James Hetfield Voice Change, 1985 - 2008, For Whom The Bell Tolls

[TarikDzakic]

1989 Rulez!

[TheAsdfqwerty123]

1985, best voice and screams ever, in 1989 couldn't do that insane raw screams anymore.

[GETTOPOJKE]

1989 was raping

[izzyalistair]

@GETTOPOJKE Indeed



[Ktallica]

1989 and 2008 are the best haah

[JU4NCAM4NEY]

Jaymz started to suck when he started trying to sing.

[johnfudencio]

@JU4NCAM4NEY and YOU started to suck when u clicked this video!!!

[t10boen]

1989

[kirk1hammett]

el perdio cierta actitud y perdio lo rasposa q tenia la voz.

[lunganu2010]

if you want to do a considerable comparation between his voice from the 80's and now you should comapre the voice recorded withe same equipment

[aakkoin]

@lunganu2010 admit it man, the voice changed... the cool roughness was lost at around 2000.

[johnfudencio]

@lunganu2010 yeah...to say if one or another is the best, it's a bit difficult, have on mind everyone grow up...so compare this to that it's almost impossible...

[J3tm4x]

2005 FAIL LOL

[SomeTotalRandom]

pfft noobs, 85 is the best

[MrHoopla]

1989...shit my pants good.

[MrMrkfuk]

1989 the best

[BloodyTears59]

i think 1985 :)

[MarkoBlood]

1989. Best of Metallica.

[LecobraXxQCxX]

1989 , A FUCKING MALE VOICE !!!

[Wojtek20ck]

1989 best!

[ILoseMyDick]

1989 The best !!!

[DorszuMetallicaCover]

I think in 2005 it was just a joke...

[gtsaf0]

1989 and 2008 not even close...

maybe 1985 and 2008

[28arachnid]

'2005'  picture is from 2003 and voice from 2004

[marios439]

1985 = pretty young man

1989 = the best metal voice

1994 =what happened to James

2000 =come on you're kidding

2005 =James voice is over that was it..

2008 =wtf James is back

the results voices 1989-2008 are the most epic.

[pianista679]

Que desafinado em 2005!!!!!!

[spartan118yo]

not a lot at all!

[starionpatrol]

Should've done one with 1989, 1991, San Diego 1992, the last shows of 1992, Basel 1993, and a show 1994 and 1995 to really show the big transformation :p The voice he had in 1989 was thunderous like nothing else!!

[Westerngitarre]

cool job, interesting!

[Ann5160]

1989²

[BWYGR111]

1989 is fucking perfect

[MusicGarbage]

oh by the way 89`s my favorite

[MusicGarbage]

i belive its something natural as the person goes older the voice also does so there is a thicker sound and also i think its the same that happened to corey taylor his voice started to shiver james maybe smokes a lot also

[111vnderbnder111]

2005, james looks like les claypool

[devijoe]

Niggas fight on the hill, in the early day

[rookie4life]

@devijoe haha

[westsidefucku]

@devijoe yes they do James yes they do lol

[guruvag]

1989 > all

[Anttonooii]

85 até 94 SOMENTE!!! Apos isso só decadencia...

[odaxne]

1989

[Kingddd333]

1989 was best. Sorry, but he didn't sound that great live earlier. Listen to one of the performances lol.

[TrojanStrong23]

call me weird all u want... but james in the first pic kinda reminds me of chris pontius

[IR305]

@TrojanStrong23 Lmao

[ThePhallystorm]

1989

[tiabran]

When ur watching them live u dont think of how he used to sound. He still kicks ass baybay!!!

[violavpeace]

2011?



[Ryu12543]

@violavpeace I shouldn't have to explain why that is a stupid comment so I won't.

[violavpeace]

@Ryu12543 then why even reply to the comment in the first place?

[Ryu12543]

@violavpeace Boredom?

[Adennos]

@violavpeace Dude, can'y you see when this video was uploaded?

[violavpeace]

@Adennos Dude cant you see, im just saying..imagine how he sounds at 2011? I wonder if theres actually a difference.

[Adennos]

@violavpeace 2011 > 2008 Is that what you wanted?

[tibbracing1]

everyone is saying 1989 but i like 1985 as well, and i think i prefer 85, it sounds more violent!

[the1013trombone]

its simple, he got old and lost his rasp. he cant help that. old age is just a bitch.

[DeamonRiders]

1989-1992 best years, no doubt.

[Acardas]

1989 the best

[deadfordays]

89 hands down fuckin metallica metal up your ass

[QsKUnited]

1989 gave me the constant chill deep inside <3

[svtcobra666]

He blew out his voice during the Black album. Ever since then that "Justice era" voice is gone. It's part of metal vocals, eventually all that yelling will rip up your throat, also all that boozing didn't help. 1989 Metallica is what got me into metal but no matter what, I'm Metallica for life. BTW, if you think this is bad look up Joey Belladonna from Anthrax...that guy just plain sucks!

[ToxikAssault]

@svtcobra666

Belladona fucking rules! The man is like 10000 years old and he still sounds like he used to back in the days!

[brassmonkey456654]

1989 ftw, 2008 came pretty close though >:D

[LuwiigiMaster]

@MrKookoodude But the damage has been done. Granted, it kinda sounds nice when sung, but James just cannot sing. If you had a talented vocalist, then yes. I believe they should adopt the HARM method one last time. Hair, Alcohol, Rasmussen, and Mustaine.

[DimeLivesInUs]

God I miss his old voice...

[Blackdragon52k]

I hate how Rick Rubin got him to start singing more melodically than his old, better, more relevant to the song kind of way.

[LuwiigiMaster]

@MrKookoodude You'd have to thank Bob Rock for that. He blew his voice out or something for one of the songs, and underwent some sort of training to "not strain his voice".

[LuwiigiMaster]

@MrKookoodude Supposedly, starting with MoP, James was finally confident in his vocal style, so he decided to hone it. There even was a time when James thought about hiring someone else for RTL's vocals.

[ragnaroksama]

after 2000 he says heel instead of hill

[blacksoul1]

2003-2005 was his worst voice

[zombiecannibaldeath]

Whenever my dad sings this, he says "Niggas fight on the hill in the early day..."

Come to think of it, it kinda does sound like that's what James says.

[CliffBurton96]

1985

[Daan7000]

1989 !!!!!!!!!!!

[horror4ever1997]

1985 and 1989

but '85 had better bass :/

[Marquinator]

1989 and 1994

[rockerguiatr]

James's voice 85 master!!!!! the maximum :D

1989 good

1994 acceptable

2000-2011 a shit

[MotherfuckingBATTERY]

@rockerguiatr rotfl. 2011 is fucking great

[pumishumi]

@rockerguiatr other way around

[rockerguiatr]

@pumishumi jaja noob ;) you how long too much, greetings man ;)

[MrHeavyReggae]

i think its the booze because when u drink that much vodka as he did you voice goes more harder. its good that he is off booze and he should keep it that way

[365metal]

@MrHeavyReggae you dumbass he blew it out during the black album

[MikeBassil]

1989 and 2008 were the best

[HeavyGuitarMachine]

1989 when Metallica where best!!! damn wish i could have been too a consert with them back then!!! but i was only 4 :-/

[skiiddo]

1985 - godly

1989 - fucking epic

1994 - what? what happened :'(

2000 - are you kidding?

2005 - dude... your not in a fucking pop band

2008 - omg... JAMES IS BACK

[FILL988]

@skiiddo

i agree!

JAMES IS BACK!

[punksNOTdead60]

@skiiddo your exactly rite on that. the 90s and early 00s werent a good time for metallica as a whole

[omgih8you]

'89=best

[Algastar]

He had so much power and growl in his voice back in the day!

[AlbanianGuy]

@Algastar of course he was younger and more pissed haha

[Algastar]

@AlbanianGuy And also hammered for every show haha

[AlbanianGuy]

@Algastar hell yea all the time until st.anger lol

[DasBingo111]

jst another equipment ?!?

[MetalliEvilRAW95]

6. 2005

5. 2000

4. 1994

3. 2008

2. 1985

1. 1989

[MetalliEvilRAW95]

2008 is better than 2000 and 2005.

[Vasidim]

1989 BEST!

[tavonpy2day]

With each year that passes, he starts to sound more and more like a metal version of Santa Claus. :p

[MrWWEThemeSongs1V2]

i liked 1989, 2000 and 2008

[steelrose21]

at 0:35 he kinda looks like axl rose does nowwO-o

[MyNevermindme]

89 and 08 :D

[TheRealRGCV]

@MyNevermindme both are a LOT similar

[siveeert]

He sings this so amazing these days... his voice is better than ever

[secreto619]

1985 AND 1989

EPIC!!!!!

[junkerde]

2005 sucked ass

[Marbash0312]

He's getting more and more back to the old days vocalwise. :) Gotta love it.

[TheNuggetThief]

throat problems thats all

[dalarodsk]

sverige

[ramsessndvlrms]

only became heavier

[Bardiaulllica]

the voice change in 2000 because the guitar are tune 1 step down , so it's the same for the voice

[juandiegometallica]

1989 with no doubt! he need that voice, 2008 its prety decent too...

[ghostwhiskey]

man,people really have alot of free time. nah,it was cool that you did that

[byarestra4]

85' is the besth

[Jonesyful10]

james is getting his voice back! I love his voice from 89!

[DamageIncM]

Do you also notice the recordings getting more and more dull the more recent it gets.

What is that? Because of digital recording?... Or crappy audio-mastering?

Well, this is only in live recordings though, with studio-recordings it's the other way around.

At least up until ReLoad or Stanger...

[jp1969lp]

89' is the best IMO

[ndgambella]

89 for sure... but he had to save his voice so thats why he sings cleaner now live

[SAKKISAXX]

Without drinking, the Voice gets better

[tycol16]

Anyone that spends 30 years screaming for a living is going to do some damage to themselves. Deal with it.

[sxmxii]

@FadeToPuppets I doubt that, seriously. '85 sounds a lot more raspy than '08, and gradually so, too.

[LevyBaranek]

lol dudes don't worry check the 208 there was a progress so maybe he will get better and better;x

[sxmxii]

It's like as the years go on, his voice looses the growl and gravelness that he once had.

[JakesHouseProduction]

I think '89 and '08 are the most powerful. But thats my opinion

[evilkanivel7]

1989 epic voice

[5534774]

2000 adelante sucks

[dragonfurp]

the metal james was peaked in 1986 with a little power and an extreme scream... the peak of his voice was in 1988/1989 with the more powerful screams.. he had the the best pure rock voice was in 1992.

[Koroar]

@House1626 Nah, most of us aren't retarded.

[rustedbrainband]

89', this is fuckin' amazing \m/ Live shit Seattle...

[35MASTEROFPUPPETS35]

James in 2000s...

[kcmet79]

88-92 equals james at his peak. i miss it.

[surfexp]

Good example of the effects of alcool.

[AndrewkMcAllister]

1989 is where it's at!

[ral008]

@AndrewkMcAllister Seattle.

[AndrewkMcAllister]

@ral008 I wish I had lived in Seattle back then. Not in 2008...Lame!

[xradio86]

@AndrewkMcAllister well they are almost 50 years old so the voice ages too

[TheRollerSS]

@AndrewkMcAllister I think in seattle 1989!!

[Magiffin]

@AndrewkMcAllister His voice was so fucking powerful back in the late 80's early 90's.

[TrueVideo]

Wow his voice was destroyed in 2005.

[House1626]

Anyone else paying attention to the double bass drum fails as the time goes by too? lol

[XDarkXAlexX]

1989 FTW

[pchermidafilho97]

89>85>>08>94>00>05

[JakeBeoulve]

he should keep his new style, (most recent) but still incorporate his 80s' style.

[charvelgtrs]

2005 was like Vegas Metallica.

[TheLonelyBee]

they need the long hair

[ral008]

@TheLonelyBee Lars and James at least.

[gjdcjdxj43]

@TheLonelyBee no they don't.

[MetallicaGladiator]

2005 blah

[thatchick2011]

i like 1989 the most! but 2008 is pretty gnarley as well!(:

:#

[redtopflash]

2008!!!!!!

[sloshgfee]

2005 the worst i think

[rani600]

1989 Awsome!!

[bglasier]

James needs lots of booze, drugs & a domestic disturbance.

[bglasier]

You used to sound Metal James, now you'd be better fronting for a country band.

[Febiobass91]

best voice 1989 !!

[MOTB1985]

In this video you can really hear that he sings WAY better now when he dosen´t drink anymore.

FUCKING AWESOME :-)

[rhettanator2000]

1989

[tomacsabi]

1989 was the best my friends, real hetfield's voice!

[stevenfaustuk]

1989 was the best IMO.

[52alkom]

@stevenfaustuk i agree, 1989 was better

[KodieGregory]

His voice started out higher, now it's going back higher! I love all the different time changes of his voice, each time period is amazing

[ragezoul]

1989-1994 rock!



[TheLonelyBee]

89 08 hella awesome

[drMINDdamage]

i love metallica's new stuff!

[696IronMaiden]

1985 2010 fuck yeah!!!!!!!!!

[starionpatrol]

I think most people prefer 1989-1992. The 1993 Basel show is interesting, cause that's the year he lost his voice, so some phrases have a lot of rasp (listen to the second verse of this song), and some don't. It was like the transitional phase :p

[drasticandsarcastic]

@starionpatrol How did he lose his voice? This is the first I've heard of this...

[starionpatrol]

@drasticandsarcastic Well, he didn't lose his voice per se, but his voice went through a big, irreversable change, losing its raspiness. If you watch the 1989 show, he's got his powerful, thunderous voice. From 1994-present he's had a much cleaner, less "metal"-y voice. He blew his voice out covering So What in the studio in 1990/91, and towards the end of the enormous and grueling Black Album tour, he had to take better care of it.. It deteriorated, basically, and 1993 was the turning point.

[FireMM94]

best voice..1989

[CiReReBoT1928]

DAT 1989

Beautiful.

[mettoler]

1989.......................

[JhonVictor666]

89 > 94 > 85 > 00 > 08 > 05

[7cdl]

85 and 89 in my opinion are a tie

[Mousby666]

1985 the best

2005 =(

[fartnugget362]

i kinda like 89 better

[jamesff151]

1989 James voice was in top shape!