfield's output.

Let's take a look at some of the suggested replacements on this thread:

Khan--Are you kidding me? Have you heard this guy on the last two Kamelot tours? He can't even handle a three-month tour performing 90-minute sets! His voice wouldn't exist after performing 2-3-hour shows on the road for a year straight!

Lance King--I personally like Lance as a singer. However, I don't exactly think of power when I listen to him. Zod, it kills me that you absolutely love Lance yet abhor James. They certainly have their differences, but I think they have a similar approach to the high end. Anyway, Lance isn't quite as diverse as James. He has a specific sound to which he likes to stick, which suits me just fine as a listener. He'd sound great on stuff like "Under A Glass Moon," but do you think he would sound just as convincing on "I Walk Beside You?" I doubt it.

Russell Allen--One of my favorite vocalists. He would come close to pulling off the different sides of Dream Theater's music. He would give the heavier songs even more balls, and he can match the emotion of LaBrie on the lightest stuff. However, I cringe at the thought of him behind the mike on pop-influenced songs like "Prophets Of War." Besides, I don't think he'd hold up so well on such a lengthy touring schedule.

Mikael Akerfeldt--Now I know you're kidding. Anybody who wants to claim that LaBrie sounds too breathy when he's singing ballads couldn't possbily, in a perfect world, be a Mikael Akerfeldt fan. I've never heard a weaker singer for lighter music in my life! Mind you, I've seen Opeth three times, one of those times being for the "Damnation" tour with Porcupine Tree. Akerfeldt has no range outside of the half-octave represented on the sung portions of Opeth's songs. Other than that, he can growl. How would growling work with Dream Theater? I have two words for you: it wouldn't.

Michael Eriksen--I think he would be the best fit for Dream Theater out of all of the singers mentioned. His range is excellent, his tone is very pleasing, and his delivery is full of emotion. It's really just a matter of how well he could handle the constant touring.

Overall, I agree with Portnoy when he says that James is the voice of Dream Theater, like him or not. The pairing is just right.

Finally, for those who argue that LaBrie sounds better on his solo material (and I agree), there's a good reason for that. LaBrie is one of the main songwriters of his own material. If anyone knows Dream Theater well enough, they should know that Portnoy and Petrucci (especially Portnoy) pretty much dictate every single note that the band produces. Otherwise, they give the thumbs up or the thumbs down on any ideas suggested by the other members. When it comes to vocals, Mike and John have written about 85% of the band's lyrics for the past four albums, and they have told LaBrie exactly how they want him to sing those lyrics. Perhaps it's not LaBrie that everyone should be dissing. Have you heard the backing vocals emitted from these otherwise talented musicians? These guys are telling their vocalist how to sing!

With that (and I know there's a lot of that), I would buy ProgPower tickets in an instant if LaBrie was on the bill.


Stay metal. Never rust.
Albert

 

[Wherewolf]

This is funny, "THE DT JEDI MIND TRICK"...If DT saw this thread they would start looking for a new singer and not know why, LOLOLOL! They are probably getting demo submissions now. The power of suggestion I say!

 

[Wandrail]

Actually, I think the perfect vocalist for Dream Theater would be Andrew "Mac" McDermott. Such a version of Dream Theater would probably become my favorite band.

I have liked James LaBrie at times, and at other times found him intolerable. I think on Images and Words and SFAM he is at his best, the latter in particular because his approach to much of the material is toned down compared to other albums. Unfortunately, LaBrie wasn't necessary the weakest part of the most recent album, because the material itself was pretty uninspired, by-the-numbers DT.

 

[Wandrail]

For starters, LaBrie is the reason why I'm singing in a progressive metal band today (and I know I'm not the only one). Nobody sounded like him when "Images And Words" came out, and everyone took notice. Yes, his vocal cord rupture did much to hurt his live performance for quite some time, but if you don't think he did a hell of a job despite this shortcoming or that he has regained the good majority of his range in the past six years, then I seriously question the quality of your eardrums.

Had LaBrie been given ample time to recover from his vocal cord rupture, he most likely would have come back stronger for subsequent tours. However, he went on a world tour a mere three weeks after surgery. Any other singer would have insisted on the band cancelling the tour. It just goes to show the dedication that LaBrie has to the band and their fans.

LaBrie still has nights when he sounds shrill (just watch "Chaos In Motion" for some examples; Portnoy should have--and easily could have--chosen better performances for this DVD), but keep in mind that no other singer in this genre tours even half as much as he does, let alone performs for the length of time that he does each night. I would love to see any other singer step up to the plate for James. I guarantee you that their voices wouldn't hold up any better.

I know there are a lot of complaints about LaBrie on forums, but I think that comes with being a well-known artist. The more famous you are, the more detractors you have. Let's face it: James LaBrie is the most well-known singer in the world of progressive metal. By comparison, John Petrucci is considered sloppy in plenty of online communities. Has that stopped thousands and thousands of people from seeing them in concert or buying their CDs? Not in the least.

Jasonic, I can understand your distaste for LaBrie, considering your choice of bands. However, to say that he sounds weak covering Metallica is rather harsh. Being that James is primarily a melodic vocalist, I think he utilizes his grit rather well. I feel that he did justice to "Master Of Puppets." Oddly enough, I think he sounded weaker covering Iron Maiden. You would think he'd have it easier with Bruce Dickinson's material than James Hetfield's output.

Let's take a look at some of the suggested replacements on this thread:

Khan--Are you kidding me? Have you heard this guy on the last two Kamelot tours? He can't even handle a three-month tour performing 90-minute sets! His voice wouldn't exist after performing 2-3-hour shows on the road for a year straight!

Lance King--I personally like Lance as a singer. However, I don't exactly think of power when I listen to him. Zod, it kills me that you absolutely love Lance yet abhor James. They certainly have their differences, but I think they have a similar approach to the high end. Anyway, Lance isn't quite as diverse as James. He has a specific sound to which he likes to stick, which suits me just fine as a listener. He'd sound great on stuff like "Under A Glass Moon," but do you think he would sound just as convincing on "I Walk Beside You?" I doubt it.

Russell Allen--One of my favorite vocalists. He would come close to pulling off the different sides of Dream Theater's music. He would give the heavier songs even more balls, and he can match the emotion of LaBrie on the lightest stuff. However, I cringe at the thought of him behind the mike on pop-influenced songs like "Prophets Of War." Besides, I don't think he'd hold up so well on such a lengthy touring schedule.

Mikael Akerfeldt--Now I know you're kidding. Anybody who wants to claim that LaBrie sounds too breathy when he's singing ballads couldn't possbily, in a perfect world, be a Mikael Akerfeldt fan. I've never heard a weaker singer for lighter music in my life! Mind you, I've seen Opeth three times, one of those times being for the "Damnation" tour with Porcupine Tree. Akerfeldt has no range outside of the half-octave represented on the sung portions of Opeth's songs. Other than that, he can growl. How would growling work with Dream Theater? I have two words for you: it wouldn't.

Michael Eriksen--I think he would be the best fit for Dream Theater out of all of the singers mentioned. His range is excellent, his tone is very pleasing, and his delivery is full of emotion. It's really just a matter of how well he could handle the constant touring.

Overall, I agree with Portnoy when he says that James is the voice of Dream Theater, like him or not. The pairing is just right.

Finally, for those who argue that LaBrie sounds better on his solo material (and I agree), there's a good reason for that. LaBrie is one of the main songwriters of his own material. If anyone knows Dream Theater well enough, they should know that Portnoy and Petrucci (especially Portnoy) pretty much dictate every single note that the band produces. Otherwise, they give the thumbs up or the thumbs down on any ideas suggested by the other members. When it comes to vocals, Mike and John have written about 85% of the band's lyrics for the past four albums, and they have told LaBrie exactly how they want him to sing those lyrics. Perhaps it's not LaBrie that everyone should be dissing. Have you heard the backing vocals emitted from these otherwise talented musicians? These guys are telling their vocalist how to sing!

With that (and I know there's a lot of that), I would buy ProgPower tickets in an instant if LaBrie was on the bill.


Stay metal. Never rust.
Albert

All good points. I really can't ever foresee DT without LaBrie unless he calls it quits himself. However, if that were to happen, I don't think it would be necessary to replace him with a vocalist who can cover his exact range. i think some of the ways Portnoy and Petrucci have him sing all the time are part of the reason LaBrie is subject to such criticism. LaBrie is a tenor and yet the high range many DT songs have him going to results in a nasal and obnoxious sound. This is just the way the majority of men sound. I think a vocalist with a more balanced approach, a better mid and even lower end timbre to the voice would balance out some DT songs.

 

[Wherewolf]

OK...Have we decided who will now sing for DT? We need to let them know ASAP! LOLOLOL! In all seriousness....ANYONE DT puts behind the mic would be accepted despite what we all might say! These guys are professionals to the core! I do agree that Portnoy has a heavy influence on what James does. Listen to Portnoy sing, not my cup of tea at all...but he mimics Labrie with that whiney sound...But Labrie will always be DT's puppet like it or not. Why would Labrie leave them? Where would he do better or make more cash? Journey maybe? What other band would Labrie bring the house down for?..Exactly... no one. He knows where his bread is buttered and DT im sure feels the same. IN CONCLUSION...... We can play "FANTASY DREAM THEATER" all we want (as it is fun) but can you imagine DT did a 3 cd prog metal opera and used all of the singers mentioned in the thread??? How amazing would that be? WOW! "Hey guys...its ROCK OPERA TIME!!!!!!!!!"

 

[Cheiron]

Met-al, you might want to listen to Lance King's early stuff. He sings quite different then from the bands he's in now. I also think we'll see a different side of him on Krucible than from Pyramaze.

 

[PurpleCrayonWriter]

Met-al, you might want to listen to Lance King's early stuff. He sings quite different then from the bands he's in now. I also think we'll see a different side of him on Krucible than from Pyramaze.

Agreed. Lance's work with Balance of Power was remarkable.

Lance has an incredible set of pipes. I'd love to see him break through to earn major acclaim in a DT-like band. But I think he needs a producer to push him a bit, see what he's capable of.

Frankly, I'm so friggin' bored with DT that, barring any drastic changes, I'm done with them.

 

[batmura]

no other singer in this genre tours even half as much as he does, let alone performs for the length of time that he does each night. I would love to see any other singer step up to the plate for James. I guarantee you that their voices wouldn't hold up any better.

Word.

Those that are so quick to bash Labrie's singing have no idea what it takes to sing DT songs on a nightly basis for three hours.

 

[Wandrail]

Word.

Those that are so quick to bash Labrie's singing have no idea what it takes to sing DT songs on a nightly basis for three hours.

I don't think anyone doubts his technical ability. Its his style and the natural sound of his voice that turns people off. At times I like him and at times he makes me cringe, but aside from the medical issue that he seems well past these days, he has always seemed to have good technique and ability. If he didn't have the right technique he couldn't be doing the DT tour schedule.