Top 40 Most Annoying Vocalists
I only realized how many annoying lead singers they are when I started this list. I expected to make it about 10-20 entries long initially. Only 15 minutes later I had 40 names. As proven by all time greats Layne Staley, Michael Stipe, or Maynard James Keenan, a lead singer can be a band’s greatest asset. Either through their attention seeking histrionics, irritating or dismal vocals and/or wanton imitation, these guys and ladies show how a singer can also be a band’s greatest detriment.
1a. Axl Rose (Guns n Roses)- A more annoying lead singer, or human will likely never exist. The poster boy for blood-curdling voices, intolerable egotism, and annoying hair metal antics, he single handedly made GNR suck (Slash rescued them from being pure crap). Can you even begin to imagine how bad Chinese Democracy will be (if it ever gets released) without his old GNR boys.
1b. Chad Kroeger (Nickelback)- A Nickelback member deserves a top 3 placement on any ‘worst of’ list. You can understand the degree to which I detest Axl, because he prevented this no talent, sell out fucker from being number one. His ‘vocals’ sound like he is squeezing out a turd on the toilet, while the dookie left in the toilet is representative of his ‘songs.’ My favorite video on Youtube is the one where he gets nailed by a beer from the crowd in Portugal.
3. Scott Stapp (Creed)- Anyone who started listening to music before 1997 detests this guy. If you heard any song from the grunge era, how can you not? There is no more artificial, pugnacious sounding voice in the business. People always claim that he totally ripped off Eddie Vedder, I see him more as a Scott Weiland imitator. Thanks god his god awful band mercifully disbanded.
4. Pete Wentz/Patrick Stump (Fall Out Boy)- Anyone who is even affiliated with this band is annoying. Stump may be the primary voice, but Wentz is the blood curdling face of this unbearable band. Thus they get to share this dubious distinction. The tough part with these guys is to determine whether they are more annoying or inept. Either way, anyone who wears tighter jeans than my girlfriend is sure to draw my ire.
5. Fred Durst (Limp Bizkit)- In case you didn’t know, Fred Durst is white! Bet you’d never have guessed by hearing his virtuoso raping. This maladroit gave millions of naive inner city white kids a hope of hitting it big. Fortunately after years of screaming (i.e. classics like “Rollin’” “Break Stuff”) and soul searching (tearjerkers like “Let me Down”), even his most obstinate fans realized that he sucked.
6. Sully Erna (Godsmack)- Both the band and lead singer have shown absolutely no growth since their formation in the cesspit that was the late 90s music scene. ‘Pioneering’ (ha!) front man Sully Erna still sounds about as good as Layne Staley’s corpse. He has slowly perfected his Staley imitation over the years. It’s a shame he’ll never approach Layne’s range, emotion, and versatility because he’s talentless
7. John Ondrasik (Five for Fighting)- (Superman) John Ondrasik has the title of making the worst song about Superman (he beats Three Doors Down by a hair). Honestly, I only have 3 songs by this singer-songwriter extraordinaire, but it’s plenty to realize that he has the most obnoxious voice known to man. Not only does he imitate the next singer on this list, but he does so with the worst woe-is-me voice I have ever heard.
8. Dave Matthews (Dave Matthews Band)- You know how there are bands and voices that you feel like you’re supposed to like, but just don’t? I like all of DMB’s contemporaries and even voices that are somewhat similar to Dave’s. But Dave Matthews is just too much for me. His overly quirky, diet Eddie Vedder vocal style is totally repellent to me.
9. Brandon Urie (Panic! at the Disco)- I have Urie(thra) this high because I’m basically heaping blame for this sad excuse of a band on him. His contrived voice and gimmicky 10 word long titles make me want to strangle him with a pair of his skin tight pants. Urie ought to consider renaming the band FOB squared, because they do the unfathomable, and actually beat FOB in annoying me to death.
10. Sam Endicott (The Bravery)- The first nine entries were no brainers, representing some of the worst bands and personalities in the music business. Now we get a little more complicated. Sam Endicott just flat out can’t sing. That’s not to say that he’s not talented, because the man manages to create very catchy synthesizer grooves. Though his vocals are downright embarrassing I still like his band.
11. Alec Ounsworth (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah)- Sounding like a cross between a glockenspiel and an accordion, Ounsworth’s voice accomplishes what Kevin Shields and Billy Corgan took years to perfect- making their voices into instruments. The only problem is that the actual result is utterly revolting. At least the rest of the band is sharp…
12. J. Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.)- There’s a reason the band is known for their guitars, because it certainly wasn’t going to be known for J.’s vocals. His vocals usually aren’t too prominent in the mix, but sometimes when he stretches his range to hit a tough note it sends chills through my spine- and not in a good way.
13. Courney Love (Hole)- I don’t know why, but I kind of like Hole. It doesn’t matter that Courtney is a huge bitch and probably had a lot to do with Kurt’s death. Usually her gritty, underwhelming vocals don’t get in the way of the bands solid tunes, but she gets her spot on this list primarily because I hate her.
14. Wes Scantlin (Puddle of Mudd)- Sometimes I wonder why the remaining members of Nirvana haven’t sued the pants off of Wes’s band. Most of these crappy post grunge bands pretty much mimic either Kurt, Eddie, or Layne, but none do so to the degree that Wes copies Kurt. Still like a couple of PoM’s songs though I can’t explain why.
15. Bono (U2)- Complain all you want, Superman’s (I mean Bono) vocals are mediocre. U2 isn’t that great, but any of their appeal can be put squarely on the shoulders of the Edge. Besides, Superman is unbelievably irritating, I am so sick of seeing him everywhere. Somebody rip those annoying shades of his damn face and slap him.
16. Stephen Tyler (Aerosmith)- Aerorsmith is seriously overrated, and Steven Tyler might have the most annoying vocals out of anyone on this list. He sounds exactly the same in every one of the bands songs. Absolutely no versatility. At least his daughter is hot…
17. Geddy Lee (Rush)- I feel like I should like Rush more, but it’s Lee’s vocals that always prevent me from doing so. The dude’s singing style is just so mismatched with the band’s music. It’s too sugary sweet, and well, too 80s hair metal for a progressive band like Rush.
18. Shaun Morgan (Seether)- Another one of the elite post grunge crew that have beaten this vocal style to death 20 times over by now. Morgan combines the usual Kurt impression with a touch of Daniel Johns (lead singer of Silverchair). Gotta give him respect for hooking up with Amy Lee though.
19. Rob Thomas (Matchbox 20)- I was always more of a Third Eye Blind guy. I can take or leave Matchbox, mainly because I found Rob Thomas and his voice too much to take. I mean nobody can naturally sing in that obnoxious tone, the way he protracts and emphasizes every vowel just makes me cringe.
20. Wayne Coyne (Flaming Lips)- Nobody really likes the Flaming Lips because of Wayne’s voice, right? I don’t even like the band in general. Reminding me of a slightly less out of tune Alec Ounsworth, Wayne just flat out can’t hit a note. I heard he is intolerable live as well.
21. Spencer Krug (Wolf Parade)- I swear the only thing that holds some Wolf Parade songs back are the vocals. Songs like “Fancy Claps” and “It’s a Curse” are marvelous, they just fall prey to Krug’s dismal, raspy, drunk sounding singing. He sounds like he is permanently loosing his voice.
22. Brad Arnold (Three Doors Down)- Honestly, had the past 15 years of music not been crammed full of what seems like this exact vocal style, I might even slightly enjoy these vocals. Brad seems to be a cleverly positioned amalgam of Kurt and Rob Thomas. Also, I think Arnold uses the same hook in every one of TDD’s singles.
23. John McCrea (Cake)- I HATE SPEAK-SING VOCALS. Music is meant to be sung, not spoken. You take out John’s boring vocals, and Cake is a top 20 90s alt rock band. The sharp guitars, inventive arrangements, and generous instrumental experimentation are all pretty much ruined by McCrea
24. Kid Rock (Kid Rock)- Really I’m still trying to figure out why we know who this man is. I mean other than the fact that he has banged Pam (and then again who hasn’t these days), I beg you to find one noteworthy characteristic. The degree too which he is utterly bereft of talent is staggering.
25. Marilyn Manson (Marilyn Manson)- Anyone who has to go to the length that Manson went to sell records probably isn’t the most talented guy in the world. I think most people other than his 16 year old goth fan base saw through the gimmicks. It’s a shame, because he does have a few surprisingly good songs.
26. Tegan and Sara (Tegan and Sara)- I’m definitely not a big fan of overwrought vocals. Tegan and Sara have really annoying emo-punk vocals that are just way too over the top. I still think The Con was one of the better records of last year somehow, but it has almost nothing to do with the vocals on the album.
27. Justin Hawkins (The Darkness)- Just like glam metal, the art of the falsetto is sure to be polarizing. Hawkins is definitely the Hillary Clinton of rock n roll, you either love him or hate him. Both with Hawkins and Clinton I’m firmly in the later group.
28. Mark McGrath (Sugar Ray)- Talk about an overexposed prima dona lead singer. I don’t think anyone can listen to a full Sugar Ray album without pulling their hair out. Does anyone take this guy seriously but himself?
29. Gerard Way- (My Chemical Romance)- Though I probably should, I don’t quite hate MCR. They are just catchy enough for me to rationalize turning my back to most of their annoying qualities. However, call me conservative, but I just can’t trust a dude who wears makeup.
30. Adam Levine- (Maroon 5)- No self respecting male can really like (or certainly admit to liking) this band. The band is targeted so directly towards women it’s sickening. Is it just me or does he even go as far as to sing in an unbearable fake Italian accent?
31. David Draiman- (Disturbed)- I’ve just had something against this band and its lead singer since I first heard them. Everything they do feels so forced and planned, each move resembles a petty gimmick. Besides, isn’t it obvious that these guys are just cashing in on stupid, angry people.
32. Hayley Williams (Paramore)- This band is such a sound business decision. So formulaic it’s just awe inspiring. I can totally imagine the room full of business executives crafting the personality and sound of this band. The soulless, used up vocals are flat out disgusting.
33. Ozzy Osbourne (Black Sabbath, solo)- Now that I’ve gotten all the usual suspects out of the way I’ll take some shots at popular singers I don’t like. Definitely at the top of the list is Ozzy. Never understood what people saw in him. He is a uniquely shitty vocalist.
34. Johnny Rzeznick (Goo Goo Dolls)- The adult contemporary king tailors his voice to the pallet of the rather undiscriminating ear of a 40 year old housewife. Not being a fan of vapid, formulaic ballads myself, I’m rather happy that I only hear his music on weekly trips to my local supermarket.
35. Bruce Springsteen (Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, solo)- This may be an unpopular choice, but I have never fancied his forced delivery style. There’s not much else I can fault him with. Legendary to some, he straddles the line between mundane and downright unappealing for me.
36. Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys, The Last Shadow Puppets)- It’s no secret that I dislike Artic Monkeys. They are too ostensibly in your face, too British, and feature too much of Alex Turner’s dreadful vocals. If there’s a posterchild for a band too British for America it’s any band fronted by Turner.
37. Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins, Zwan)- It’s true that Billy’s voice is an acquired taste. Before you get acquainted with it you hate it, thereafter you learn to sort of tune it out. Luckily throughout most of their good albums, Billy’s voice is veiled and can almost be forgotten.
38. Liam Gallagher (Oasis)- Nearly killing the band time and time again with his egocentric mentality, “Me-am” Gallagher isn’t even the best vocalist in his own band (that would be his brother, Noel). Much like Smashing Pumpkins, Oasis was good in spite of their vocalist.
39. Jeff Mangum (Neutral Milk Hotel)- Holy cow! He did not!? Ya, TRC can still offend people like few others can. This enigmatic indie god is certainly noteworthy for his revolutionary arrangements and instrumental prowess, but not for his seizure inducing, over the top voice.
40. Phil Anselmo (Pantera)- Ya, I’m likely somewhat biased because I hate 80% of heavy metal vocals, however Anselmo is probably the worst out of the bunch. People ask me why I give Pantera no credit. Let me give you a hint, it certainly is not because of the incredible Dimebag Darrell.
Comments
Have you heard of a guitarist named Slash!? I think he had a bit to do with GNR's success. Besides, even alot of people who like(d) GNR would admit that Axl is annoying as shit...
TRC
As the idiot who wrote this list I'd like to ask you when the words important and annoying became mutually exclusive?
'They are too ostensibly in your face, too British, and feature too much of Alex Turner’s dreadful vocals.'
Well, that's because they've got a lot to say, they ARE British and they feature Turner's vocals because HE'S THE VOCALIST!
I didn't really want to comment, because I think you like the attention and this is the internet so nothing either of us say matters anyway, but get over yourself!
TRC
TRC
Dennis DeYoung should be #1.
Bono is more of an annoying person than a bad vocalist. Still a must have for this list.
TRC
pekemon.blogspot.com/.../...
TRC
Don't worry MD, this isn't real, you're just imagining it. Go ahead and take another hit...
TRC
Did you decide to comment without reading the list? I suggest you maybe start over.
TRC
Fail?
TRC
Fucking hipster.
TRC
I know that you think I'm a hipster and clearly seem to have issues with hipsters. However, there's not a lot of hipsters that would put the vocalists of bands like Flaming Lips, Neutral Milk Hotel and Dinosaur Jr. on 'Worst of' lists.
TRC
And I'm sorry, my misunderstandin g. I don't think Billboard can put out a list of most annoying vocalists so thanks for giving your opinion. Maybe you should have a poll next time to clear this out? But I think you should leave Chad Kroeger out. He's on so many "worst of" lists that it is very boring now.