Singers that sound amazing in the studio but are horrible live (and vice versa)

[ThePitt]

We all know how perfect things sound in the studio but live is not so much... so we're talking about singers heres who sound awesome in the recordings but suck live but give a reason why you think so. for me it would be

Rob Halford because when he sings painkiller he really struggles with the highs even when the album came out.

Gaahl because in the studio recordings he sounds so evil just like a black metal vocalist should but he sounds so much different live, in live he sounds what I call "the quack"

and to a small extent Bruce Dickenson because recent years he kinda sounds like he's straining on the highs but he's still amazing none the less (better in the days of old.)

 

[waif]

Johan Hegg (Amon Amarth) sounds better in the studio than live, but probably because on the last album it sounds like they double-tracked the vocals. He still sounds great live, more or less like he did back on Versus and earlier.

Joacim Cans (Hammerfall) sounds like he has testicles live. Excellent vocalist either way.

 

[-CC-]

The singer of Septic Flesh has great vocals both in the studio and live..but whenever he introduces a song or asks the crowd to "shoaw 'im the hoaarns" I just cringe..and he does this while growling mind you, so you'd think he could pull it off, but without the backing of any audio, he just sounds ridiculous (spose that goes for any small-talk during a concert while growling)

 

[damnromulans]

Dani Filth can't reproduce studio vocals AT ALL live

James Hetfield too

 

[Chanakya]

People may shit on me for this, but to a large extent I find LaBrie an amazing vocalist. I do occaisonally get annoyed with his wailing, but his live performances are so horrendously bad, it's depressing.

@ WAIF - Considering that my live show viewing is limited, I'd still say that Hegg's onstage persona more than makes up for whatever little difference in his live performances.

 

[damnromulans]

I'd second that about Hegg-san. He's a pretty bombastic frontman with a beer belly, was pretty captivating when I saw Amon Amarth that one time.

 

[waif]

Hegg's a beast, no doubt. But those gutteral vocals on the thrash break in Asator, for example, he can't reproduce live. No worries, though, he can still do anything from the first six albums perfectly and that's more than enough for me.

LaBrie is horrible live. I spent most of DTs set thinking about the irony of him sharing a name with a cheese.

 

[damnromulans]

Brie is an overrated cheese IMO. it's good but not worth being anyone's #1 LOVELOVELOVE cheese.

 

[waif]

I like it. I've never seen anyone rate it highly, so I couldn't call it overrated. But I'd say it shouldn't be rated too highly.
And I hate LaBrie's vocals. He has impressive control and range and all that but it doesn't change the fact that he has no balls and is trying to sing metal.

 

[Chanakya]

^
Methinks people will point at your post and say 'WTF DT is metal?' I liked his vocals on 'Elements Of Persuasion'. That said, I truly love his vocals on the pre-Rudess albums.


I dunno if this is an accepted generalization, but I saw a performance of Symphony X on youtube and Russell Allen sounded absolutely horrible.

 

[Avigrus]

I think Matt Barlow sounds better live than in the studio...

I love Devin Townsend's studio vocals, but his live vocals are a bit dodgy.

 

[Satanstoenail]

Mille Petrozza sounds really bad live these days.

 

[TheInsane]

Johan Hegg (Amon Amarth) sounds better in the studio than live, but probably because on the last album it sounds like they double-tracked the vocals. He still sounds great live, more or less like he did back on Versus and earlier.

Joacim Cans (Hammerfall) sounds like he has testicles live. Excellent vocalist either way.

Hegg is quite a horrible vocalist really. ON some albums they are able to produce his weknesses away but he does sound bad live. Or rather he starts out strong and then get pretty weak towards the end (my experience). But on an album like "fate of norns" where they choose not to do much with the vocals he sounds awful. I think its even the first scream on the first track that is just horrible.

 

[Bitencourt29]

I think Matt Barlow sounds better live
than in the studio...

He sounds great live indeed. LaBrie usually sucks live, and sounds good on albums. Dave Mustaine sucks as a singer either way (I enjoy Megadeth though). Saw Kreator live last year and Mille was not that bad.

 

[waif]

Hegg is quite a horrible vocalist really. ON some albums they are able to produce his weknesses away but he does sound bad live. Or rather he starts out strong and then get pretty weak towards the end (my experience). But on an album like "fate of norns" where they choose not to do much with the vocals he sounds awful. I think its even the first scream on the first track that is just horrible.

wat

 

[TheInsane]

He sounds great live indeed. LaBrie usually sucks live, and sounds good on albums. Dave Mustaine sucks as a singer either way (I enjoy Megadeth though). Saw Kreator live last year and Mille was not that bad.

I love Mustiane on records but yeah he cant really do it live. Usually everything else is top notch when watching megadeth live so it kind of makes up for it. They have always been very solid when Ive seen them. No bullshit, loads of music and good performances.

wat

You heard me. Go and listen to "fate of norns". Unproduced Hegg is shit - not "the shit" but just plain shit.

 

[V.V.V.V.V.]

I thought Mille was excellent when I saw them last year.

 

[Caveman Ninja]

I thought Mille was excellent when I saw them last year.

Me too.

 

[damnromulans]

wat

yeah that. Hegg-san may not be the BEST VOCALIST IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE but he is hardly "horrible"

 

[Satanstoenail]

I thought Mille was excellent when I saw them last year.

Me too.

Maybe last time I saw them was on the very end of a tour or something. He'd completely given up his usual harsh vocal for some sort of half yelled/half gurgled pig squeal thing that sounded really quite shit.