he's actually pretty underrated as a singer. For me he's up there toghether with Ozzy, for example, and Ozzy's not a great singer. Ozzy's more iconic than great technically speaking. It's all about charisma in the voice and James has it.
He means underrated as a singer (vocalist) when he actually is pretty good.He can reach some really high notes and also has a deep and low voice when he sings ballads.
4:22 I remember finding that concert on TH-cam and being blown away by that random and powerful scream. It really sounded like he could have held the note even longer if he wanted to.
FearLess3431 I saw a few hit the lights screams and in other songs like sad but true (Live 2012,2013,2015,2010) so He can still do it it's just he doesn't want to screw it up again
His best album vocally is Death Magnetic. He has passion throughout, good energy, and never sounds like he struggles to hit high notes, like that B4 in Unforgiven III. It really shows off how strong of a singer he is.
Eye of The Beholder is also very hard to sing. I agree, Death Magnetic was the hardest to sing in scale, but ...And Justice For All required the biggest amount of effort.
Another example of James' impressive screaming is on the demo for "Disposab Heroes" when the "I was born for dying!!" part comes up he holds it for a good few seconds
I love how you included some great, often-overlooked songs, especially one from Beyond Magnetic, an orgasmic EP. You should have used the studio version of The Judas Kiss, though! He sings an octave lower in that section than in the live recording.
Holyyyy shit some cleeaaannn Eb5’s wowww did not expect that. He probably could have used that register if he wanted to incredible and underrated vocalist
+misukiy Lambertson Well the fifth octave notes aren't all full voice either, but i was focusing more on his overall range than what's fry/full/falsetto etc for this video. I tend to find that a singer's ability to use certain notes in controlled melody lines is more important than what register they choose to hit them in, personally :)
I dunno man, there's some pretty controlled fry notes out there. I think any register should count as long as it's controlled and solid enough to be used as part of a melody line.
I wonder how high he could've gone in the 80's if he really fucking pushed it and how low he can nowdays.... Still, he does a great fucking job singing like this and playing at the same time!
0;29 I don't understand that part , when i try to sing here i feel like it's the same note and same octave but when i open my "DaTuner" app in my phone it says its a F#3.I can't even go above D4 with my chest voice and i have a almost higher voice than Hetfield.can someone help me ?
S S I was wondering the same. I don’t think he’s a Lyric as his vocal weight is too heavy, but I don’t think it’s heavy enough to be a Dramatic. I say a Kavalier or a Verdi as he’s in between (like Matt Heafy from Trivium), but not a Dramatic Baritone (like Aaron Stainthorpe from My Dying Bride), or even a Bass-baritone (like Ville Valo from HIM).
he can't sing 5, he has a uncontrolled and unbelievably strained A6, that's it. His highest sung note is Eb5. His last audible note is around C2. 3 octaves, 2 notes and 1 semitone.
Well yes and no because if we are counting it over time then yes but since the human voice changes and you lose notes and also James taking alot of vocal damage he lost alot of abilities with his voice like on from kill em all through master of puppets he was a tenor but idk why changed his voice on and justice for all kept that style for the black album and blew his voice out which we can hear on load where his voice sounds very flat and low which is the style he uses now
Hetfield is good at what he does, which is singing in monotones and ending every word in an "ah" sound. His vocal range is around 3 octaves, which is about average. Definitely nothing special as far as vocal ability goes. He sounds great with Metallica, but in my opinion doesn't even make the top 25 impressive vocalists in hard rock/metal. Halford, Dio, Dickenson, Tate, Ozbourne, Gillan, Coverdale, Draiman, all have a much greater range. Halford has twice the range at 6 octaves (To be fair, Halford is a bit of a freak of nature and really is in his own class for range and ability to transition through that range).
Andy Cavassa What you said is true but almost none of the singers you have mentioned play rhythm guitar along with singing that too with thunderous down picking!
I think Dave edged out James in the late early 2000s but anything after, nah. James is the superior singer in technical standpoint... Well James didn't have cancer a handful of years ago, that's a thing.
Great, great analysis! Thanks for sharing! James is a perfect example of how a singer progresses, can't recall a better one.
Andriy Vasylenko hi frrriend
frrriend indeed
Very underrated vocalist - love that gruff sound he has, and not to forget that he plays extremely fast rhythm guitar while doing all this.
+Timliu92 not underrated at all.......
He is a great vocalist but I rarely hear people talk about his vocal skills compared to his rhythm guitar (which is amazing lol). :D
he's actually pretty underrated as a singer. For me he's up there toghether with Ozzy, for example, and Ozzy's not a great singer. Ozzy's more iconic than great technically speaking. It's all about charisma in the voice and James has it.
plus james is fucking awesome live!! he dominates the crows all the time!!
He means underrated as a singer (vocalist) when he actually is pretty good.He can reach some really high notes and also has a deep and low voice when he sings ballads.
4:55 That A6 is crazy
4:22 I remember finding that concert on TH-cam and being blown away by that random and powerful scream. It really sounded like he could have held the note even longer if he wanted to.
i always thought that this scream would be the best scream that james hetfield did in his entire life. it gives me chills.
He can still do it ...... Did u know that?
+Bryan HDGaming how?
FearLess3431 I saw a few hit the lights screams and in other songs like sad but true (Live 2012,2013,2015,2010) so He can still do it it's just he doesn't want to screw it up again
Bryan HDGaming it's not the same as battery scream.
i didn't realize james could sing like that!
@@bryantham11 Now It's been 8 years since that comment, how do you feel about it? lol
I wish I could meet James in person and play 4:55 for him just to see his reaction, and to see if he remembers it
Late response sorry, in a Kill 'em All anniversary he was talking about his vocals during that era you should check it out!
Gabriel Ledezma link?
3:44 EPIC
His best album vocally is Death Magnetic. He has passion throughout, good energy, and never sounds like he struggles to hit high notes, like that B4 in Unforgiven III. It really shows off how strong of a singer he is.
Eye of The Beholder is also very hard to sing. I agree, Death Magnetic was the hardest to sing in scale, but ...And Justice For All required the biggest amount of effort.
His best album vocally is garage inc imo(the 1998-1999) era. His performance on loverman is incredible
I would say Load Magnetic was Autotuned
@@thedancingguy828 Load and Reload weren't because they were recorded before autotune became a thing, but I feel certain parts of DM may have been.
@@AniW2x4 i know i Just forgot the ,
Another example of James' impressive screaming is on the demo for "Disposab Heroes" when the "I was born for dying!!" part comes up he holds it for a good few seconds
holy crap, that A6 was axl rosey like
4:53 wtf
that was the "fuck yeah" most weird i ever heard
It’s like he hit puberty XD
The widest voice crack ever
He was 19.... Puberty??
4:08 Amazing
Love that whooo does at the end of sad but true in S&M
I love how you included some great, often-overlooked songs, especially one from Beyond Magnetic, an orgasmic EP. You should have used the studio version of The Judas Kiss, though! He sings an octave lower in that section than in the live recording.
People: wow! A6!
Me: fuck! A killer Bb4!
"Damn, that A4 was clean!"
F#4 is generally what I hear him sing the most live
4:06 very nice
Damn that fuck you was crazy.
That Ronnie Medley was awesome!!
4:04 - E Flat 5 are you kidding James?
4:55 um James please elaborate
Update this and take hardwired to self-destruct into consideration
Awesome post bro, thanks!
I feel like his voice has gotten better over time
You should put the performance of In my Life, where he uses falsetto at the end
I would love to find this version. Any chance you could link it in?
+Ivan Matias Isasi Astigarraga you mean beatles cover ?
FearLess3431
yes, that cover
C5
Underrated metal vocalist
4:06 from here, he began quietly to take a second octave. Although still the timbre of a baritone, don't sing.
I feel like singers like Robert Plant do that and what happens is they skip over the vocal break
But see I can do that but the problem is I wanna do head voice but I keep doing that and seeing as you know some terms anyway you could help me?
This is actually amazing. I've been wondering what his vocal range is!
Holyyyy shit some cleeaaannn Eb5’s wowww did not expect that. He probably could have used that register if he wanted to incredible and underrated vocalist
The A1 is vocal fry and I'm pretty sure the C2 is as well. Still great singer :) C#2 is great for a baritone.
+misukiy Lambertson Well the fifth octave notes aren't all full voice either, but i was focusing more on his overall range than what's fry/full/falsetto etc for this video. I tend to find that a singer's ability to use certain notes in controlled melody lines is more important than what register they choose to hit them in, personally :)
Tarantinomaniac I think fry shouldn't really count for anyone doe :0
I dunno man, there's some pretty controlled fry notes out there. I think any register should count as long as it's controlled and solid enough to be used as part of a melody line.
Tarantinomaniac I can vocal fry to B0, it really shouldn't count
If you can control it, it should. There's a fine line between controlled fry that can be used for actual singing, and just pure gurgles.
His full vocal range is Eb1-A6(5 octaves and 4 notes),his Singing range is C2-Bb5(3 octaves and 5 notes)
Perfect metal voice on "Ride... "
The highest note I can hit is an E4, this man is insanely talented.
"FUCK YAAAAAAAU"
I’m glad you added his vocal warm ups 😂😂😂
I am a vocal bass . Can I Sing The Low notes of James Hetfield?
Well James is a baritone, and if you're a bass then it means you can sing his lower notes much easier.
What subcategory of Baritone is he? Lyric? Dramatic?
@@Rock-Metal91 verdi baritone or dramatic tenor
4:04 No me esperaba eso😱😱😱
I wonder how high he could've gone in the 80's if he really fucking pushed it and how low he can nowdays.... Still, he does a great fucking job singing like this and playing at the same time!
4:23 😍
He's lucky, I'm forced to sing A#4 on Ozzy - Over the mountain.
4:56 Holy shit!
I don’t know what my vocals would be. I have a deep voice but they kinda sound like a mixture between master of puppets james and justice
Ryan Thistle Same,lol :)
"The vocal range of Peter Steele" is blocked in my country. Would anyone be kind enough to send me it?
I don’t know if I’m too late but
th-cam.com/video/RLfa5V0uF-Q/w-d-xo.htmlsi=CnK1SXPv4oXRp4FE
give us all the notes on the Unforgiven III performance from S&M :-)
0;29 I don't understand that part , when i try to sing here i feel like it's the same note and same octave but when i open my "DaTuner" app in my phone it says its a F#3.I can't even go above D4 with my chest voice and i have a almost higher voice than Hetfield.can someone help me ?
Devrim Odabaşı probably something wrong with your tuner
Devrim Odabaşı That's because this video lists a few notes in the wrong octave. Your tuner is most likely correct
do you think that was a F#3 ? it looks like that when i go to my piano
Devrim Odabaşı As someone with perfect pitch, I can tell you that it is indeed an F#3
I dont care what anyone says. Kill em all has the best vocals from James. Ofc ajfa is a very very very very close second
Can he legit sing A1? Was that chest voice?
Bah its vocal fry, isnt countable
What about the end of "The House Jack Built?" How low does he get on that?
jill wojahn Maybe a low octave Eb
jill wojahn Yes, it's around Eb1 in vocal fry.
+jill wojahn It's practically pure gurgle. Not a very controlled note.
Tarantinomaniac It sounded like pure fry to me.
Exactly. Not something I'd count as part of his range, personally.
I am not sure if that is an a6 (sounds more like a very sharp a5 bit who gives).
So a lot of the fourth octaves are when he really pushes up. Where do the other parts of those song land? At the top of the 3rd octave?
Can anyone tell me what kind of baritone he is? As in lyric baritone, dramatic baritone, verdi baritone, etc etc?
S S I was wondering the same. I don’t think he’s a Lyric as his vocal weight is too heavy, but I don’t think it’s heavy enough to be a Dramatic. I say a Kavalier or a Verdi as he’s in between (like Matt Heafy from Trivium), but not a Dramatic Baritone (like Aaron Stainthorpe from My Dying Bride), or even a Bass-baritone (like Ville Valo from HIM).
Baritenor
@@joewasikowski4426 either kavilier baritone or spinto tenor
Is early James Hetfield a tenor or high baritonr
@@Nictric1 light lyric tenor
Dark Tenor or Light Baritone ?
Spinto tenor
In the end,how many octaves can he sing
Danilo Bajic around 2.8
5
he can't sing 5, he has a uncontrolled and unbelievably strained A6, that's it. His highest sung note is Eb5.
His last audible note is around C2.
3 octaves, 2 notes and 1 semitone.
so his vocal range is 4 octave,right?
5
I'd say 24
But then again, I'm no singer :)
no, that a6 (if it was one that is and not a screechy a5) it was a one time thing and then shortly after that broke his voice.
Well yes and no because if we are counting it over time then yes but since the human voice changes and you lose notes and also James taking alot of vocal damage he lost alot of abilities with his voice like on from kill em all through master of puppets he was a tenor but idk why changed his voice on and justice for all kept that style for the black album and blew his voice out which we can hear on load where his voice sounds very flat and low which is the style he uses now
no hit the lights 2009 at sonisphere? disappointing
Hetfield is good at what he does, which is singing in monotones and ending every word in an "ah" sound. His vocal range is around 3 octaves, which is about average. Definitely nothing special as far as vocal ability goes. He sounds great with Metallica, but in my opinion doesn't even make the top 25 impressive vocalists in hard rock/metal. Halford, Dio, Dickenson, Tate, Ozbourne, Gillan, Coverdale, Draiman, all have a much greater range. Halford has twice the range at 6 octaves (To be fair, Halford is a bit of a freak of nature and really is in his own class for range and ability to transition through that range).
What are you talking about. He should at least be in the top 10
Andy Cavassa What you said is true but almost none of the singers you have mentioned play rhythm guitar along with singing that too with thunderous down picking!
shut up
Almost nobody has a voice as powerful as James, listen to any Metallica concert from between 1988-1993 and you'll understand what I mean.
Actually Halford has around 4 octaves.
Well, you just showed us why nobody realizes his vocal range. Because his best performances come on albums that are pure shit!
Max Durk Load and ReLoad aren't shit. If you don't appreciate them, that's one thing, but it's some of the best work Metallica has ever done.
+Shiny McShine I am not a huge fan of Load and ReLoad, but James really sings well in that album.
Man in Rising Medley he use autotune.....
CLEARLY LISTEN
Old James actually have a better melody in his vocal, young james is pretty monotone, just try to listen to every album before Load
YOu tell ME..............about Metallica man?
Ha ha..........go wash some dishes man......!!!
he's an inspiration,but he's not terrific
....
THRASHFKINFILLETS you sir are getting a thumbs down!
6 octaves... can you name another singer with a range that wide?
+crazychicken523 A1-C6
+Den Qwerty A1-A6*
Dave is better on vocals than sell out boys...
Yeah right, Hetfield in his day could whisper more powerfully than Dave’s best scream.
I think Dave edged out James in the late early 2000s but anything after, nah. James is the superior singer in technical standpoint...
Well James didn't have cancer a handful of years ago, that's a thing.
Really thought James was just the Golden Standard for metal singing but now I realize he truly is a special singer in it of itself