Belting/Hard-Toned Mix Tier List (2,955 views)

[clem]

Belting is one of the most subjective terms we have, and there's a fine line between what is and isn't really belting. So for simplicities sake, I'm lumping together all belts with a chesty component, and any hard-toned mixed voice that is trying emulate a degree of chestiness, is applied like a belt, and generally serves that same purpose in their music.

S Tier
- Glorious belting, making full, extensive, expressive use of a consistently chesty tone, through thoroughly demanding high melodies.

A Tier 
Refers to
- Impressive and demanding belting. Consistent, with no intrusive flaws.
- Spectacular hard-toned mixing that lacks a true chesty component. The singing is great, and the tone is solid, but they're having to use a lot of distortion and/or compression to compensate for lack of genuine chestiness.

B Tier 
Refers to any of
- Impressive belting/hard-toned mixing that sounds a bit laboured or ungainly.
- Belting/Hard-toned mixing that gets the best out of fairly unadventurous melody lines. It's simple stuff, but they're knocking it out of the park.

C Tier
Refers to
- Belting/Hard-toned mixing that is entirely serviceable, though quite unrefined/underwhelming. It's simple stuff, and they're doing an alright job.

D Tier 
Refers to any of
- Belting/Hard-toned mixing of simple melodies that sounds laboured/ungainly, but is otherwise decent. They're making hard work where there shouldn't be.
- Belting/Hard-toned mixing that is extremely limited in application, though otherwise decent.

E Tier
Refers to
-  Very flawed belting/hard-toned mixing, deficient in most respects, but can still carry some sort of basic tune.

F Tier
Refers to
- Shouting with no real intentional pitch.

[Gilad]

Cornell gets S
Bennington gets A
Corgan gets E

[clem]

Dec 12, 2021 19:07:09 GMT Gilad said:

Corgan gets E

E might be a little harsh on Billy. He has a couple of bolded belts, even if it's pretty basic stuff and he sounds quite nasal.

[innuendo]

Freddie Mercury could be A Tier in my opinion.

[clem]

Rody Walker could be a case for S Tier. Ludicrous belting is 95% of his discography.

Bruce Dickinson (maybe even S tier at one stage?), Tony Kakko from 1999-2011, and M. Shadows from 2003-2013, CeeLo Green for A Tier.

Tomi Joutsen, Greg Lake before the 1990s, Ricky Wilson from 2014-2016, post-2014 M. Shadows, Greg Puciato, post-2012 Tony Kakko, early 1990s Bret Michaels for B Tier.

Luke Kelly, Ricky Wilson for most of his career, 1999-2010 Alexi Laiho, Bret Michaels (aside from the early 90s), Greg Lake from the 90s onwards for C tier.

Christy Moore, Nick Drake, Alexi Laiho post-2011 for D Tier

Alexi Laiho from 97-98, and Ronnie Drew would be E Tier.

[Rodney Blazershorts]

Tomi Jousten isn't much of belter though, is he? Sticks very comfortably in the mid fourth octave, and isn't exactly one for challenging passages.

[clem]

Dec 13, 2021 1:17:28 GMT Rodney Blazershorts said:

Tomi Jousten isn't much of belter though, is he? Sticks very comfortably in the mid fourth octave, and isn't exactly one for challenging passages.

He doesn't often go above G4, but has some great hefty tone in that part of his voice. At least a very strong C tier if not a B.

[Aardvark]

Dec 12, 2021 19:07:09 GMT Gilad said:

Cornell gets S
Bennington gets A
Corgan gets E

I’m gonna give Chester S under the guise that he is literally shouting all of his high notes so they’re basically pure chest. It does feel weird to classify that the same as a Cornell belt tier-wise though

[clem]

Chad Kroeger probably has to be an A Tier, to be fair. Hella chesty, and a lot of stamina. Same for Layne Staley.
Kurt Cobain I'm thinking B Tier. In studio at least, he had some impressive belting.

[Aardvark]

I’m going to put Adam Lambert S tier despite the fact that he doesn’t exactly sound chesty; his technique is just very consistent and he’s one of the best out there doing it.

I’m gonna say Myles Kennedy is around D tier. Has a great mix but his voice is basically the opposite of chesty.

I’d concur that Freddie Mercury is around B tier, maybe a bit higher. He’s another one of those with a chestier sound and underdeveloped mixed voice.

Singers like Nate Ruess and Chester honestly don’t really belt so much as just straight yell for high notes, but if we’re lumping that into belts and talking quality I’d give them both S.

[IhateMana]

you guys are hella overrating Bennington tbh. Corgan is pretty awful, questionable technique, dead tone, can't hit A4.

My vote for an S-tier belter would be Zhang Yu-sheng, his upper 5th octave notes were ferocious

Also I would put Morrissey in bottom tier tbh, he actually has some pretty sweet chest stuff up to G4 in his solo records

[clem]

Bennington seems like an A imo. Props for the amount of chest he could pull that high, but S tier is for complete belting virtuosos like Cornell and Aretha. I think we could probably include Graham Bonnet in S tier though. Bonnet is breath support incarnate. Bonnet belting basically a whole verse on Eb5

[innuendo]

Dec 14, 2021 1:46:18 GMT Aardvark said:

I’m going to put Adam Lambert S tier despite the fact that he doesn’t exactly sound chesty; his technique is just very consistent and he’s one of the best out there doing it.

I’m gonna say Myles Kennedy is around D tier. Has a great mix but his voice is basically the opposite of chesty.

I’d concur that Freddie Mercury is around B tier, maybe a bit higher. He’s another one of those with a chestier sound and underdeveloped mixed voice.

Singers like Nate Ruess and Chester honestly don’t really belt so much as just straight yell for high notes, but if we’re lumping that into belts and talking quality I’d give them both S.

I personally disagree with B Tier for Freddie Mercury. He has a lot of very difficult belting. Although he didn't use mixed voice many times, in his last years he had some exceptional vocals in mixed voice.

[Aardvark]

Dec 14, 2021 11:23:03 GMT clem said:

Bennington seems like an A imo. Props for the amount of chest he could pull that high, but S tier is for complete belting virtuosos like Cornell and Aretha. I think we could probably include Graham Bonnet in S tier though. Bonnet is breath support incarnate. Bonnet belting basically a whole verse on Eb5

Honestly yeah I agree. The more I think of it now the more I think it’s weird to have Chester and Cornell on the same tier when they’re not even doing nearly the same thing. Cornell is actually belting by the classical sense and Chester just isn’t so I’m good with him at A tier.

Dec 14, 2021 12:18:38 GMT innuendo said:

Dec 14, 2021 1:46:18 GMT Aardvark said:

I’m going to put Adam Lambert S tier despite the fact that he doesn’t exactly sound chesty; his technique is just very consistent and he’s one of the best out there doing it.

I’m gonna say Myles Kennedy is around D tier. Has a great mix but his voice is basically the opposite of chesty.

I’d concur that Freddie Mercury is around B tier, maybe a bit higher. He’s another one of those with a chestier sound and underdeveloped mixed voice.

Singers like Nate Ruess and Chester honestly don’t really belt so much as just straight yell for high notes, but if we’re lumping that into belts and talking quality I’d give them both S.

I personally disagree with B Tier for Freddie Mercury. He has a lot of very difficult belting. Although he didn't use mixed voice many times, in his last years he had some exceptional vocals in mixed voice.

I could see him as slightly higher than B at the end of his career, but no higher than A at any time. Without the fifth octave belting of a lot of these other guys, it’s hard to put him in that category.

[innuendo]

Dec 14, 2021 15:02:15 GMT Aardvark said:

Dec 14, 2021 12:18:38 GMT innuendo said:

I personally disagree with B Tier for Freddie Mercury. He has a lot of very difficult belting. Although he didn't use mixed voice many times, in his last years he had some exceptional vocals in mixed voice.

I could see him as slightly higher than B at the end of his career, but no higher than A at any time. Without the fifth octave belting of a lot of these other guys, it’s hard to put him in that category.

Yes, I would put him in A Tier, not more not less.

[Aardvark]

I’m also going to put Christina Aguilera S tier as well. Basically the same sound as Adam Lambert, but she did it first and she did it better.

['S]

[Døc]

Kyo is easily an S-tier belter. I don't think I've heard any other male vocalist belt a G5 that can sound so damn chesty. His wealth of F#5 bolds, and fifth-octave black notes show off how skilled a belter he is overall. I doubt its possible for a note that high to be entirely chest, but it sounds like it.

Maynard James Keenan is easily a B-. He can go up moderately high, but his tone suffers for it if he isn't shouting/screaming the notes out. Pushit is a great example of this in action.

[kaji]

Dec 14, 2021 1:46:18 GMT Aardvark said:

I’m going to put Adam Lambert S tier despite the fact that he doesn’t exactly sound chesty; his technique is just very consistent and he’s one of the best out there doing it.

I’m gonna say Myles Kennedy is around D tier. Has a great mix but his voice is basically the opposite of chesty.

I’d concur that Freddie Mercury is around B tier, maybe a bit higher. He’s another one of those with a chestier sound and underdeveloped mixed voice.

Singers like Nate Ruess and Chester honestly don’t really belt so much as just straight yell for high notes, but if we’re lumping that into belts and talking quality I’d give them both S.

I would deffo say Adam sings quite chesty, he's not much less chesty than someone like Nate. He's just got more technique. I recommend checking out his stuff in the Ten Commandments: The Musical. Very full, chesty controlled EASY C5s there with vibrato. 

[Brenda]

I nominate Junko Ohashi for A tier maybe? Exhibit A (3:28 is also a good timestap). Exhibit B.

I nominate Elis Regina for B tier maybe? Exhibit A (1:08 onwards).

Mai Yamane for C tier I think.

[fountain30]

Beyonce S tier? Very powerful and well projected belts, although I appreciate the growling is a style choice some may not like.