Metal is famous for its wide range of vocal styles. Some of them can reach operatic levels, others can project aggression like a murderous avenger. Whether hostile or sorrowful, malevolent or maudlin, the vocalist is the essential communicator in the music. You can’t always establish the words in a death metal song or a post-metal conundrum, but the mood and emotion are often as important as the surface level enunciation of the lyrics.
The big names in progressive metal often dominate end-of-year awards for the best vocalist. The likes of Tatiana Shmayluk of Jinjer were active in 2025, but we limit the choice this year to albums that received a score of 6 out of 10 or above. This means Courtney LaPlante of Spiritbox and Phil Bozeman of Whitechapel qualify for consideration but Jinjer’s talented singer does not.
These are the SBR Top 7 vocalists of 2025…
7. Kjetil Nordhus (Green Carnation)
Norwegian prog metal unit, Green Carnation, returned with an anthemic new album this year, and Kjetil Nordhus is a big part of their triumph. His mid-range baritone is masterful in its control of melody and in its storytelling clarity. Like former Queensrÿche singer, Geoff Tate, Nordhus can make his voice heard and understood with a barrage of distorted guitars behind him. Though he never needs to scream or shout, you should hear his duet with Grutle Kjellson of Enslaved on the song, ‘The Slave That You Are’, if you want an example when black metal and rock complement each other.
Read our review of A Dark Poem, Part I: The Shores of Melancholia by Green Carnation here.
6. Tommy Giles Rogers (Between the Buried and Me)
Few are as versatile as Tommy Giles Rogers in the vocal department, and he needs to be to keep up with the myriad shifts of genre in the progressive metal world of Between the Buried and Me. Whether growling with bulging eyes, reaching for the falsetto, or articulating a sentimental sadness, his ability to switch styles is as impressive as Mike Patton at his peak. You can also catch him as a guest vocalist on the new album from Tiktaalika, where he alternates between death metal roaring to dreamy introspection in the same song.
Read the original SBR review of The Blue Nowhere by Between the Buried and Me here.
5. Rioghan Darcy (Rioghan)
Finnish singer, Rioghan Darcy, can be the pleasant breeze creeping up your back or the ache in your lonely heart, yet she can also be the dark alter ego trying to take over your mind. Always sensual, capable of reaching for the contralto notes of introspection, and often angelic, her voice carries the progressive metal aspects of the band’s music with the same power as Tesseract. Listen to the song ‘Skin’ if you want to hear her at her most vulnerable.
Read the original SBR review of Kept by Rioghan here.
4. Phil Anselmo (Scour)
Phil Anselmo’s black metal supergroup of death metal and grindcore musicians issued their debut album in 2025 after three solid EPs. They didn’t disappoint. Look no further if you want something evil and extreme. At the helm is Anselmo, reminding us that he can do everything from raspy sustained screams, guttural phonations, and high-pitched shrieks as good as, if not better than, anyone else.
Read the original SBR review of Gold by Scour here.
3. Nick Holmes (Paradise Lost)
The Yorkshire legends returned with their first album in five years, and Nick Holmes shows no sign of losing his fervency. Other than David Vincent (ex-Morbid Angel/Vltimas), is there anyone better at enunciating his words in a thick phlegm of distortion? And how many can release a solemn chorus with his level of melody and melancholy? Paradise Lost will always have the magical Holmes-Mackintosh partnership to embroider their songwriting with quality and finesse no matter what mood or style takes their fancy.
Read the original SBR review of Ascension by Paradise Lost here.
2. Adam Biggs & Andy Thomas (Rivers of Nihil)
Rivers of Nihil lost their lead vocalist (Jake Dieffenbach) and rhythm guitarist after their 2022 LP. They moved bassist, Adam Biggs, to lead vocals and drafted in Andy Thomas from Black Crown Initiate on guitar and singing duties. If anything, it increases the capabilities of their songwriting and gives them a wider field of tonal possibilities. Biggs is just as blood-thirsty as his predecessor and has his own ghostly baritone voice to introduce into the group’s progressive death metal music, while Andy Thomas continues to expand the range and power of his gritty melodious voice. Put these two together and you have an exciting new chapter in the Rivers of Nihil story.
Read the original SBR review of Rivers of Nihil by Rivers of Nihil here.
1. Chelsea Murphy (Dawn of Ouroboros)
Chelsea Murphy continues to push her voice into new dimensions on the latest album from blackened progressive black metal group, Dawn of Ouroboros. Her scathing roar will rip the freckles off your face, yet it’s her disenchanted daydreaming voice – so full of sorrow and serenity – that shines through on this record. This type of solipsistic extreme metal needs a vocalist who can switch from disembowelled shrieks to a nostalgic lustre in the blink of an eye. She does it with a heavy heart and a broken mind yet keeps it within the best traditions of extreme music. It’s a sensational performance deserving of the number one spot for 2025.
Read the original SBR review of Bioluminescence by Dawn of Ouroboros here.
Honourable mentions
Ryan Gleave (All Men Unto Me)
Pim Limburg (Inner Cabala)
Sara Bianchin (Messa)
Mariel Viruet (Moths)
Chuck Billy (Testament)