“Bizarre” doesn’t always equal “bad.” That’s especially true when it comes to rock music. Nothing is more exciting than hearing a new style of singing, screeching, and screaming to the sound of booming bass and shredding electric guitars. Quite a few vocalists have opted for unique styles of singing, and I think the following three bizarre rock singers make their styles work beautifully in the context of their music.
Geddy Lee
Rush’s Geddy Lee has the kind of voice that you really wouldn’t expect to punctuate countless excellent songs from a progressive rock band. Lee’s voice sits higher than most, but he’s not known for hitting crazy-high notes like some of his classic rock contemporaries. Rather, his voice is almost cartoonish, quite youthful, and incredibly well-suited for Rush, specifically.
Videos by American Songwriter
Lee has excellent range, which you can hear clear as day on songs like “Cygnus X-1”. And he always manages to stay in key. Few vocalists have that kind of sonic character.
Serj Tankian
System Of A Down’s Serj Tankian has by far one of the most unique voices in rock music. As the lead vocalist of alternative metal outfit System Of A Down, he changed the way rock music vocalists let it all out on stage and during sessions.
Tankian’s delivery is, honestly, quite unusual. It’s a hard thing to describe; you simply have to listen to records like Toxicity or his solo efforts like Elasticity to really get a feel for how different he is as a singer. Couple that delivery with a profoundly wide vocal range, and you’ve got a “bizarre” rock singer that many have tried to emulate and impersonate, but none have gotten even close.
Brent Hinds
Brent Hinds is one of the most memorable voices in progressive metal outfit Mastodon. He is also considered one of the more “bizarre” rock singers out there. His style of singing is clearly influenced by Ozzy Osbourne of Black Sabbath (I’ll say “allegedly” here so the fans don’t come for me), but his voice takes on this screeching quality that doesn’t really sound like anyone else in the genre.
Mastodon wouldn’t sound the same without his voice, honestly. Hinds recently announced that he has left the band, and it’s a real shame. His vocals added so much depth to their work.
Photo by M. Tran/FilmMagic
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.