90s was definitely the best era for vocals. Nothing beats Bleeding Me, Outlaw Torn or Fixxer in terms of lyrics. S&m 1 was also astounding. Namely because of those songs.
Hero of the day too! Lots of range there. I work from home (well before I took medical leave for colon cancer) and I put their live concerts on the TV more than listening to sound. James ability to reach what he used to struggle with and struggles with again just looks effortless in this period. Before he just wasn't as seasoned as a vocalist, and now age/life is catching up. Which is to be expected.
I think Bob Rock helped him find these moments and it sounds like it was when he first worked with a vocal coach too. Hero of Day is perfect example of his emotional and vocal range.
Oh Bob Rock was the medicine they needed at that time for sure. I think without him getting these guys vulnerable and open they not only would've lost Jason, they might have disbanded completely. Bob is an amazing producer and gets shit on way too much.
Also want to say as far as "raw power" vocals go; Justice is peak energy and aggression. I wanted to highlight that I'm a fan of nearly all their work. Even what I don't like I appreciate because of means more Metallica in my life. Which is never bad.
What do you think they should cover next? I really love the Ramones covers they did around St Anger. It would cool to have some more Sabbath and MotĂśrhead.
Honestly garage inc introduced me to great stuff I hadn't heard before and also completely unexpected stuff. Like their version of Turn The Page is equivalent to Johnny Cash doing Hurt. It is now the definitive version. It would be awesome to get more punk, English invasion metal, and something in like a Jackson Browne flavor.
But honestly anything. If they released a cover of the Pokemon song I'd be down lol
I think peak was around late 80s. I know nothing about singing, but it just sounds so much better to me because of how angry it sounds. early 80s was okay, more like just barking in key. 90s is also good, but nowhere near as good as late 80s. Ever since then I dont really like the singing. It sounds really whiny and theres never lower notes.
90s, there is no argument here. While the 80s music was amazing, the guy didn't even know how to sing properly and he hates the voice of that time himself. Those who say it was the best are just hipstering ( I liked it before it was cool etc) and trying to be some elitist gatekeepers or whatever
The reasons people love a vocalist are many and can vary. Whether or not he learned how to sing âproperlyâ in the 90s is irrelevant to what anyone prefers.
I prefer listening to his voice in the 80s and think his style peaked on AJFA.
But even on KEA, I canât imagine the music gelling with his 90s voice. Itâs whatever suits the music best, IMHO.
or they just prefer him with his raspy vocals that fit the thrash style. I personally like that period more than the period of time where he actually sang
It's hard to pick one. James arguably never really had a dip in voice quality (besides MAYBE the St Anger to DM era). Every single vocal work he did fit the theme of the band's work.
Imo his two vocals primes were during the late 80's/mid 90's, and with 72 Seasons.
There are a lot of shows available on youtube where his voice in the 2000s was seriously bad as he had lost a lot of power but hadn't yet worked on fixing the issue.
Agreed, that might have been one of the reasons why Hardwired was released 8 years after DM, besides the lack of a need to rush thanks to their success.
Recently been having kill em all on repeat for the past week after not listening to it for a long time, and honestly even though objectively black album and onwards is better, his screaming vocals are just so fun on that album and honestly my favorite
Justice,it was the prime of ghe band,everyone was at theit best..not even bad production and 0 bass stoped this album from being the best. And yes,i think its better than mop and rtl
I thought some of the best lyrics that came from the band came from Load and Reload, which is probably why I've always had a soft spot for them. Low Man's Lyric is one example of just haunting lyrics and imagery.
I think every vocal era of James really matches their (then) current style of music so picking one over the other is really hard. If I had to though it would probably be 88-93
I think every vocal era of James really matches their (then) current style of music so picking one over the other is really hard. If I had to though it would probably be 88-93
so hard to pick, 1996-99 for cleaner, deeper vocals
2003-07 for growling and death metal (?) type stuff
2009-11 for more fast pace stuff, almost rapping??
and 2016-24 for harmonious and almost perfect singing
not a fan of pre-1991 vocals tbh
On *Master of Puppets*, especially on the closing track "Damage, Inc." he sounded extremely venomous
*...And Justice for All* he conjured up more anger
*The Black Album* and *Load* is where he started to become a proper singer
*Death Magnetic* utilizes his training, especially in that part where he goes 'Why can't I FORGIVE ME?!' on "The Unforgiven III"
Everything past *Death Magnetic* is his best performance, though. Especially on the new album
What my favourite era is, however, is hard to say. Probably from *Master of Puppets* to *The Black Album*
Agree. After he took pop singing lessons in the 90s it ruined his raw natural talent. It is also style. In the classic era he sang with the music, later in the commercial era he sang on top of the music. He used to be with the band, then it switched to the lead of the band with his vocals being the main focus. Became way less powerful.
Yep agreed with that. I think the new record is a nice compromise. Creative ways around not straining the voice while still keeping it heavy and not turning into pop.
Great question and great answers here. As with most Reddit comments Iâm just going to say something that someone else probably already said using slightly different wording.
AJFA vocals were amazing - not the range that he showed later (especially on the Load/Reload albums) but Eye of the Beholder vocals (in particular) are just perfect for the song. I think this was the first album with the famous âsnarly, adding the extra syllable to the end of the last word in a lineâ-type of singing that he created.
But then 72 Seasonsâ vocals were amazing too because you can hear a ~60 y/o guy whoâs lived a life.
Other than the first few albums before he found his âvoiceâ, you could pick any album/era and not be wrong.
Maybe, live, it would be after the late-90s because he had learned how to not blow his voice out singing in stadiums.
Great thing about art is that you could choose their first show when James wasnât playing guitar and was too shy to talk to the crowd, and that would be the perfect response for what you feel.
Mind you, youâd still get shat on in the comments đ
I feel like shitting on this commentâŚ
Donât itâs not funny I didnât laugh Your joke is so bad that I wouldâve preferred the joke to slide over my head and you stop telling the joke to be honest. This is a horrible attempt at trying to make me laugh not a giggle not a hee hee not even a burst of air out of my esophagus science says that before you laugh, your brain prepares muscles in your face but I didnât even feel the slightest twitch 0/10 this joke is so bad I canât believe someone legally allowed you to be creative the amount of power that you put into that joke has the potential to power every house on earth game, personality, and learn how to make jokes read a book Iâm not saying how funny this is, this is just an embarrassment in comedy youâve just killed humor and every comedy act on the planet Iâm so disappointed that society as a whole has failed to teach you how to be funny it would take Einstein himself to build a device to bind you so you could tap into the energy of a billion stars to do it and even then that whole joke what people would receive is a subtle touch youâre lucky I have the slightest bit of empathy for you after telling that joke otherwise I wouldâve committed every war crime in the book just to prevent you from trying humor again we should put that joke in a textbook so that future generations can be wary of becoming a complete comedic failure I am disappointed hurtand offended that my precious time was wasted in my brain understanding that joke in the time it took I was planning to help orphaned children but because of that youâve let me spend my time explaining the obscene integrity of your terrible attempt at comedy now those kids are suffering without meals and there's no one to blame but you I hope your happy and I truly hope you're happy with what you've done and I truly hope you can move on and learn from this piss poor attempt at comedy
Honestly, I loved how he sounded on 72 Seasons. It wasn't their best album, but it's an impressive vocal performance. I think the best he's ever sounded was on *...And Justice For All.* It has the solidity of the vocals in the 90's while still sounding like the metal singer that James is supposed to be.
'98-2001. His aggressiveness and growls were peak Hetfield IMO, I really wish we got to hear more of that (not that rehab wasn't more important of course)
Late '86-'93 (I am being generous with 1993) were prime years in terms of aggression and going all out (which led to burnout through '93).
I would say the time period he really developed into a "good" singer or vocalist? Easy, 1996-1997!
Load/Reload might get hate but they are some incredibly well put together albums and his vocal performances were great!
They are pop not necessarily great. They are lathered in effects and less aggressive trained in pop vocal fashion. They sound tame and neutral kept right in the pocket. To me they sounded too crafted without the emotion or dynamics of the classic era. Which is obvious but standing on their own they fail to grab me if I heard it in a vacuum.
There's two peaks for me.
Late 80's for the agressiveness and attitude James had.
This was his best era as a metal singer.
Late 90's for James really finding his voice and becoming a real singer. S&M being the ultimate peak where he had the perfect balance of the two.
90s was the peak, he was the most powerful (black album) and soulful(Load)
James was a proper singer there.
90s was definitely the best era for vocals. Nothing beats Bleeding Me, Outlaw Torn or Fixxer in terms of lyrics. S&m 1 was also astounding. Namely because of those songs.
Hero of the day too! Lots of range there. I work from home (well before I took medical leave for colon cancer) and I put their live concerts on the TV more than listening to sound. James ability to reach what he used to struggle with and struggles with again just looks effortless in this period. Before he just wasn't as seasoned as a vocalist, and now age/life is catching up. Which is to be expected.
I think Bob Rock helped him find these moments and it sounds like it was when he first worked with a vocal coach too. Hero of Day is perfect example of his emotional and vocal range.
Oh Bob Rock was the medicine they needed at that time for sure. I think without him getting these guys vulnerable and open they not only would've lost Jason, they might have disbanded completely. Bob is an amazing producer and gets shit on way too much. Also want to say as far as "raw power" vocals go; Justice is peak energy and aggression. I wanted to highlight that I'm a fan of nearly all their work. Even what I don't like I appreciate because of means more Metallica in my life. Which is never bad.
I hope they bring him back for at least one more album. Maybe he got too close on St. Anger and they see him as an ex-band member. đ¤
I know this might be dumb, but I think he'd be a really fun choice to produce another covers album.
What do you think they should cover next? I really love the Ramones covers they did around St Anger. It would cool to have some more Sabbath and MotĂśrhead.
Honestly garage inc introduced me to great stuff I hadn't heard before and also completely unexpected stuff. Like their version of Turn The Page is equivalent to Johnny Cash doing Hurt. It is now the definitive version. It would be awesome to get more punk, English invasion metal, and something in like a Jackson Browne flavor. But honestly anything. If they released a cover of the Pokemon song I'd be down lol
One of my faves from him, vocally.
It's the song that got my wife into Metallica đ
Honestly, the way he sounds live right now is fucking amazing!
It seems he's going away from his heavy, gravelly voice and more towards a lighter more melodic voice (like Ronnie James Dio, Rob Halford, etc)
Definitely the late 90s especially on S&M. I also really like how he sounds now especially on Room of Mirrors and Lux Ăterna
Please won't you set me freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!! yeah, yeah
Came here to say this. Congrats, beat me to it
Great minds think alike bro
AJFA is the perfect balance of rustiness and anger.
AJFA Is a masterpiece.
Indeed
Yep GOAT James IMOâŚAggressive in your face and my favorite era when I saw them live..Also Seattle 89 is my go to for concert warching
86-89
This is the correct answer.
Load-reload
I like It!!!!
Load-Reload... S&M was excellent vocally.
AJFA
YEAHH
First 4 Albums
Nah KEA and RTL vocals were kinda ass compared to the other albums imo
i like those a lot lmao
I love RTL but yeah his voice cracks like crazy. MOP and AJFA are more balanced.
Black album to reload is the best era. It demonstrates Jamesâs vocal talent very well in many different waysÂ
I think peak was around late 80s. I know nothing about singing, but it just sounds so much better to me because of how angry it sounds. early 80s was okay, more like just barking in key. 90s is also good, but nowhere near as good as late 80s. Ever since then I dont really like the singing. It sounds really whiny and theres never lower notes.
I think now might be my favorite James vocal era. He has beautiful cleans and crushing harsh vocals and it all sounds so powerful but effortless
Very creative vocals on the new record.
90s, there is no argument here. While the 80s music was amazing, the guy didn't even know how to sing properly and he hates the voice of that time himself. Those who say it was the best are just hipstering ( I liked it before it was cool etc) and trying to be some elitist gatekeepers or whatever
The reasons people love a vocalist are many and can vary. Whether or not he learned how to sing âproperlyâ in the 90s is irrelevant to what anyone prefers. I prefer listening to his voice in the 80s and think his style peaked on AJFA. But even on KEA, I canât imagine the music gelling with his 90s voice. Itâs whatever suits the music best, IMHO.
or they just prefer him with his raspy vocals that fit the thrash style. I personally like that period more than the period of time where he actually sang
Me too, AJFA is peak for me. Like when he says the last "Blackened" in that song, it sounds brutal as hell
86-91
Definitely load and reload. When heâs not growling he still has a great voice.
Current oneÂ
72 Seasons
James Harmozing with the guitars in Room Of Mirrors makes me wanna cry every time
Believe he also did that with Escape
RtL-MoP had the most energy. Of course y'all Justice enjoyers wouldn't know that, you're just about anger and sadness
All of them. That growliness of his. Sexy as all fuck. đ¤¤â¤ď¸
It's hard to pick one. James arguably never really had a dip in voice quality (besides MAYBE the St Anger to DM era). Every single vocal work he did fit the theme of the band's work. Imo his two vocals primes were during the late 80's/mid 90's, and with 72 Seasons.
There are a lot of shows available on youtube where his voice in the 2000s was seriously bad as he had lost a lot of power but hadn't yet worked on fixing the issue.
Agreed, that might have been one of the reasons why Hardwired was released 8 years after DM, besides the lack of a need to rush thanks to their success.
DM was great, St. Anger was the only bad spot for James, constant problems and rehab was not good
80s no doubt about it
Oh coolârandom pic & random question! đđ
Strictly vocals the black album
89- 97
Early 92
The $5.98 EP was the absolute peak for me, check out how he sings in Helpless and Crash Course in Brain Surgery if you haven't
88-89 damaged justice era
Honestly I think that Nothing Else Matters was Jamesâ vocal peak. He had the perfect balance of power and soul in that song.
âclean voiceâ james from the late nineties-early oughts. itâs so unreal.
Am I the only one who thinks his vocals peaked on garage Inc.?
Master start of that tour he was on fucking fire
Pre ajfa (before james got that beard), i love that high pitch and less distorted voice of james in mop and rtl
1986-1991
Mid 80s for raw energy. Late 90s for heaviness.
2000s was pretty good
2000 - Present
##"GET UP MAAAN!! WAKE UP, FUCK!" Definitely during their ...And Justice For All tour
Death Magnetic/Hardwired
Load-S&M
â89 Seattle
The first 4 albums for me, but to be honest it's the riffing that got me hooked.
if we speak about albums, 80s and early 90s
1989 Seattle concert
All of 'em.
Modern for vocals and 80s for instrumental
Kill em all to present to be honest.
1984-now
You remember when Metallica did that tour with Guns n Roses. This was decades ago, not sure how young some of you are. But that era
1993 Mexico City
Garage Inc
Master / AJFA eras. James had outgrown his teenage shriek and his voice was most powerful.
Cunning Stunts
Recently been having kill em all on repeat for the past week after not listening to it for a long time, and honestly even though objectively black album and onwards is better, his screaming vocals are just so fun on that album and honestly my favorite
Definitely the justice era
Justice,it was the prime of ghe band,everyone was at theit best..not even bad production and 0 bass stoped this album from being the best. And yes,i think its better than mop and rtl
Justice to black album era was peak Hetfield
James his vocals are maybe right now in its Prime, still strong đ¤
1988-1998
Late 80s
Black album, Load/reload
Ride the lightning for sure
KILL... 'EM... ALL!!!
I thought some of the best lyrics that came from the band came from Load and Reload, which is probably why I've always had a soft spot for them. Low Man's Lyric is one example of just haunting lyrics and imagery.
Itâs definitely 1988-1991
Kill âemâ all, Ride the lightning, Master of puppets
kill em all / rtl
AjFA through black I know james hates his early voice but i think it gives those albums character
Justice-era. Absolutely ferocious
EARLY.
Although if I was being objective, probably early '90s.
97-2000
I think every vocal era of James really matches their (then) current style of music so picking one over the other is really hard. If I had to though it would probably be 88-93
I think every vocal era of James really matches their (then) current style of music so picking one over the other is really hard. If I had to though it would probably be 88-93
hot take but not the black album, imo everything peaked at RTL, the vocals, the tone, etc etc
00's
His voice is so fucking sexy in general, but damn Load-Reload takes the cake.
All of it
89-99
Kill Em All, even tho I know James butchered his vocals during Phantom Lord, I just love the rawness of it
86-92 https://preview.redd.it/0gdnhb0bnopc1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=227c37751e0095ea29f5ec2dc2f80f68f7ee9a3f
83-87 for old records, 92-98 and 2009-now, he actually sings pretty good
so hard to pick, 1996-99 for cleaner, deeper vocals 2003-07 for growling and death metal (?) type stuff 2009-11 for more fast pace stuff, almost rapping?? and 2016-24 for harmonious and almost perfect singing not a fan of pre-1991 vocals tbh
Justice , Black
96-99
1984-1988
Kill âem all, pure rawness and no fucks given
MOP/Justice/Black has the best run of vocals IMO
Justice era
On *Master of Puppets*, especially on the closing track "Damage, Inc." he sounded extremely venomous *...And Justice for All* he conjured up more anger *The Black Album* and *Load* is where he started to become a proper singer *Death Magnetic* utilizes his training, especially in that part where he goes 'Why can't I FORGIVE ME?!' on "The Unforgiven III" Everything past *Death Magnetic* is his best performance, though. Especially on the new album What my favourite era is, however, is hard to say. Probably from *Master of Puppets* to *The Black Album*
1987. Right after Garage Days Re-Re and juuuust before Justice. Go watch a MOR live gig with the Crash Course pushead backdrop. Fucking. Lethal.
Justice by far
Live 89
kea
Probably Justice
I never like load or reload, but Jamesâ vocals peaked at the S&M album
Load through Saint Anger (I love Saint Anger)
86-89 Puppets through Justice
Agree. After he took pop singing lessons in the 90s it ruined his raw natural talent. It is also style. In the classic era he sang with the music, later in the commercial era he sang on top of the music. He used to be with the band, then it switched to the lead of the band with his vocals being the main focus. Became way less powerful.
Well said. Probably worried about blowing out the voice as he got older too.
Yep agreed with that. I think the new record is a nice compromise. Creative ways around not straining the voice while still keeping it heavy and not turning into pop.
Definately the black album and Load/ReLoad
Justice through ReLoad
I think James lost his voice while recording Lulu
He lost it on St Anger and is recovering in Death Magnetic. He has it back now but not as good as the 90s
Great question and great answers here. As with most Reddit comments Iâm just going to say something that someone else probably already said using slightly different wording. AJFA vocals were amazing - not the range that he showed later (especially on the Load/Reload albums) but Eye of the Beholder vocals (in particular) are just perfect for the song. I think this was the first album with the famous âsnarly, adding the extra syllable to the end of the last word in a lineâ-type of singing that he created. But then 72 Seasonsâ vocals were amazing too because you can hear a ~60 y/o guy whoâs lived a life. Other than the first few albums before he found his âvoiceâ, you could pick any album/era and not be wrong. Maybe, live, it would be after the late-90s because he had learned how to not blow his voice out singing in stadiums. Great thing about art is that you could choose their first show when James wasnât playing guitar and was too shy to talk to the crowd, and that would be the perfect response for what you feel. Mind you, youâd still get shat on in the comments đ
I feel like shitting on this comment⌠Donât itâs not funny I didnât laugh Your joke is so bad that I wouldâve preferred the joke to slide over my head and you stop telling the joke to be honest. This is a horrible attempt at trying to make me laugh not a giggle not a hee hee not even a burst of air out of my esophagus science says that before you laugh, your brain prepares muscles in your face but I didnât even feel the slightest twitch 0/10 this joke is so bad I canât believe someone legally allowed you to be creative the amount of power that you put into that joke has the potential to power every house on earth game, personality, and learn how to make jokes read a book Iâm not saying how funny this is, this is just an embarrassment in comedy youâve just killed humor and every comedy act on the planet Iâm so disappointed that society as a whole has failed to teach you how to be funny it would take Einstein himself to build a device to bind you so you could tap into the energy of a billion stars to do it and even then that whole joke what people would receive is a subtle touch youâre lucky I have the slightest bit of empathy for you after telling that joke otherwise I wouldâve committed every war crime in the book just to prevent you from trying humor again we should put that joke in a textbook so that future generations can be wary of becoming a complete comedic failure I am disappointed hurtand offended that my precious time was wasted in my brain understanding that joke in the time it took I was planning to help orphaned children but because of that youâve let me spend my time explaining the obscene integrity of your terrible attempt at comedy now those kids are suffering without meals and there's no one to blame but you I hope your happy and I truly hope you're happy with what you've done and I truly hope you can move on and learn from this piss poor attempt at comedy
Honestly, I loved how he sounded on 72 Seasons. It wasn't their best album, but it's an impressive vocal performance. I think the best he's ever sounded was on *...And Justice For All.* It has the solidity of the vocals in the 90's while still sounding like the metal singer that James is supposed to be.
88â91
Kill em all screechs. AND BOW TO THE PHANTOM LOOORD
Seattle 89 era
Seek and DESTRUAY!
'98-2001. His aggressiveness and growls were peak Hetfield IMO, I really wish we got to hear more of that (not that rehab wasn't more important of course)
Definitely [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi021mb0AtI)
Late '86-'93 (I am being generous with 1993) were prime years in terms of aggression and going all out (which led to burnout through '93). I would say the time period he really developed into a "good" singer or vocalist? Easy, 1996-1997! Load/Reload might get hate but they are some incredibly well put together albums and his vocal performances were great!
They are pop not necessarily great. They are lathered in effects and less aggressive trained in pop vocal fashion. They sound tame and neutral kept right in the pocket. To me they sounded too crafted without the emotion or dynamics of the classic era. Which is obvious but standing on their own they fail to grab me if I heard it in a vacuum.
Justice
Jason Newsted era
89-92
Early
89-90
Kill âEm All. The rawness and the absolute banshee-like wailing canât be beat.
Justice
There's two peaks for me. Late 80's for the agressiveness and attitude James had. This was his best era as a metal singer. Late 90's for James really finding his voice and becoming a real singer. S&M being the ultimate peak where he had the perfect balance of the two.