Top 5 On Friday – Five of my current favorite vocalists that perform in more than one band
Welcome to another Top 5 on Friday post! Every Friday I list my five favorite music related topics that mostly relate to riff rock bands and musicians. Today I will be discussing current vocalists that perform in more than one band. I needed to narrow this down a bit because there are many fantastic singers in heavy rock music today that I could have easily named. However, I wanted to keep it at five to fit the theme of the post and honor the vocalists that are involved in multiple bands. I’m sure I’ll think of others after this is up but these are the first ones that I came up with, without too much effort. Please note that these are in alphabetical order (like last week’s post) by last name and I’m not ranking from least to best. Again, this is my opinion and I encourage everyone to share your thoughts on who you like and to whom I have forgotten. Thanks for reading!
JOHN GARCIA
What can I say about John Garcia? He is considered an icon in this genre, and for good reason. He is phenomenal! Garcia has one of the most recognizable voices in the heavy rock world today. He was the vocalist for the legendary band Kyuss, who released four albums: 1991’s Wretch, 1992’s Blues For The Red Sun, 1994’s Welcome To Sky Valley, and 1995’s…And The Circus Leaves Town. He then went on to sing for Slo Burn in 1997 and they released Amusing The Amazing. Next came Unida, where they released 1999’s Coping With The Urban Coyote album and a Split with Dozer. Hermano was next, releasing three albums: 2002’s Only A Suggestion, 2004’s Dare I Say, and 2007’s Into The Exam Room. Kyuss Lives turned into Vista Chino, with the release of 2013’s Peace. Finally, his solo project released two records under the John Garcia name, 2014’s Self Titled and 2017’s The Coyote Who Spoke In Tongues. John Garcia and the Band Of Gold released an album in 2019. He has been a guest vocalist for numerous bands and artists including Orange Goblin, Karma To Burn, Monkey3, Danko Jones, and many others. He is still currently working with his solo band and most recently got back together with Hermano. Hermano just released a new EP this past year on Ripple Music called When The Moon Was High (review here).
ARVID HALLAGARD
One of my favorite bands Greenleaf, has an exceptional vocalist in Arvid Hallagard. He joined the band before the Trails And Passes album in 2014 and has been in the band ever since. He sings on 2016’s Rise Above The Meadows, 2018’s Hear The Rivers, and 2021’s Echoes From A Mass. Their latest album 2024’s The Head And The Habit (review here) showcases his talents quite nicely, along with all of his work. He also sings for the project “punk” rock band Young Acid, who released their debut, 2024’s Murder At Maple Mountain (review here) which also came out this year. My latest find with Hallagard’s voice is Sleep Moscow, who released 2021’s Of The Sun and 2018’s A Wounded Moon albums. Sleep Moscow has a unique sound that is mellow and electronic. His voice is so captivating on those recordings and really expresses his talented vocal range and style.
CRAIG RIGGS
The vocalist for Kind and Roadsaw, Craig Riggs has a spectacular voice. The latest Kind record, 2023’s Close Encounters (review here) displays some of his finest work, in my opinion. He is also fantastic on 2020’s Mental Nudge and 2015’s Rocket Science. He was also the vocalist for legendary Boston riff rockers Roadsaw, who formed in 1994 and released six studio albums. The full lengths include:1995’s One Million Dollars, 1997’s Nationwide, 2002’s Rawk n’ Roll, 2008’s See You in Hell!, 2011’s Self Titled, and 2019’s Tinnitus the Night. They also released a compilation album called Takin’ Out The Trash and various singles and cover songs too. Riggs also sang in the band Antler, which released two albums, 2004’s Self Titled and 2006’s Nothing That A Bullet Couldn’t Cure. Antler was a softer rock band that really expressed his vocal range quite a bit. Craig Riggs is also the current drummer for one of my favorite bands Sasquatch. He plays drums on 2017’s Maneuvers and 2022’s Fever Fantasy. He is a very talented musician who has also recorded various bands in his Mad Oak Records studio.
DAX RIGGS
One of the finest vocalists ever, Dax Riggs got his start fronting the most decorated sludge rock/ metal band ever, Acid Bath. They released two albums, 1994’s When The Kite String Pops and 1996’s Paegan Terrorism Tactics. After Acid Bath, he was in a heavy rock band Agents Of Oblivion and recorded one album, their Self Titled in 2000. He then formed Deadboy & The Elephantmen and released 2002’s If This Is Hell Then I’m Lucky (later re-released under his own name) and 2006’s We Are Night Sky. Then he reemerged in 2007 under the Dax Riggs name and released We Only Sing Of Blood Or Love and 2010’s Say Goodnight To The World. He is currently set to release another solo album in 2025 called 7 Songs For Spiders. Acid Bath will also be playing a few reunion shows next year as well. Dax Riggs has one of the most beautiful and unique voices ever and I even named my son after him. He will always be one of my favorite singers in all of music.
KYLE THOMAS
Kyle Thomas is a super vocalist who has been in a wide range of metal and rock bands. His main band now is heavy metal classic Exhorder, who began in the late 1980’s and released their debut in 1990 called Slaughter In The Vatican. Their other albums includes 1992’s The Law, 2019’s Mourn The Southern Skies, and their latest 2024’s Defectum Omnium. He is also the vocalist in Chicago’s doom legends Trouble (he replaced Eric Wager) and sings on 2013’s The Distortion Field. One of my favorite bands of his was rock/ metal band Floodgate, who released only one album in 1996 called Penalty. Thomas also sang on the Alabama Thunderpussy Open Fire album, which came out in 2007. He was also in the Jones Lounge and Pitts Vs Preps, among many others.
Thanks again for reading! These choices came fairly quickly and I wanted to narrow it down to vocalists that are still performing in current bands. Otherwise, Jonah Jenkins from Only Living Witness/ Milligram/ Miltown/ Raw Radar War, and Northern Skulls, would have definitely been on the list. I would also like to give props to Karl Agel from Legions Of Doom (review here), Lie Heavy, Leadfoot, and Blind era Corrosion Of Conformity. He could have easily made the list along with many others. These are the singers that came to my mind the fastest and is in no way an exclusive list. I would love to hear what you think.
