http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjsfZeSq-xg - The vocal range of Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan M. Shadows is known as the powerful lead voice of the Californian metal group Avenged Sevenfold. Known for his remarkable vocal range, control and the very gritty/raspy tone, Shadows has made himself a wanted name with his unique voice. Starting out primarily as a metalcore screamer, he soon went on to evolve as a belter, becoming one of the best new names in the business with his huge vocal sound. Matt possesses a baritone, which shows in his vocal weight, but also when he sings low with a great, resonant sound. Back in the earlier days, the late drummer of the band, tenor Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan, would have harmonized on top of Shadows' voice, creating the unique, contrasting vocal layer they've been known for since their self-titled album (2007). 1. 0:00 - Higher range - A live G4 from "Seize the Day". (Live in the LBC, 2008) 2. 0:07 - Gritty G♯4s and a brief A4 from "Scream". 3. 0:20 - Relaxed A4s from "Strength of the World". 4. 0:32 - A great example of Shadows' control, a sustained A4 from "Nightmare" live. (Syracuse, NY, 2010) 5. 0:43 - An intense A4 from "Save Me". 6. 0:52 - Same note from "Shepherd of Fire", this time cleaner. Shadows' range remains pretty much intact even after all these years - a sign of a good technique. 7. 1:02 - A huge A4 from "Buffalo Stampede". 8. 1:10 - Expressive singing from "Acid Rain"; A4s and a B♭4. 9. 1:27 - A B♭4 from "Desecrate Through Reverence". 10. 1:35 - Clean B♭4s from "The Wicked End", Shadows' voice was a bit more nasally around this era. 11. 2:04 - The very melodic chorus from "Unbound (The Wild Ride)", lots of strong, agile singing around B♭4. 12. 2:22 - Wonderful B4s from the catchy "Almost Easy", a very physically demanding vocal performance. 13. 2:43 - Very big B4s from "Tonight the World Dies". 14. 3:01 - A lengthy B4 from the very Guns N' Roses-esque "Doing Time". 15. 3:29 - Countless B4s from the melody on "Carry On"; very impressive. 16. 3:50 - Passionate belting from "So Far Away": B4s and tenor high Cs (C5s). 17. 4:19 - A husky C5 from "Sidewinder". 18. 4:37 - An unusually clean harmony C5 from "Eternal Rest". 19. 4:45 - A sustained C5 from "Second Heartbeat" demo. 20. 4:52 - VERY intense C5s from "Save Me"; don't try this at home, kids! 21. 5:14 - Live C♯5s from "Almost Easy". (Live in the LBC, 2008) 22. 5:25 - Kickass D5s from "Trashed and Scattered", great attack to this passage. 23. 5:36 - The iconic D5-wail from "Bat Country", soon followed by a clean C5. 24. 5:53 - D5s from "Warmness on the Soul"; the segment goes to show that Shadows already possessed a wide, powerful range during the debut album. 25. 6:03 - Powerful D5s from "I Won't See You Tonight, Part 2". 26. 6:30 - The very demanding passage from "Seize the Day", followed by the final chorus; both feature a lot of D5s. 27. 7:10 - Singing up to E♭5 on "Betrayed". 28. 7:28 - The amazing finale from "I Won't See You Tonight, Part 1": melodic singing first up to D5, then E♭5. 29. 7:45 - An E5 from "Trashed and Scattered", one of the highest belts Shadows has done. 30. 7:54 - A 'heady' D5-to-F5 from "The Beast and the Harlot", sounds like Paul Stanley's high note on "Modern Day Delilah". 31. 8:07 - An F♯5 from "Blinded in Chains". 32. 8:20 - A Graham Bonnet-like G♯5 from "Beast and the Harlot" live, very powerful! (2006) 33. 8:32 - Lower range - Twangy C3s from "A Little Piece of Heaven", probably the greatest song by the group. 34. 8:53 - A2s from "Fiction". 35. 9:15 - A very warm A2 from "Go Alone". 36. 9:25 - Really deep-toned, low-larynx singing from a live version of "Gunslinger"; brief A2s and very relaxed C3s. (Live in the LBC) 37. 9:45 - A great G2 from the catchy verse of "Haze". 38. 10:01 - A very deep F2 from the backing vocal of "Nightmare". 39. 10:07 - Another very deep vocal harmony, this time from the catchy "Afterlife"; gets down to E2. 40. 10:18 - Low harmony E2s from "Sandpaper", very audible as well. 41. 10:23 - Casually singing down to E2 while explaining the making process of "A Little Piece of Heaven". 42. 10:28 - Vocal harmony D2s from "A Little Piece of Heaven". 43. 10:40 - The parlando vocals from "Shepherd of Fire"; a couple of dramatic spoken C♯2s. 44. 10:55 - Less audible vocal harmonies from "Requiem": brief C♯2s. 45. 11:01 - The evolution of Matt's false chord screaming - first the classic metalcore screaming sound from "Second Heartbeat". Contrary to the popular belief, Matt never lost his screaming voice, but rather wanted to evolve as a vocalist, exploring his belting instead - thankfully so. 46. 11:23 - The intense sustained scream from "Critical Acclaim". 47. 11:38 - The amazing live vocal improv during "God Hates Us": first a very lengthy scream, then singing around A4-B (Rock Am Ring, 2011) 48. 12:07 - The most recent example of Matt screaming in studio, from "Not Ready to Die". Harsher approach, totally different from the early days.

• published: 27 Sep 2013
• views: 142