Is Dave Mustaine Actually A Bad Singer? 

You realize how special Dave's voice is when you try to sing Megadeth songs and try to replicate all of his little details and features and you simply can't, and because of that, the song feels off, it feels it's lacking something. The right singer for the right band!

I thought of Dave’s vocals on rust in peace sounded like an evil Neferious supervillain plotting to bomb the world or something.

I love Dave’s voice, nobody sounds like him. Especially his singing on Youthanasia and System Has Failed is so good.

I went through the stockholm syndrome to love Dave's voice and it's so worth it

"you try to take his bAaAAlls" his voice is fucking herendous but it's amazing lmao

One of the coolest things about metal music is how much variety the vocals can have. You can have some of the most complex, operatic singing, to a dude essentially yelling into a mic in the same GENRE, and as long as it's done tactfully, it can serve the song

I can’t even imagine anyone else in Megadeth.

he is but he isnt. is he a classically trained singer? no. is he a good singer? ehh debatable at best. that being said no one can picture/hear anyone else singing Megadeth's songs. it's part of their iconic sound. Dave himself admitted that he's not a good singer and had auditions when starting the band but he couldn't get the desired sound he was looking for so he very reluctantly decided to sing himself. call him s dick, an asshole, a jackass, whatever you want but dude is a legend.

You may not like how it sounds, but he is a good singer, he knows what he is doing and he sounds exactly like he wants to sound, no bad singer can do that

Its an acquired taste for sure, I think he really had great vocal moments on songs like I Thought I knew It All and Addicted to Chaos

In my eyes, or should i say my ears, it’s different and i personally like it a lot, in the records it’s flawless

It was Dave's vocals that drew me to the band in the first place. Been my favourite band since I was around 17.

Please continue Rust In Peace individual song analysis some time that 5 Magics video was such a fun thing to find and introduced me to your channel.

I personally love his vocals! also nice to see another megadeth video! I watched your video where you listened to ever Megadeth song I while ago and it was just as great as this video!

Dave doesn't sing, he delivers lyrics.

It doesn't matter if he's good or bad - because he's great!

Think what you will of the album itself, but his best performance is on Cryptic Writings. He pulls off some pretty good notes here.

Personally, I love Dave’s voice. It’s a big part of what makes me love Megadeth so damn much.

Youthanasia is forever my favorite album

You will appreciate his voice when you hear someone else sing Megadeth songs. Also, I always imagine his voice to be some typical wicked/trickery devil voice you hear in games (and movies?)

I’m looking forward to the deep dives into the other Rust In Peace tracks. The Lucretia and Five Magics videos were amazing.

I love Mustaine's vocals bro. LoL to your Five Magics description. Spot on man. "He truly sounds like an unhinged wizard hopeful, in the song, looking to aquire vast magical powers." Well said.

I love the sound of Dave's voice, like for example, just listening to the isolated vocals for let's say, Five Magics, he's got that crazy rasp, that distinct tone he has in his voice and I wonder if I could ever hear anyone replicate that, or even sound as good as Dave would do it anyway. I'm most definitely biased for being a megadeth fan but I love Dave's vocals. I've never been into clean vocals really, Dave's vocals are an acquired taste. (I like his vocals on 99 ways to die, alot)

New subscriber, from Peru! 🇵🇪

Tied to a pillar no where to be found, screaming for your life no hears a sound , help me!!!! Best vocals

Washington is next is hands down his best vocal performance. And “coming home” is also an interesting softer song with very good vocals.

since i became a megadeth fan last year, i really didn't understand why people are calling him a bad singer when his singing style is the perfect match for the songs Megadeth produces, i think most people forget the context of the singing, material the lyrics and as you have said his style even tho to some they might sound goofy, but to me it just fits the lyrics, riffs and the story telling as the lyrics progress, your breakdowns truly are worth a sub, please don't stop doing this videos i first run upon your channel last week i think when watching about five magics now i might consume all of your contents

One of his best performances is "My Last Words" on Peace Sells. Fantastic!

I find it quite awesome that a few people really get into classic metal from the 80s etc when it was long before they were born. But I'll say this. Dave Mustaine spent his entire existence trying to reach commercial success after watching Metallica become the biggest Metal band of all time after kicking him out. Now many will never understand what Metallica was. They were so far superior to anyone else, it's difficult to describe. Not one metalhead ever, in any way, diminished Metallica.Dave is one of the all time greats. But his vocals were a detriment to Megadeths overall popularity in the early years. Believe me. I was there. Many just couldn't stand his vocals

Dave's voice keeps growing on me, I can now appreciate how unique his vocals are. The instrumental aspect of Megadeth makes his voice work. If the riffs were more generic, I wouldn't be a fan, but Dave is a genius riff and lyric writer. I feel similarly about Alexi Laiho. In fact, unlike Dave, I find his vocal performances on some songs to be rather unpleasant, but like Dave, he was such an amazing composer that, to me, the instrumental aspect is so impressive that I can just completely disregard his vocals. RIP Alexi Laiho, and long live Dave.

As a singer myself, I'd say Dave's singing is very very peculiar and actually never sounds bad in the recordings. Like, if someone argues it's bad it's just their personal taste, but from a technical point it's absolutely fine. I like his voice myself and i find it sometimes very hard to replicate because his lack of conventional technique makes him do some really weird things with his voice. I think his main problem is his inconsistency in live shows. It doesn't make sense to take into account these days' lives since he's gone through a lot of stuff, and even without that, aging would still be a reasonable excuse. But even in his prime his live voice was inconsistent, and I can see that singing while playing that stuff is INSANE, I don't even understand how he managed to sound the way he did while playing. But, hey, hetfield manages to do that, although most metallica riffs are arguably easier than megadeth's, so in theory it's possible to sing good while playing crazy stuff. Dave's not able to do that consistently, but i wouldn't say that this is enough to make their shows any less enjoyable.

This "actually" in the title makes it sound as if more people doubt he is a bad singer than don't. Which is a ridiculous notion.

Cryptic writings was amazing.... the songs and voice all matched perfectly

I’ve actually grown very fond of Dave’s vocals. I think they add a lot to his music. He’s not and has never been a bad singer, just a unique one. I actually find his voice really genuinely beautiful at times. one example is in “I thought I knew it all”

Great video. Thank you for the insight into Dave’s unique singing and style.

Dude Dave is the man. His voice fits perfectly with his music

simply put, he ain't a bad singer but his voice isn't everyone's cup of tea. several of his songs are actually great to sing and are moderately challenging while still being fun.

I love his vocals they have tons of character and aggression, particularly on the earlier albums

No one else sounds like him. His voice is unique and the songs don’t feel the same without his voice

Unfortunately it is and it is something that stops many people from being able to enjoy their music, which is not very smart. Take Chuck Schuldiner in Control Denied as an example, when you listen to the demos in which he sings with a clean voice it doesn't sound good at all, the guy knowing his limits, what did he do? The most intelligent and objective thing for that project, look for a Heavy Metal Vocalist, for that reason I highly respect Chuck, the man stepped aside for the benefit of his music.

The System Has Failed is such an underrated album.

I love Dave's voice. I don't just tolerate it. He is legitimately one of my favourite metal vocalists. Sure, technically you could argue he is not the most accomplished singer out there, but he is very unique and fits his songs perfectly. The fact that he can also play some crazy riffs while singing too is next level. Good on you mentioning Back in the Day, it is such an earworm, and amazing singing by Dave. The System Has Failed is a very underrated album.

Dave voice is theater.. it's a bit, he's a character that he's portraying. I'm totally fine with that and enjoy his singing because it fits the songs. Sweating bullets would sound stupid without his tongue in cheek sneer. I live his lines in psbwb, they are just trying to be fun.

In every light he is a great singer very melodic actually, I can understand his nasal timbre can be off putting but he always conveys the proper emotion. Great video man great analysis as usual, especially love that you use Back in the day in one of the examples, that's a song that I go to to show people his voice

In metal we don't care about voice ..its all about good riff and songs

I always thought of his voice as not having the best timbre, but he had good pitch range and wrote really good vocal melodies that utilize that range. I actually love his vocals on So Far So Good So What. They're probably the most classically thrashy and gravely there. His clean voice obviously gets nasally and I think that's where most of the criticism comes from. If he had used more distortion in his voice more regularly I think that sentiment wouldn't be as prevalent.

I think Dave Mustain has a very unique voice and it suits Megadeth songs perfectly. But I can see why not everyone would like his voice, however the incredible musicianship in the band far succeeds any other metal band of their era and beyond ..

This is possibly one of the hottest takes I possess, but I personally am a huge fan of Dave's voice. I do understand why people have a distaste for it, but it really speaks to me on a deeper level. Like you said, he's very emotional with his songs and he conveys it very well. Dave's not just a music artist, he's a writer. He tells stories through his songs, incredibly unique stories which illicit unique emotions. And this is why I really enjoy hearing his voice because it's almost stylized in a way, he sings in a way that you can't just replicate. He's crafted his own voice to fit the stylization of his songs and the unique stories he tells through his music. He has very gnarly, grunge-y vocals and they fit perfectly for his music. They're very different ingredients that blend together perfectly, it's like ear-candy for me when they're put together.

Wow. That side by side of the Five Magics versions was brutal. Original is superb, hands down. Even the gallop riff is so much sharper. The way he delivers "Magics Five" is so intense. All of the feeling is lost in the remaster.

I always felt that Dave’s voice maybe is not the most conventional thing but, I think the songs are written in Dave’s voices in mind and it works so well.

varvis hype!!

My Last Words is Dave’s best vocal performance and I will hold that opinion until the day I die.

I didn't like Dave's voice at first, but it grew on me and now he's one of my favorites.

Dave's voice certainly has a lot of personality, like you said, it fits the songs and brings the emotions in the lyrics out. I love it. 😄 Also, I f*cking love Psychotron! 🤘

Honestly Dave’s voice peaked in the early 2000s when the overall music peaked in the 90s which is prob why there is a big disconnect because id say the world needs a hero has his best vocals. Tbh people forget that Dave actually sung incredibly high during peak megadeth and a little big after like its insane how high he sung tornado of souls. Yes his voice hasnt aged super well but at least megadeth isnt lazy even though dave struggles with vocals now. I think this is one of those “not that good but fits the music” type cases because i think the vocals add what the songs need in megadeth. Not to mention its important to realize dave also has to play insanely complex riffs whether its alternate picking chugging or super hard blues and even solos alongside singing.

Great video and lets not forget that hes playing really hard riffs at the same time aswell

Watch "Evolver" (making of Youthanasia) and tell me Dave has a bad singing voice or doesnt care about his performance. One of my favorite studio diaries of all-time and it does a great job showing exactly how hard he tries for a great performance (even if he wont admit it lol). I think your conclusions are spot-on here, just because some of his deliveries arent conventional does not make him "bad". Hell, even now after throat cancer he sounds fantastic on the new album and he has the rare live performance where he can still capture the 2000's voice. Dude is 60+ now and Im happy to take whatever he has to offer.

Dave Mustaine is one of my favorite metal vocalists. The emotions in his delivery have really resonated with me all my life. This combined with his amazing song writing have gotten me through some dificult times in my life. Tons of respect for this man.

I remember my uncle describing Mustaine's singing as "constipated straining", it's been 30 years and that is still the best way I've heard it described. Each time I put one of their songs on, it sounds more convincing, especially when he sings the lines where he grits his teeth.

When I was first recording my first album, the producer said something to the effect of "huh, you kinda sound like Megadeth's singer!" And I was very torn if it was a genuine compliment or a faux one hahaha all in all Megadeth is in my top 3 favorite bands. Dave sings very well in world needs a hero, cryptic writings and United Abominations

My absolute favorite singer.

Love Youthanasia and The System Has Failed. Great video!

i love the vocals on symphony opf destruction demo! better than the original.

I always loved his vocals on SFSGSW. They’re full of piss and vinegar. It’s that Mustaine agressive snarl which was most prevalent on that specific record. The dude sounded genuinely mean and pissed off… love that shit.

VARVIS HYPE

He's an amazing singer.

While he's not the best singer (and he's NOWHERE NEAR THE WORST EITHER WAY FAR FROM IT), he sings a lot better than he's given credit for by many people. The thing he does best is convey his emotions through his voice, which to me is the point of singing. While my top favorite vocalists are Geoff Tate and Bruce Dickinson, I still consider Dave Mustaine up there in my list of favorite vocalists. He does, however, have the best example of angry dark vocals above all which is the absolute most perfect attitude for thrash metal. He reminds me a bit like David Bowie with his tendency to do character acting when he sings. David Bowie also got crap for his vocals by some if I'm not mistaken. Both men are (and was for Bowie) musical geniuses.

reckoning day is a strong vocal performance

Brilliant analysis!

He's not a horrible singer, i would say he is no a good nor bad singer, he's a smart singer, he adapts.

Dave’s voice is awesome! My all time favorite! Live he can be a little off. But mostly he does great!

That’s the whole point. His vocals are supposed to be like Sid Vicious while his plays his guitar like a brain surgeon

He is a lot better on some things on his career than people might think, on naturals I mean try and listen what he does on Last Rites Loved To Death, and Looking Down The Cross, the breath support, the character, and its high, for someone that wasn't trained as a singer. Lucretia, also Bad Omen, Mary Jane, My Last Words. I love the depraved feel and hate feel from Hook in mouth.. Its very punk, i love the rasp, agression. He wasn't that nasal before RIP. Liar is a tour de force when it comes also to the rapping part. Blood of heroes is great, Killing road is amazing, also the intimate feel of Trust. Also "Travel" with bluesy stuff, and Psychotron... I like the more mature drop he had on Endgame, Headcrusher and stuff. You choosed stuff that illustrate well the analysis too.

i absolutely love his singing style in "the threat is real". low pich fits really well

Is he a bad singer? I never really cared I like his voice To me It's just different. Not good or bad

Peace Sells > Rust In Peace

I really don't understand what's in peoples' minds when they judge singing voices.

"Yes, he is." *video ends there* In all seriousness, I think a way to sum up Dave as a vocalist (not a singer) is to admit that while his vocals aren't the best (even on his best attempts), his *interpretation* of the lyrics tends to be on point 👌. So he's more of an interpreter than a singer. One of my favourite Dave performances is in one of the songs you mentioned, namely Symphony of Destruction. At the end of each verse where he repeats the last words (for example "explodes...explodes"), the way his voice sounds is genuinely menacingly awesome. He adds a bit of "thunder" in his voice at the second repetition too (well I cannot explain it better but I think you know what I mean). "I enjoy them, and if you enjoy them too, then let others trash his vocals." But it's more fun if I join in the trashing 😉.

The algorithm brought me here. Your Oilers jerseys made me write this comment. Condolences on your team's new GM. Good luck. haha

8:06 Best Megadeth song of the soft.

I’m surprised you didn’t mention anything from cryptic writings or the world needs a hero…I do agree that youthanasia is probably him at his best tho

Nailed it on the head bro! I have tried to justify some of his pitches but not as thought provoking, in-depth as you. LoL my explanations is more caveman. 😂 If it wasn’t for the amazing riffs, song structure and solos I could understand why MD music is a turn off for some people.

His voice works well for thrash metal. It's absolutely electric on kimb. 🎉Then in the 90s he had some very melodic and pleasant sounding vocal melodies. Cryptic writings for example has some great vocals. But, there's often times where his voice is extremely abrasive and off putting. Sometimes lame sounding live. Lane Stanly mocking his voice in that one clip says it all really.

Not the best but very unique in Metal tbh, "Lucretia" has his best raw high pitched vocals imo. Also he plays stupendously complicated riffs while singing at the same time which is difficult to pull of in live situation✌🏻

Yes he is a bad singer, but musically, he is a genius, especially when it comes to making riffs. Schuldiner had a pretty similar style in coming up with riffs. As a guitarist, I appreciate these two the most!

His vocals on Peace and So Far are great. I think his vocals started going downhill on Rust, that's when it got more nasally and higher pitched. Still awesome album, one of Megadeth's best. I think songs like Sweating Bullets really put casual listeners of Megadeth off. Thats the song I always hear people make fun of.

DM really is the best person to deliver Megadeth’s vocals, if he had gotten a vocalist in the beginning he’d be on his 5th one by now.😆

I remember playing gta vice city and listening to the rock radio station (which is what got me into thrash and classic heavy metal in the first place while also being my first exposure to megadeth, maiden, slayer and more), and hearing peace sells for the first time and thinking "wow this singing is awful and I like the song less than the others" but it stood out from the rest and by the third time I heard it I really loved it and wanted to listen to more megadeth. Gta was always there to extend my music taste with each new game (until 5 lets not talk about 5)

No one else can pull those songs off like Dave . Maybe John Bush , I'd like to see that combo .

Dave slams in matching tones and feel for the songs. Took me, as an older metal head, but he nails it in brutal force. Great video

I thought this was the common consensus lmao

Well I'm off to go dig up Pavarotti. I wanna know if this works 😂

I knew five magics sounded different on my old cd from the 90s now i know why. I thought that part sounded cooler on the original.

Great analysis 👍🏻

Ozzy isn't much of a singer yet plenty of people worship him. Dave is kinda a similar thing except even more unique. Only Dave could do what Dave does vocally. To be honest, some of his best examples of more regular singing are probably on the underrated and overlooked World Needs a Hero album.

His voice is great, period.

Megadave's best vocals are on Angry Again. Sweating Bullets are his worst to the point of making myself rather be permanently condemned to the stank of own balls after a fortnight shower strike.

keep im mind he is singing and playing very complex guitar parts at the same time. Most people would have a stroke if they tried also when you hear other "proper" vocalists doing this songs, they sound off

Have you ever checked out MD 45? Dave sounds amazing on that record.

I've always liked Dave's voice, and have always heard others say they hate it.