James labrie vs. maynard james Keenan
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Topic: James labrie vs. maynard james Keenan
Posted By: Dim
Subject: James labrie vs. maynard james Keenan
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 13:00
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the two biggest names in prog metal right now, who's better? ------------- 
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Replies:
Posted By: Kurpij
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 13:04
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Both are good singers.
Very emotive voices, but technically, LaBrie is better, has better range. ------------- 
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Posted By: TheProgtologist
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 13:05
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Maynard just "does it" for me more than Labrie.
I like his lyrics better,and Labrie can't hold and sustain a note anywhere near as long as Maynard can. -------------  |
Posted By: chamberry
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 13:07
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Even though I've been a longer fan of DT than Tool I have to vote for Maynard. He sings with more emotions plus I love his voice in A Perfect Circle's 13th Step.
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Posted By: magnus
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 13:16
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Both are amazing. I'm not really sure I can choose one, they're poles apart. Technically, LaBrie is of course waay better, and I absolutely love all the vocals on IAW and Awake, and I love most of the later work nearly as well. But Maynard... His tortured vocals are just amazing, and the way he screams for half a minute in The Grudge... it's just heartwrenching. I'll have to decide some other time, this is just too hard  ------------- The scattered jigsaw of my redemption laid out before my eyes Each piece as amorphous as the other - Each piece in its lack of shape a lie 
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Posted By: GoldenSpiral
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 13:23
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If anyone's voice has the power to ruin a band, it's LaBrie. He seems to suffer from 'trying too hard' and it seems like when he tries to sing with a 'metal' voice he's just trying to be someone he's not. I also dislike that fake vibrato that he tries to use. Maynard just is who he is all the time and his voice is pretty great. ------------- http://www.myspace.com/altaic" rel="nofollow - http://www.myspace.com/altaic ALTAIC "Oceans Down You'll Lie" coming soon |
Posted By: KoS
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 13:37
The guy in my sig. I am one of the the few people who actually like LaBrie's voice but as people have said , he tries to do something he can't. |
Posted By: KansasRushDream
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 13:56
I disagree with the sustain comment (especially from the "James LaBrie Scream" YTMND entry where he sustains a note for 14 seconds on a live recording), but lyrically you may have a point there. For me though it's definitely James, especially with his voice harkening back to Images and Words and Awake days on Score (although I am scared of what is coming on Systematic Chaos from what I hear from others). I'll take James over anybody in his Images and Words and Awake days. Even though the melodies in Dream Theater's music are much less interesting and leave little room for showcasing James' talent nowadays, he still shows he can hang with the best of them on Ayreon's "The Human Equation," his own "Elements of Persuasion," and on older tracks featured on Score. Personally I think Elements of Persuasion and The Human Equation are the 3rd and 4th best vocal efforts of his career respectively, and they are from 2005 and 2004 respectively as well. I'll take LaBrie.
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TheProgtologist wrote:Posted By: Spacemac
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 13:56
james keenan 
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Posted By: enteredwinter
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 14:02
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Keenan. Technical proficiency aside, for me it's a simple matter: Keenan is one of my favorite singers ever. LaBrie may very well be my least favorite singer among music I own. ------------- 
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Posted By: MajesterX
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 14:06
------------- 
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Posted By: Equality 7-2521
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 14:18
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Maynard's sustain is mindblowing. He also sings with much more energy
and general emotion than LaBrie. Plus, when LaBrie is at his worst it's
utterly attrocious.
------------- "One had to be a Newton to notice that the moon is falling, when everyone sees that it doesn't fall. " |
Posted By: The T
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 14:29
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There's no question, one is a good wailer, good angst-boy, the other one sings. You know, LaBrie is one of my favorite singers and even though he can actually sound weak when he tries to do things he can't (like sing with the same power as Bruce Dickinson), when he's at his best, he can SING. When it comes to melody, he can deliver. The other one is capable but if I wanted Keenan to sing a soft melody he'd probably ruin it making it look like an schizophrenia attack. Good singer for Tool's style of music, but I doubt he would be somebody outside Tool. He can sing very well, but only Tool's music. LaBrie can sing other styles. ------------- 
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Posted By: Equality 7-2521
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 14:34
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^ Obviously you've never heard any A Perfect Circle. If you want someone to sound weak listen to Keenan on 3 Libras or Orestes. Saying LaBrie can sing other styles is a stretch too. He butchers a Hetfield imitation throughout ToT ------------- "One had to be a Newton to notice that the moon is falling, when everyone sees that it doesn't fall. " |
Posted By: Kid.A
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 15:14
| James Keenan, no doubt in my mind |
Posted By: Melomaniac
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 15:27
Seconded. As I said in another thread, I watched the Live at Budokan DVD again yesterday evening, and he is the weakest link in the band. Why ? If you record albums, make sure you can do live what you record, which, obviously, isn't always Labrie's case. It's as if he sings melodies the others from the band write for him, and if that's the case, I understand the situation a bit more, but still...
Would love to hear Sebastian Bach (Skid Row) or Russell Allen (Symphony X) sing in Dream Theater, now THAT would be something...
Anyways, I vote for Keenan. ------------- "One likes to believe in the freedom of Music" - Neil Peart, The Spirit of Radio |
Posted By: puma
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 15:36
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Well yeah, if technical skill was the definition of good music, DT wouldn't go through all the criticism they do Maynard is a better showman, and a better source of emotion rather than a medium through which to say things. Labrie's voice is cutting and clashes with the rest of the band, while Maynard's voice almost sounds like an electric guitar at times (vocal distortion aside) |
Posted By: lightbulb_son
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 15:55
Exactly. And Maynard's lyrics are incredible as well. ------------- When the world is sick Can't no one be well But I dreamt we were all beautiful and strong 
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Posted By: Dim
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 16:25
Have you even heard wings for mary part one? the whole song is meynard singing a soft melody! And he pulls it off better than Roger waters in the flesh! -------------
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Posted By: darkmatter
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 17:03
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As much as I like James LaBrie, I pick Maynard by a huge margin. This isn't even close to me. Maynard has an amazing voice (it's even better in A Perfect Circle), he has great vocal range (so does LaBrie, but he seems to struggle at higher notes), and he puts tons of emotion into his singing. Oh, and don't read this and think I don't like LaBrie. I like LaBrie a lot, but Maynard is my favorite singer. |
Posted By: polyrythmic
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 17:19
| Keenan by a mile! |
Posted By: heyitsthatguy
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 17:27
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I love Labrie for the most part (except when he tries to go all "metal") but Keenan is probably one of my favorite vocalists ever
------------- 
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Posted By: theBox
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 18:16
holy sh*t!!!! Am I to understand that there exist people who prefer Labrie over Keenan (15 as of now)??? Oh boy... ------------- |
Posted By: Novalis
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 19:01
I was thinking the same thing... |
Posted By: The T
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 19:22
Holy sh*t! Two people that think the same thing!!! Oh boy...
 ...so what's the surprise if there are more? -------------
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Posted By: Proletariat
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 19:26
omfg two people who prefer to use three laghies instead of one. ------------- who hiccuped endlessly trying to giggle but wound up with a sob |
Posted By: Barla
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 19:42
Labrie is excellent, but I've never heard a Tool song in my life, so I won't vote... 
------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Barla/?chartstyle=LastfmMyspace">  
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Posted By: Endless Wire
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 22:19
I have never understood why Labrie is so hated. I can understand that some people may not like his voice, but like it or not the guy is a great singer. His range is among the best there is. In fact, the vocals in Take the Time are what initially drew me to DT (but the other four guys are what kept me coming back ).------------- . |
Posted By: chamberry
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 22:33
I recommend listening to A Perfect Circle. He mostly sings softly and beautifully compared to Tool. I actually heard A Perfect Circle before listening to Tool and I almost didn't recognized his voice! I still prefer his vocals in APC, but his singing in Tool fits perfectly. Two sides of the coin and he nailed both. -------------
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Posted By: The Miracle
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 22:35
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Keenan. It's funny, I like DT more than Tool but I like Keeman more than Labrie. I do love Labrie as DT are one of my favorite bands but I find Maynard to be more powerful and appealing. ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/ocellatedgod" rel="nofollow - last.fm |
Posted By: darkmatter
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 22:39
Maynard's voice is just beautiful in songs like "The Package" and "The Noose" when he was with A Perfect Circle. Sadly, they are (probably) no more....  Now I'm going to go listen to those songs!  |
Posted By: chamberry
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 22:47
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^^^ Very sad indeed, but at least they left us with great albums to listen too, specially Thirteenth Step.
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Posted By: Matt Dickens
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 23:17
14 seconds huh?
have you ever heard the grudge?
roughly 30 seconds sustained. (it fades out)
and yes, he also does it live. ------------- If it ain't broke don't break it. |
Posted By: Prometheus
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 23:36
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wow...i honestly cant believe this is a contest... Maynard. ------------- "Tell me why world, unfathomable and good, The beauty of everything is infinite and cruel." --Kayo Dot |
Posted By: el böthy
Date Posted: May 07 2007 at 00:31
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Maynard... yes yes yes
------------- "You want me to play what, Robert?" 
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Posted By: MadcapLaughs84
Date Posted: May 07 2007 at 01:37
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Maynard is one of the best singers ever. James is just average ------------- 
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Posted By: lighthouse
Date Posted: May 07 2007 at 02:46
Wow the results so far are amazing considering James Labrie must have close to a four octave trained voice and Maynard can`t even sing 
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Posted By: Novalis
Date Posted: May 07 2007 at 07:44
You obviously misinterpreted my post. I wasn't implying that it was a coincidence, I was just agreeing with his statement. Anyway, I have to say Labrie makes DT almost unbearable to me. Good band, but annoying vocalist. IMHO. |
Posted By: Philéas
Date Posted: May 07 2007 at 09:03
| There is no contest. Maynard James Keenan over James LaBrie any day. |
Posted By: Syzygy
Date Posted: May 07 2007 at 09:17
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Keenan. Bit of a no brainer really, but neither comes close to Klaus Blasquiz. ------------- 'Like so many of you I've got my doubts about how much to contribute to the already rich among us...' Robert Wyatt, Gloria Gloom |
Posted By: StyLaZyn
Date Posted: May 07 2007 at 09:18
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Maynard for the simple reason he is more groundbreaking. LaBrie has a great voice, but its dated and he rarely offers anything new. But that just may be because of his vocal texture. ------------- 
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Posted By: Yontar
Date Posted: May 07 2007 at 10:04
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labrie, because maynard and tool eventually get boring even though he does have an intersting voice.
------------- basically in a few words, prog metal owns! 
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Posted By: darkmatter
Date Posted: May 07 2007 at 10:06
Well then you haven't listened to enough of Maynard singing.... Don't just base your opinion off of Tool, listen to some A Perfect Circle. |
Posted By: TheProgtologist
Date Posted: May 07 2007 at 10:32
If you want to hear what Maynard can do live all you have to do is listen to the live version of Push*t on the Salival cd. ------------- |
Posted By: BroSpence
Date Posted: May 07 2007 at 12:53
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Labrie = the crappy sh*t sh*t
Maynard = the awesomeness.
Labrie is probably the WORST vocalist ever. Maynard's voice has a decent range and is extremely expressive. I feel it gets across better and is much more pleasant on the ears. It is much more diverse than the 80's hair band throw back of Labrie's whiney sh*t in your ears style. Harsh? Yes quite.
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Posted By: The T
Date Posted: May 07 2007 at 14:16
Yes of course, whenever LaBrie sings one immediately thinks of Poison, Warrant, Cinderella, Ratt, Whitesnake and all the other breat hair bands... Motley Crue included.....yes, they sound like one..... not to forget master S. Bach from great band Skid Row, all the hair metal singers sound exactly like LaBrie....
...But if LaBrie sounds too "hairy", Maynard sounds like a perfect MTV product, complete with wailing, angst, anger, teen-problems, the complete package. I hate his 15-year-old-style. he sounds like an angry nerd yelling because he's different than all the prepy boys....
Oh, not really. But it's so easy to insult with no arguments..... Is it so much more difficult just to say "I don't like him?" "I hate his atrocious voice?". -------------
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Posted By: Sckxyss
Date Posted: May 07 2007 at 17:48
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JaBrie is technically better, in terms of having better range, etc. but his tone is so grating, I can't listen to more than a few songs of it without turning it off. As someone mentioned earlier, the vibrato thing he tries to do makes it even worse. Keenan's voice flows much better with the music, adding to it, rather than distracting from it. |
Posted By: Equality 7-2521
Date Posted: May 07 2007 at 19:32
Again if JMK's angst is immature then why is it mature when LaBrie does the same thing on half of DT"s songs? ------------- "One had to be a Newton to notice that the moon is falling, when everyone sees that it doesn't fall. " |
Posted By: BroSpence
Date Posted: May 08 2007 at 00:40
| Well, I suppose LaBrie is more closely resembling of a sh*tty Dio, yes? |
Posted By: The T
Date Posted: May 08 2007 at 13:09
That sounds better....
... At least you're comparing him with a proper singer and not to hair singers or fake impersonator S. Bach.....I don't agree of course but it sounds better...  -------------
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Posted By: Dim
Date Posted: May 08 2007 at 18:39
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Hey I didnt make this poll for people to bash Labrie, c'mon, I know there are a lot of DT haters and a couple of Tool haters, but I just wanted to know your opinions, not make them look like idiots with mic's. Both are talented and skilled in their own way, but I feel Keenan sounds a bit better to me -------------
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Posted By: King of Loss
Date Posted: May 08 2007 at 18:41
| Labrie, cause I simply can't stand Keenan. |
Posted By: darksideof
Date Posted: May 08 2007 at 18:57
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love DT more than tool but I prefer Keenan. ------------- http://darksideofcollages.blogspot.com/ http://www.metalmusicarchives.com/ https://www.facebook.com/pages/Darksideof-Collages/ |
Posted By: Valarius
Date Posted: May 09 2007 at 09:54
| James LaBrie. |
Posted By: yface1
Date Posted: May 09 2007 at 10:04
In terms of the music and more specifically the prog side of things - Maynard is a better qualified singer and I agree wholly with what this guy above me just said. Then again, I do listen to a lot of DT too since I love both bands equally. ------------- My entertainment dollar is burning in my pocket! |