Post by Henny Macc on Jul 1, 2020 21:10:16 GMT
Eric Doyle Mensinger (May 12, 1958 - )
Years active: 1984-present
Country of origin: United States of America
Recorded vocal range: B♭2-G5 (A♯2-G5) - 2¾ octaves
Featured bands:
- 1985-1987 - Black Sabbath (drums)
- 1988-1989 - Badlands (drums)
- 1989-1991 - Alice Cooper (drums)
- 1991-1996 - Kiss (drums, backing vocals)
- 1997-present - Eric Singer Project (drums, vocals)
- 2000-2008 - Alice Cooper (drums)
- 2001-2002 - Kiss (drums, backing vocals)
- 2004-present - Kiss (drums, vocals, occasional piano)
- 2006-2012 - Avantasia (drums, occasional vocals)
- 2015-present - Paul Stanley's Soul Station (drums)
{Full band history}
- 1984 - Lita Ford (drums)
- 1985-1987 - Black Sabbath (drums)
- 1987-1988 - Gary Moore (drums)
- 1988-1989 - Badlands (drums)
- 1989-1991 - Alice Cooper (drums)
- 1991-1996 - Kiss (drums, vocals)
- 1996-2001 - The Brian May Band (drums)
- 1996-1998 - Stream (drums)
- 1997-present - Eric Singer Project (drums, vocals)
- 1998-2001 - Shameless (drums)
- 2000-2008 - Alice Cooper (drums)
- 2001-2002 - Kiss (drums, vocals)
- 2001-2008 - GlamNation (drums)
- 2004-present - Kiss (drums, vocals, occasional piano)
- 2006-2012 - Avantasia (drums, occasional vocals)
- 2007 - Shameless (drums)
- 2015-present - Paul Stanley's Soul Station (drums)
Recorded high notes:
F♯5/G♭5: "All for the Love of Rock & Roll", "Hard Luck Woman" live Wroclaw 2011
F5: "Teenage Nervous Breakdown"E5: "All for the Glory", "Let Me Love You", "Twenty Flight Rock"
D5: "Firehouse" live Kiss Kruise X 2021, "Let Me Know" live Kiss Kruise X 2021
C♯5/D♭5: "All for the Glory", "Firehouse" live Kiss Kruise X 2021, "Getaway" live Kiss Kruise 2011, "Hooligan's Holiday" live Wroclaw 2011, "Nothin' to Lose" live Wroclaw 2011, "Some Kind of Wonderful" live Wroclaw 2011, "Sure Know Something" live MTV Unplugged 1995, "Twenty Flight Rock", "Unholy" live at the Marquee 2006
C5: "Ladies Room" live Kiss Kruise X 2021, "Let Me Love You", "Nothin' to Lose" live MTV Unplugged 1995, "Rooster" soundcheck Wroclaw 2011, "Teenage Nervous Breakdown"B4: "All for the Glory", "Black Diamond '08", "God Gave Rock 'n' Roll to You II" live unplugged 2011, "Hard Luck Woman" live Wroclaw 2011, "Heaven's on Fire" live US 1992, "Ladies Room" live Kiss Kruise X 2021, "Let Me Love You", "Ride the Sky", "Set Me Free", "Strange Ways"
A♯4/B♭4: "All for the Love of Rock & Roll", "Forever" live Wroclaw 2011, "Goin' Blind", "Hard Luck Woman" live Wroclaw 2011, "Heaven's on Fire" live Kiss Kruise X 2021, "I Love It Loud" live US 1992, "I Was Made for Lovin' You" live Sao Paulo 1994, "Kissin' Time" live Fukuoka 2006, "Let Me Love You", "Lick It Up" live Detroit 1992, "Nothin' to Lose" live MTV Unplugged 1995, "Some Kind of Wonderful" live Wroclaw 2001, "Strutter" live Wroclaw 2011, "Sure Know Something" live MTV Unplugged 1995, "Won't Get Fooled Again"
A4: "All the Way" live Kiss Kruise X 2021, "Flaming Youth" live Kiss Kruise X 2021, "Heaven's on Fire" live US 1992, "Hooligan's Holiday" live Wroclaw 2011, "I'm Your Captain (Closer to Home)" soundcheck Wroclaw 2011, "Kissin' Time" live Fukuoka 2006, "Mainline" live Kiss Kruise III 2013, "Parasite" live at Glassheim 2009, "Set Me Free", "Strange Ways" live Buenos Aires 2000, "Twenty Flight Rock"
G♯4/A♭4: "All for the Glory", "All for the Love of Rock & Roll", "Beth" live Japan 2001, "Black Diamond '08", "Do You Love Me?" live Wroclaw 2011, "Every Time I Look at You" live MTV Unplugged 1995, "Forever" live Wroclaw 2011, "Getaway" live Kiss Kruise 2011, "God Gave Rock 'n' Roll to You II" live Wroclaw 2011, "Heaven", "Heaven's on Fire" live Kiss Kruise X 2021, "Hide Your Heart" live Wroclaw 2011, "I'm Your Captain (Closer to Home)" soundcheck Wroclaw 2011, "I Walk Alone" live Wroclaw 2011, "Kissin' Time" live Fukuoka 2006, "Loveshine" live Wroclaw 2011, "Nothin' to Lose" live Wroclaw 2011, "Rooster" soundcheck Wroclaw 2011, "Some Kind of Wonderful" live Wroclaw 2011, "Take It Off" live US 1992, "Teenage Nervous Breakdown"
Recorded low notes:
F3: "Beth" live Zurich 2015, "Forever" live Wroclaw 2011, "Strange Ways" live Kiss Kruise V 2015
E3: "Parasite" live at Glassheim 2009, "Some Kind of Wonderful" live Wroclaw 2011
D♯3/E♭3: "Ziggy Stardust" soundcheck Wroclaw 2011
B2: "Beth" live Wroclaw 2011
A♯2/B♭2: "Beth" live Zurich 2015
.......................................................
*Blue marks soft falsetto notes.
*Green marks harsh distorted notes.
*Italics mark non-melodic notes.
*Underlines mark notes in backing vocals or otherwise muffled/obscured in the song mix.
{Detailed bio}Though better known for his drumming abilities, this man's surname is not a misnomer, as he is also a skilled vocalist in addition to being a drummer! Eric Singer is overall a very talented musician, with quite an impressive drumming resume behind him as well as a solid singing voice that he doesn't always get enough recognition for. Singer started out early in his career by replacing Bill Ward as drummer in Black Sabbath in 1984, and recorded drums on their albums Seventh Star in 1986 and The Eternal Idol in 1987. Upon leaving Sabbath in 1987, he then joined forces with their former vocalist Ray Gillen to form the supergroup Badlands, which also featured bassist Greg Chaisson and former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Jake E. Lee. From there, he became a hard-working touring and recording drummer, playing with a wide variety of other acts over the years, including Alice Cooper, Avantasia, and perhaps most prominently, Kiss.
Singer's first connection to Kiss came in 1989, when he started touring with the band's vocalist/rhythm guitarist Paul Stanley as a live drummer, and then was subsequently asked to record with them in 1991 for their album Revenge, when their drummer at the time Eric Carr became too sick from heart cancer to play his parts. After Carr died later in 1991, Singer was asked to join Kiss as a full time member, and toured with them for several years promoting Revenge, then also played on their next album, Carnival of Souls - The Final Sessions (which was recorded from 1995-1996, but remained unreleased until 1997), as well as the live albums Alive III (1993) and MTV Unplugged (1996). The latter of these two live releases also saw the band rejoined by original lead guitarist Ace Frehley and original drummer Peter Criss, which eventually led to a full reunion of the original lineup in 1996, and subsequently resulted in Singer's departure from the band.
After this, Singer returned to serving as a drummer-for-hire, and played with a number of acts from 1996-2001, including the launch of his own solo band, the Eric Singer Project (E.S.P.), which originally featured former Kiss lead guitarist Bruce Kulick, former Mötley Crüe vocalist/rhythm guitarist John Corabi, and bassist Karl Cochran. They released a covers album in 1998, entitled Lost and Spaced, on which vocal duties are split between Corabi, Cochran, and Singer. They have also toured intermittently, and sometimes perform covers of Kiss songs that Corabi and Singer take turns singing on, many of which can be heard in their 2011 unplugged concert. Personally, however, I wish that Singer had done more to feature his own vocals in this band, especially considering that it sounds like he is fully capable of handling the position of sole lead singer in a band if he wanted to.
In 2001, Singer was asked to rejoin Kiss when the band started experiencing contract disputes with Peter Criss. For this, he was asked to don Criss' signature "Catman" makeup (a move that was considered controversial among some fans), and take over handling vocal duties on live versions of songs Criss had originally sung, which Singer obliged to. This particular stint with Kiss proved to be somewhat short lived, however, as Criss then replaced him the band again in 2002, but then also experienced another fairly short-lived tenure with the band himself, as they elected not to renew his contract after 2004. From there, Singer rejoined the band once more, this time settling into the position of drummer and occasional vocalist permanently. He has since gone on to play on their last two studio albums, 2009's Sonic Boom and 2012's Monster, as well as their 2008 re-recording album of 70s and 80s hits, Kiss Klassics. On each of these albums, he he has performed lead vocals on one song - "All for the Glory" off Sonic Boom, "All for the Love of Rock & Roll" off Monster, and a re-recorded version of "Black Diamond" off Kiss Klassics. Additionally, he regularly sings lead vocals live on most Kiss songs originally sung by Peter Criss, including one of their most famous numbers, "Beth", on which he usually plays piano as well.
As a vocalist, Singer has a surprisingly impressive high range, which he is able to sing through with a classic hard rock raspy tone (and with which he can actually imitate Peter Criss VERY convincingly at times), but he also has quite a pleasant tone beneath that rasp. Singing through the fourth octave is clearly no problem for him, and lower fifth octave notes don't seem to be too difficult either, but I was particularly surprised to hear him belt his way up to F5s in E.S.P.'s cover of "Teenage Nervous Breakdown"! Low notes have been very infrequent for him so far unfortunately, but I think that has more to do with his limited amounts of lead vocal singing than any type of actual inability to reach them. Like I said, I kind of wish he sang more in E.S.P. or other projects that he's recorded with, because he's really got a great voice and seems to have a lot of potential that he could show with it. Hopefully we'll hear more of his singing as he goes along!
Singer's first connection to Kiss came in 1989, when he started touring with the band's vocalist/rhythm guitarist Paul Stanley as a live drummer, and then was subsequently asked to record with them in 1991 for their album Revenge, when their drummer at the time Eric Carr became too sick from heart cancer to play his parts. After Carr died later in 1991, Singer was asked to join Kiss as a full time member, and toured with them for several years promoting Revenge, then also played on their next album, Carnival of Souls - The Final Sessions (which was recorded from 1995-1996, but remained unreleased until 1997), as well as the live albums Alive III (1993) and MTV Unplugged (1996). The latter of these two live releases also saw the band rejoined by original lead guitarist Ace Frehley and original drummer Peter Criss, which eventually led to a full reunion of the original lineup in 1996, and subsequently resulted in Singer's departure from the band.
After this, Singer returned to serving as a drummer-for-hire, and played with a number of acts from 1996-2001, including the launch of his own solo band, the Eric Singer Project (E.S.P.), which originally featured former Kiss lead guitarist Bruce Kulick, former Mötley Crüe vocalist/rhythm guitarist John Corabi, and bassist Karl Cochran. They released a covers album in 1998, entitled Lost and Spaced, on which vocal duties are split between Corabi, Cochran, and Singer. They have also toured intermittently, and sometimes perform covers of Kiss songs that Corabi and Singer take turns singing on, many of which can be heard in their 2011 unplugged concert. Personally, however, I wish that Singer had done more to feature his own vocals in this band, especially considering that it sounds like he is fully capable of handling the position of sole lead singer in a band if he wanted to.
In 2001, Singer was asked to rejoin Kiss when the band started experiencing contract disputes with Peter Criss. For this, he was asked to don Criss' signature "Catman" makeup (a move that was considered controversial among some fans), and take over handling vocal duties on live versions of songs Criss had originally sung, which Singer obliged to. This particular stint with Kiss proved to be somewhat short lived, however, as Criss then replaced him the band again in 2002, but then also experienced another fairly short-lived tenure with the band himself, as they elected not to renew his contract after 2004. From there, Singer rejoined the band once more, this time settling into the position of drummer and occasional vocalist permanently. He has since gone on to play on their last two studio albums, 2009's Sonic Boom and 2012's Monster, as well as their 2008 re-recording album of 70s and 80s hits, Kiss Klassics. On each of these albums, he he has performed lead vocals on one song - "All for the Glory" off Sonic Boom, "All for the Love of Rock & Roll" off Monster, and a re-recorded version of "Black Diamond" off Kiss Klassics. Additionally, he regularly sings lead vocals live on most Kiss songs originally sung by Peter Criss, including one of their most famous numbers, "Beth", on which he usually plays piano as well.
As a vocalist, Singer has a surprisingly impressive high range, which he is able to sing through with a classic hard rock raspy tone (and with which he can actually imitate Peter Criss VERY convincingly at times), but he also has quite a pleasant tone beneath that rasp. Singing through the fourth octave is clearly no problem for him, and lower fifth octave notes don't seem to be too difficult either, but I was particularly surprised to hear him belt his way up to F5s in E.S.P.'s cover of "Teenage Nervous Breakdown"! Low notes have been very infrequent for him so far unfortunately, but I think that has more to do with his limited amounts of lead vocal singing than any type of actual inability to reach them. Like I said, I kind of wish he sang more in E.S.P. or other projects that he's recorded with, because he's really got a great voice and seems to have a lot of potential that he could show with it. Hopefully we'll hear more of his singing as he goes along!
{Album ranges}
Kiss:
Eric Singer Project:
Avantasia:
Kiss:
- MTV Unplugged (1996) - G3-C5
- Kiss Alive 35 (2008) - B3-B4
- Kiss Klassics (2008) - B3-B4
- Sonic Boom (2009) - B3-C♯5-E5
- Monster (2012) - B♭3-B♭4-G♭5
- Kiss Rocks Vegas (2016) - B3-B4
Eric Singer Project:
- Lost and Spaced (1998) - A3-F5
Avantasia:
- Lost in Space Part I (2007) - E4-B4
