11 of the Best 90s Metal Singers Of All Time, Ranked

The best 90s metal singers represent a very peculiar era for the genre. This decade had a lot of ups and downs for metal as a whole, although some bands came out on top. That period also saw the rise of power metal, black metal, doom metal, and death metal as a whole.

In that regard, some of the best 90s metal singers end up having long and successful careers. Some of them are more popular than others, but they all have great range and charisma. They have also played in some amazing records and have some of the best performances in the business.

1. Andre Matos (Angra)

Matos was one of the main voices of Brazilian and Latin American metal. His versatile voice allowed him to work on many projects throughout his career in different metal subgenres. In the 90s, the Brazilian had his greatest international impact when he formed Angra.

Matos was from 1991 to 2000 as the singer and image of the band. That had a parallel growth that led him to be one of the best 90s metal singers. However, Matos built a career in power metal after that and his legacy, after his 2017 passing, lives on.

2. Russell Allen (Symphony X)

The Californian is one of the most prodigious voices in metal. Allen is capable of singing from the most emotional ballads to the heaviest and most powerful songs. In 1995, he was introduced to the members of Symphony X by the band’s singer at the time, Rod Tyler, who was leaving them.

At that point, Allen was working in a theater with a medieval setting. From there, he has continued with the band and has become a reference in progressive metal.

3. James LaBrie (Dream Theater)

Dream Theater has become the reference of progressive metal due to its virtuosity on each instrument. This could make your singer’s job more difficult since she must match the technique of her colleagues. In the case of LaBrie, he has been and that is why he is considered on the list of best 90s metal singers.

The Canadian joined Dream Theater in 1992 as a replacement for Charlie Dominici. At that time he released “Images & Words“, one of the band’s best albums and one of the reasons for Dream Theater‘s success. In the 90s, LaBrie was the voice of masterpieces such as “Awake” or “Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory“.

Hansi Kursch (Blind Guardian)

The German is one of the most important figures in power metal and one of the most powerful voices in metal. Since 1985, when he formed Blind Guardian, a band with which he continues to this day. It is also with this band that Kursch has demonstrated a voice that has become characteristic with their work.

The 90s were a decade of great work for the band, highlighting “Tales from the Twilight World“, “Somewhere Far Beyond” and “Imaginations from the Other Side“, which contain some of Blind Guardian‘s best songs.

4. Tim Ripper Owens (Judas Priest)

The powerful singer from Ohio could not be left out of the list of best 90s metal singers. Owens has had a tour of many bands throughout his career. However, there is one that catapulted him to world fame and that was his time with Judas Priest.

In 1996, Ripper replaced one of his idols, Rob Halford, as singer of the English band of which he had always been a fan. As a fun fact, his nickname is due to the Judas Priest song titled The Ripper.

John Bush (Anthrax and Armored Saint)

John Bush was the singer of Anthrax for more than a decade, much of that time during the 90s. The Californian is a singer with a melodic voice not very characteristic of thrash metal, although with the ability to reach very high tones or some very heavy ones. In addition to Anthrax, during the 90s, he was also with Armored Saint, his main project and the one he currently continues with.

5. Matt Barlow (Iced Earth)

Probably the heaviest policeman we can find and of course, one of the best 90s metal singers. Weird combination. In any case, Barlow has an aggressive voice with a wide range that is perfect for heavy metal.

His career as a singer began in 1990 with a band called Cauldron with which he was until 1993. In that year, he replaced John Greely as singer of Iced Earth, forming a combination that strengthened both the band and Barlow himself.

6. Tarja Turunen (Nightwish)

Tarja is the only woman on this list of the best 90s metal singers and the reason is her talent is out of this world. The Finn has studies in classical music and training in opera in addition to being the owner of a three-octave vocal range.

In 1996, Tuomas Holopainen invited her to join his new musical project that would later become Nightwish. Tarja accepted and due to her vocal range, the band quickly evolved into more power metal and symphonic metal styles. The band had a great impact on the European market and Tarja quickly became an image of that musical style internationally.

Goran Edman (Yngwie Malmsteen)

Although Edman is mostly known for his work with his compatriot Yngwie Malmsteen, the truth is that he has had a very extensive career with many projects. During the 90’s alone, he worked with Brazen Abbot, Glory, Street Tal and Snake Charmer, just to name a few.

His melodic, high-pitched voice adapts to many different styles and has allowed him to become an important session artist. Edman is also celebrated for having some blues and funk influences in his singing, adding something different to metal. That is something that made him stand out from most of Yngwie‘s singers.

His work on Yngwie‘s fifth album, 1990’s “Eclipse“, is highly underrated. Edman‘s vocals added another layer to what was more of a team effort than an Yngwie solo project.

7. Adrian Barilari (Rata Blanca)

The Argentine had a musical influence from his family from a very young age, mainly from his uncle, who taught him to sing since he was 4 years old. Little by little he became interested in the world of rock and heavy metal until he began to participate in bands like Topos Urbanos or Dias de Gloria. Until 1989 he joined Rata Blanca and quickly in 1990, they achieved significant success with the release of the album Magos, Espadas y Rosas. This was the first step for Barilari to become one of the faces of Latin American metal.

8. Chris Cornell (Soundgarden)

The 90s was the era of grunge, where bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam or Alice in Chains had their best moment. Therefore, some singer from this subgenre must be among the best 90s metal singers. Chris Cornell‘s melodic but profound style left his mark on Soundgarden for much of the decade.

He was also part of Temple of the Dog, along with Eddie Vedder, another of the great voices impulsed by grunge. However, Soundgarden had a heavier sound, with that Black Sabbath influence, which demands more of Cornell. He also showed the capacity to reach higher notes while having a great mid-range.

9. Nick Holmes (Paradise Lost)

The iconic British singer of Paradise Lost is one of the singers with the most characteristic and, in a certain way, unique voice in metal. Holmes has the ability to reach very low but at the same time powerful ranks that have marked the style of Paradise Lost.

Except for some small projects, since 1988 he has always been the voice of Paradise Lost and continues to be. He has changed from death metal growls to a more traditional singing style. Holmes has been compared to 90s Metallica James Hetfield as a singer as well.

10. Phil Anselmo (Pantera)

Anselmo was the voice of Pantera at its most successful moment in the early 90s. The New Orleans native started out in the world of music at a very young age with small projects like Samhain or Rapid Phaze. In fact, Anselmo left high school to dedicate himself to heavy metal, which, in hindsight, looked like the right decision.

At 19, he was presented with the opportunity to replace Terry Glaze as lead singer of Pantera. At that time, the band had a more glam style and in fact, Power Metal, the first album with Anselmo, still retained it. Then came “Cowboys from Hell” and “Vulgar Display of Power“, which would mark the line that the band would follow and allowed them to have greater success.

11. Devin Townsend (Strapping Young Lad)

Devin Townsend is known for his versatility and for having worked on many projects, both his own and in collaboration with other artists. However, the Canadian is also a great singer who we could not forget when talking about the best 90s metal singers.

In that decade, Townsend devoted himself mostly to Strapping Young Lad, his own project that he started as a one-man studio project. However, it is worth pointing out that it evolved into a four-member band. Townsend was the leader, main writer and image of the band. Therefore, he molded the direction of Strapping Young Lad in almost every way.

He is also a very capable guitar player, which makes his singing all the more impressive.