Post by Gatr on Feb 4, 2020 15:09:54 GMT
Marc Hudson (11 February 1984/1987 - )
Years Active: 2011 - present
Associated Acts: DragonForce (2011 - present), Karmaflow (2015 - 2016)
Vocal Range: G2 - B♭5
{Summary}
When it comes to cheesy power metal that sounds like it's in the wrong millennium (a bit specific, but bear with me), I'd bet good money that the first name to come to a lot of people's minds would be DragonForce. For better or worse, DragonForce has become a household name in the power/speed metal scene and they don't really show any signs of slowing down any time soon. Whether you find them good or not really depends on your tolerance for the aforementioned cheesiness; if you're able to take it in stride (and perhaps it's not too difficult to tell which side I fall under here), you'll likely find a band that has a ton of fun with their music and is able to get the listener into the exact same headspace with them.
Marc's time in the band has been marked with a (relatively) great deal of change and experimentation. Starting with the release of The Power Within in 2012, DragonForce gradually started to make their shift away from weighty, fantasy-based songs with solos of epic proportion to a more condensed style, while still packing the same punch as before. Maximum Overload and Reaching into Infinity saw the band branch out even more, with both albums taking on more of a thrash influence and the latter even featuring a couple of instances of harsh vocals from Marc. To top it all off, 2019 brought us Extreme Power Metal, which is in my opinion simultaneously the most cheesy and most fun album of theirs to listen to, with them really leaning into the whole retro-inspired deal. With new music in the works, it's hard to predict what exactly they'll do next, but one way or another, they'll probably be shredding.
I realize I haven't discussed much about Marc's vocal capabilities in particular, but that's mostly because what you see is pretty much what you get with Marc. Like many other contemporary power metal singers, he mostly utilizes the upper extremes of his range, though he has occasionally dipped into the lower end of his range, usually in backing vocals. Pretty standard stuff, I know, but it's important to note that DragonForce has never been a particularly vocals-centric band, and though Marc is in some sense the frontman, the title could just as easily go to Herman Li and Sam Totman, whose guitar solos and riffs are just as prominent and heavily featured, if not more so than Marc's vocals. Ultimately, it's hard to say what kind of potential Marc could have if given more of a spotlight compared to the rest of the band, but he's still undoubtedly had his own influence on the band, helping to shape its identity for the past decade and counting.
Written by Gatr.
When it comes to cheesy power metal that sounds like it's in the wrong millennium (a bit specific, but bear with me), I'd bet good money that the first name to come to a lot of people's minds would be DragonForce. For better or worse, DragonForce has become a household name in the power/speed metal scene and they don't really show any signs of slowing down any time soon. Whether you find them good or not really depends on your tolerance for the aforementioned cheesiness; if you're able to take it in stride (and perhaps it's not too difficult to tell which side I fall under here), you'll likely find a band that has a ton of fun with their music and is able to get the listener into the exact same headspace with them.
Marc's time in the band has been marked with a (relatively) great deal of change and experimentation. Starting with the release of The Power Within in 2012, DragonForce gradually started to make their shift away from weighty, fantasy-based songs with solos of epic proportion to a more condensed style, while still packing the same punch as before. Maximum Overload and Reaching into Infinity saw the band branch out even more, with both albums taking on more of a thrash influence and the latter even featuring a couple of instances of harsh vocals from Marc. To top it all off, 2019 brought us Extreme Power Metal, which is in my opinion simultaneously the most cheesy and most fun album of theirs to listen to, with them really leaning into the whole retro-inspired deal. With new music in the works, it's hard to predict what exactly they'll do next, but one way or another, they'll probably be shredding.
I realize I haven't discussed much about Marc's vocal capabilities in particular, but that's mostly because what you see is pretty much what you get with Marc. Like many other contemporary power metal singers, he mostly utilizes the upper extremes of his range, though he has occasionally dipped into the lower end of his range, usually in backing vocals. Pretty standard stuff, I know, but it's important to note that DragonForce has never been a particularly vocals-centric band, and though Marc is in some sense the frontman, the title could just as easily go to Herman Li and Sam Totman, whose guitar solos and riffs are just as prominent and heavily featured, if not more so than Marc's vocals. Ultimately, it's hard to say what kind of potential Marc could have if given more of a spotlight compared to the rest of the band, but he's still undoubtedly had his own influence on the band, helping to shape its identity for the past decade and counting.
Written by Gatr.
{Album Ranges}DragonForce:
(2012) The Power Within: D3 - C♯5 - G♯5
(2014) Maximum Overload: A2 - G5 - G5
(2015) In the Line of Fire… Larger Than Live*: B2 - F♯5
(2017) Reaching into Infinity: D3 - G5
(2019) Extreme Power Metal: B2 - G♯5
Karmaflow:
(2015) Karmaflow: The Original Soundtrack**: C♯3 - E5
(2016) Karmaflow: The Rock Opera Videogame - Special Edition Tracks**: G2 - E5
* - indicates a live album.
** - indicates albums where Marc did not feature on a majority of the songs.
(2012) The Power Within: D3 - C♯5 - G♯5
(2014) Maximum Overload: A2 - G5 - G5
(2015) In the Line of Fire… Larger Than Live*: B2 - F♯5
(2017) Reaching into Infinity: D3 - G5
(2019) Extreme Power Metal: B2 - G♯5
Karmaflow:
(2015) Karmaflow: The Original Soundtrack**: C♯3 - E5
(2016) Karmaflow: The Rock Opera Videogame - Special Edition Tracks**: G2 - E5
* - indicates a live album.
** - indicates albums where Marc did not feature on a majority of the songs.
Significant High Notes:
B♭5 ("Eagle Fly Free")
G♯5 ("In a Skyforged Dream", "Seasons")
G5 ("Ashes of the Dawn", "Curse of Darkness", "Evil Dead", "Extraction Zone", "Heart Demolition", "Holding On", "The Sun Is Dead", "Tomorrow's Kings", "War!")
F♯5 ("City of Gold", "Cosmic Power of the Infinite Shred Machine", "Curse of Darkness", "Defenders", "Fallen World", "Fury of the Storm" In the Line of Fire, "The Game", "Hatred and Revenge", "Highway to Oblivion", "Judgement Day", "The Last Dragonborn", "Three Hammers")
F5 ("Astral Empire", "Chemical Interference", "Eagle Fly Free", "The Last Dragonborn", "My Heart Will Go On", "The Rising Dragon", "Three Hammers")
E5 ("City of Gold", "Die by the Sword", "The Edge of the World", "Evil Dead", "Fury of the Storm" In the Line of Fire, "Holding On", "In a Skyforged Dream", "The Muse and The Conductor", "Our Final Stand", "Remembrance Day", "The Rising Dragon", "Silence", "Symphony of the Night", "Troopers of the Stars", "Valley of the Damned" In the Line of Fire, "Wings of Liberty")
E♭5 ("Black Winter Night" In the Line of Fire, "Extraction Zone", "Power and Glory", "Razorblade Meltdown", "The Sun Is Dead", "Strangers", "Through the Fire and Flames" In the Line of Fire, "Under the Sea")
D5 ("Ashes of the Dawn", "Astral Empire", "Cosmic Power of the Infinite Shred Machine", "Defenders", "The Game", "Give Me the Night", "Heart Demolition", "Heart of the Storm", "Highway to Oblivion", "In a Skyforged Dream", "Judgement Day", "Last Man Stands", "Our Final Stand", "Symphony of the Night", "Tomorrow's Kings", "Valley of the Damned" In the Line of Fire)
C♯5 ("Black Winter Night" In the Line of Fire, "City of Gold", "Fallen World", "Hatred and Revenge", "Highway to Oblivion", "The Muse and The Conductor", "My Heart Will Go On", "No More", "Seasons" acoustic, "Three Hammers", "War!", "You're Not Alone")
C5 ("Astral Empire", "Chemical Interference", "The Conductor and the Muse's Statue", "The Edge of the World", "Extraction Zone", "Give Me the Night", "Holding On", "King of the Desert", "The Last Dragonborn", "Midnight Madness", "Our Final Stand", "Razorblade Meltdown", "The Sun Is Dead", "Strangers", "Through the Fire and Flames" In the Line of Fire, "Troopers of the Stars", "Wings of Liberty")
B4 ("Black Winter Night" In the Line of Fire, "Cry Thunder", "Curse of Darkness", "Fury of the Storm" In the Line of Fire, "Hatred and Revenge", "Heart of the Storm", "My Heart Will Go On", "No More", "Power and Glory", "Razorblade Meltdown", "Remembrance Day", "Seasons" acoustic, "Silence", "Tomorrow's Kings", "Valley of the Damned" In the Line of Fire, "You're Not Alone")
B♭4 ("Ashes of the Dawn", "Die by the Sword", "Extraction Zone", "Give Me the Night", "Heart Demolition", "Ring of Fire", "Seasons", "Strangers", "Through the Fire and Flames" In the Line of Fire, "Under the Sea", "Wings of Liberty")
A4 ("Chemical Interference", "Cosmic Power of the Infinite Shred Machine", "Cry Thunder", "Eagle Fly Free", "Fallen World", "Fight to Be Free", "In a Skyforged Dream", "Judgement Day", "King of the Desert", "Land of Shattered Dreams", "Last Man Stands", "Midnight Madness", "The Muse and The Conductor", "No More", "Power and Glory", "Silence")
Significant Low Notes:
G3 ("Die by the Sword", "The Edge of the World", "Holding On", "Land of Shattered Dreams", "Midnight Madness", "Ring of Fire", "The Rising Dragon", "Tomorrow's Kings", "Troopers of the Stars", "Wings of Liberty")
F♯3 ("Black Winter Night" In the Line of Fire, "Cosmic Power of the Infinite Shred Machine", "Curse of Darkness", "Defenders", "Fallen World", "The Game", "Judgement Day", "Three Hammers")
F3 ("Ashes of the Dawn", "The Conductor's Grief", "Give Me the Night", "Heart Demolition", "The Muse and The Conductor", "Razorblade Meltdown", "Seasons", "Where Masters Fall")
E3 ("The Edge of the World", "Heart Demolition", "Land of Shattered Dreams", "Midnight Madness", "Remembrance Day", "Troopers of the Stars", "Valley of the Damned" In the Line of Fire)
D3 ("Ashes of the Dawn", "Chemical Interference", "The Edge of the World", "Fight to Be Free", "Highway to Oblivion", "Holding On", "Judgment Day", "Last Man Stands", "The Muse and The Conductor", "Our Final Stand", "Seasons")
C♯3 ("The Conductor and the Muse's Statue", "The Muse and The Conductor", "My Heart Will Go On")
C3 ("Strangers")
B2 ("My Heart Will Go On", "Symphony of the Night")
A2 ("The Conductor's Grief", "Defenders", "The Muse and The Conductor - Dissonance")
G2 ("The Conductor's Grief")
{Questionable Notes}
B5 ("Last Man Stands"[3a])
G5 ("The Rising Dragon"[3b])
C♯3 ("In a Skyforged Dream"[3b])
B2 ("The Edge of the World"[1], "Holding On"[2])
A2 ("Silence"[3b])
.......................................................
[1] marks yelps and short trills in high range or anacrusis and short dips in low range.
[2] marks notes of questionable identity that cannot be confirmed to be the singer in question.
[3] marks notes that possess uncertain pitch or have been pitch-shifted.
a. Most likely pitch-shifted
b. Possibly just an implied harmony
[4] marks notes that do not fit the previous criteria but are not of a substantial enough quality to warrant counting towards the singer's range.
B5 ("Last Man Stands"[3a])
G5 ("The Rising Dragon"[3b])
C♯3 ("In a Skyforged Dream"[3b])
B2 ("The Edge of the World"[1], "Holding On"[2])
A2 ("Silence"[3b])
.......................................................
[1] marks yelps and short trills in high range or anacrusis and short dips in low range.
[2] marks notes of questionable identity that cannot be confirmed to be the singer in question.
[3] marks notes that possess uncertain pitch or have been pitch-shifted.
a. Most likely pitch-shifted
b. Possibly just an implied harmony
[4] marks notes that do not fit the previous criteria but are not of a substantial enough quality to warrant counting towards the singer's range.
.......................................................
Blue marks falsetto or whistle notes.
Underlines mark notes that are obscured in the song mix.
Italics mark non-melodic notes.
Boldface marks notes that are considered to be particularly notable examples of this person's vocal capabilities.
Dates are written in YYYY.MM.DD format.
Do you think he still needs to have his lows starting at G3? I figured that was mainly the case because he had so few of them at the time when the thread was started, but that's thankfully not something he needs quite as much extra padding for anymore.