The "Axl's Voice" Thread - Please Keep All Discussion Here

[Pedrolg]

So, let's do as asked and avoid clogging the show threads with discussion, and discuss Axl's voice freely.

Here's what I have to say: Axl has sounded consistently bad on this leg, and increasingly worse since 2016. He always got better this many shows into it, it's not happening this time. On every show now I can see him fail to get that bit of rasp and right tone at parts where he used to, even when not on his best nights, such as bits of Jungle, "while your breaking down my neck" on YCBM, "Tongue like a razor" in RQ, "To break the charms" on Better, most of My Michelle etc etc. The tone on his clean voice has got a lot worse, and mickey is fully back. I've been watching and listening to stuff from 2011-2013 lately and he is better on those than he is currently.

Now, there might be a measure of preservation in there, but it would make zero sense for him to take the level of performances down a notch, after what he consistently did last year, which was already a contained effort when compared with Axl/DC. Also, choice wouldn't explain the lack of rasp on parts where it had been present even after 2011.

I think Axl's voice might be on it's last legs. Maybe we are seeing the last of his banshee, high note hitting sing voice, with or without rasp. What we call rasp is being used less and less, and, imo, this leg has many clear moments when it seems Axl wants to use it but it's just not there. I wouldn't be surprised if him not releasing material that is already recorded has to do with the voice on that material being gone. Maybe we should just cherish whatever is left. 

[IncitingChaos]

12 minutes ago, Pedrolg said:

So, let's do as asked and avoid clogging the show threads with discussion, and discuss Axl's voice freely.

Here's what I have to say: Axl has sounded consistently bad on this leg, and increasingly worse since 2016. He always got better this many shows into it, it's not happening this time. On every show now I can see him fail to get that bit of rasp and right tone at parts where he used to, even when not on his best nights, such as bits of Jungle, "while your breaking down my neck" on YCBM, "Tongue like a razor" in RQ, "To break the charms" on Better, most of My Michelle etc etc. The tone on his clean voice has got a lot worse, and mickey is fully back. I've been watching and listening to stuff from 2011-2013 lately and he is better on those than he is currently.

Now, there might be a measure of preservation in there, but it would make zero sense for him to take the level of performances down a notch, after what he consistently did last year, which was already a contained effort when compared with Axl/DC. Also, choice wouldn't explain the lack of rasp on parts where it had been present even after 2011.

I think Axl's voice might be on it's last legs. Maybe we are seeing the last of his banshee, high note hitting sing voice, with or without rasp. What we call rasp is being used less and less, and, imo, this leg has many clear moments when it seems Axl wants to use it but it's just not there. I wouldn't be surprised if him not releasing material that is already recorded has to do with the voice on that material being gone. Maybe we should just cherish whatever is left. 

I've been conflicted on rather to call him done or not. Idk if AC/DC ruined his voice or that's what he's hiding currently. 

But yes, this has been one of his worse legs since Australia 2013. I'm sorry if that offends those attending in Europe but we can't sit here and say it's been a shining moment for him vocally. 

This thread will turn into YouTube versus live debate but everyone needs to be honest, these recording devices are not built to make him sound bad...any AC/DC video will show you that it's ok to compare on YouTube. It's ok to say he may have lost his voice, he's 55...this is going to be the tail end of his career. 

With that said he may be making a conservative effort to hold his voice back at the moment...we don't know. I'll go find some examples but I've brought it up before and the transition from Australia 2013 to NA 2013 was huge as well as SA tour 2014 and Vegas 2014...so Axl not having the best vocals has happened and he's turned it around. But each time this happens you wonder if its age or simply on purpose 

[IncitingChaos]

Example 1 of the 2013 change- WTTJ

Australia he sounds like shit...vocals are all over the place, he's out of breath, he can't keep up on his own song. 

Kansas later that year, he's in control, vocals are in tune, he sounds better than he does on the current Euro leg...why the big change? 

2 minutes ago, Oldest Goat said:

aka 'The @IncitingChaos Thread'

I've never been so excited...I'm sure this will end up in Civil War

[Pedrolg]

2 minutes ago, IncitingChaos said:

I've been conflicted on rather to call him done or not. Idk if AC/DC ruined his voice or that's what he's hiding currently. 

But yes, this has been one of his worse legs since Australia 2013. I'm sorry if that offends those attending in Europe but we can't sit here and say it's been a shining moment for him vocally. 

This thread will turn into YouTube versus live debate but everyone needs to be honest, these recording devices are not built to make him sound bad...any AC/DC video will show you that it's ok to compare on YouTube. It's ok to say he may have lost his voice, he's 55...this is going to be the tail end of his career. 

With that said he may be making a conservative effort to hold his voice back at the moment...we don't know. I'll go find some examples but I've brought it up before and the transition from Australia 2013 to NA 2013 was huge as well as SA tour 2014 and Vegas 2014...so Axl not having the best vocals has happened and he's turned it around. But each time this happens you wonder if its age or simply on purpose 

What would he be saving his voice for, anyway? It makes no sense to sound bad in order to avoid being forced to sound bad in the future. I'm not a specialist by any means, but I honestly doubt he will lose his falsetto in the foreseeable future, so why resort to it while having more than that in the tank? Las year, I was hoping that, as he kept active and had the AC/DC gig going on, he would slowly get to a point where he would sound like he did at Houston somewhat consistently. Now I find myself wishing he'd sound like 2012 at least.

I know that it is disappointing to hear those things about shows you've been to, but it happen to me at both shows I went to in Brazil. A lof o people back then here thought Axl sounded way worse on them than he did in NA. Axl now sounds way worse than he did at those shows I attended. 

I love Axl, I think he's grown into a nice guy, he is in great shape. I hope he recovers.

[IncitingChaos]

Example 2 Paradise City

Australia complete shit

Texas 2013....f'n rasp on PC. He wasn't capable of this in Australia

[ironmt]

28 minutes ago, Pedrolg said:

So, let's do as asked and avoid clogging the show threads with discussion, and discuss Axl's voice freely.

Here's what I have to say: Axl has sounded consistently bad on this leg, and increasingly worse since 2016. He always got better this many shows into it, it's not happening this time. On every show now I can see him fail to get that bit of rasp and right tone at parts where he used to, even when not on his best nights, such as bits of Jungle, "while your breaking down my neck" on YCBM, "Tongue like a razor" in RQ, "To break the charms" on Better, most of My Michelle etc etc. The tone on his clean voice has got a lot worse, and mickey is fully back. I've been watching and listening to stuff from 2011-2013 lately and he is better on those than he is currently.

Now, there might be a measure of preservation in there, but it would make zero sense for him to take the level of performances down a notch, after what he consistently did last year, which was already a contained effort when compared with Axl/DC. Also, choice wouldn't explain the lack of rasp on parts where it had been present even after 2011.

I think Axl's voice might be on it's last legs. Maybe we are seeing the last of his banshee, high note hitting sing voice, with or without rasp. What we call rasp is being used less and less, and, imo, this leg has many clear moments when it seems Axl wants to use it but it's just not there. I wouldn't be surprised if him not releasing material that is already recorded has to do with the voice on that material being gone. Maybe we should just cherish whatever is left. 

We are going to continue to get these type of performances on GNR material. I have been hoping for a strong second half of Estranged since the tour started and It just Isn't going to happen. The songs he sounds worst on IMO are Estranged, YCBM, November Rain, Rocket Queen, Yesterdays and Paradise City. The only hope at this point of hearing old school Axl Is with AC/DC. 

[IncitingChaos]

1 minute ago, Pedrolg said:

What would he be saving his voice for, anyway? It makes no sense to sound bad in order to avoid being forced to sound bad in the future. I'm not a specialist by any means, but I honestly doubt he will lose his falsetto in the foreseeable future, so why resort to it while having more than that in the tank? Las year, I was hoping that, as he kept active and had the AC/DC gig going on, he would slowly get to a point where he would sound like he did at Houston somewhat consistently. Now I find myself wishing he'd sound like 2012 at least.

I know that it is disappointing to hear those things about shows you've been to, but it happen to me at both shows I went to in Brazil. A lof o people back then here thought Axl sounded way worse on them than he did in NA. Axl now sounds way worse than he did at those shows I attended. 

I love Axl, I think he's grown into a nice guy, he is in great shape. I hope he recovers.

Completely agree...I didn't think it would turn this bad after the NA leg. I thought he just needed to warm up but with only a couple shows left in this leg I don't see he wants to improve on this part of the tour...he's sounded the same since night 1...no magical Houston night. 

Someone got mad that I suggested his voice changed from leg to leg...but it's evidently stronger on some legs compared to others. Idk why, but he's shown since 2011 to sing awful on some parts of the tour then just turn it on like my examples of  the adjustment he made in 2013

[Pedrolg]

3 minutes ago, IncitingChaos said:

Completely agree...I didn't think it would turn this bad after the NA leg. I thought he just needed to warm up but with only a couple shows left in this leg I don't see he wants to improve on this part of the tour...he's sounded the same since night 1...no magical Houston night. 

Someone got mad that I suggested his voice changed from leg to leg...but it's evidently stronger on some legs compared to others. Idk why, but he's shown since 2011 to sing awful on some parts of the tour then just turn it on like my examples of  the adjustment he made in 2013

Also, he seems to always take things up a notch in the US. Perhaps because of fear of having the media rip him apart there.

[killuridols]

LOL. He sounds inconsistent since April 2016

He's sounded not good since 2006.

Get over it.

Maybe he's tired, it's been one year and a half since this NITL tour started.

He should not have extended it for so long.................... and some people still want him to keep singing well into 2018

[Gordon Comstock]

The only shows this year that were decent were a couple of the Aussie ones, which still didn't compare to last year. His voice has deteriorated since the North American leg (or, since the AC/DC shows ended and he stopping having to rehearse properly), and he's sounded like shit for this whole European leg. I'm glad people are going and having a good time and all, but his voice is about on par with the shows I saw in 2012, maybe a bit worse even, and for a tour like this that's just not acceptable.

 

I don't think his voice is gone, and that's why it's so frustrating. I've got tickets to 2 shows later this year, and after those shows, I'm done until they're touring a new album and/or Axl has something to prove again. I honestly have 1000% more interest in an Axl/DC album and tour than a GNR album and tour at this point, because it's so painfully obvious that he cares more about AC/DC. And I can't even blame him for that really, I doubt he enjoys singing SCOM or NR for the millionth time.

 

My biggest complaint is that he refuses to adapt the setlist to his current capabilities, and the result is that he ends up ruining songs - Better, YCBM, Yesterdays, My Michelle, etc. He uses his weakest singing voice, and it simply doesn't fit songs that need aggression. He should bring back songs like Bad Obsession, You Ain't The First, Down On The Farm, So Fine/Dust N Bones with Duff, use his deep voice on Locomotive and let Melissa do the high parts... he's making a fucking million dollars per show and he's content with just coasting through the shows, because the tickets are sold and he can get away with it.

[IncitingChaos]

Example 3: Nightrain

Australia he is again not very strong...this is typically one of his best songs. 

but back to America and super Axl has arrived with much stronger vocals. 

Now why am I comparing 2013 Axl...simply to show that while it may seem like he's losing his voice he may just be lazy on the current leg and will soon comeback to America like a new man. He's shown it in the past

[Gordon Comstock]

3 minutes ago, IncitingChaos said:

but back to America and super Axl has arrived with much stronger vocals.

Now why am I comparing 2013 Axl...simply to show that while it may seem like he's losing his voice he may just be lazy on the current leg and will soon comeback to America like a new man. He's shown it in the past

 

I really hope this is the case. Let him coast through Europe I guess, but he's gotta know that when they're back in NA they'll be compared to their last run, so the logical assumption would be that he'd step it up and at least match that level of performance. If he still sounds like shit on the next NA leg, I'll actually start to worry that he's lost his voice.

Edited July 8, 2017 by Gordon Comstock

[IncitingChaos]

Example of the deteriorating of his vocals from the past year: My Michelle 

texas 2016...really good vocals for a guy who has had a tough time singing this song in the past.

paris today...WTF Axl get your shit together! 

[Gordon Comstock]

3 minutes ago, IncitingChaos said:

 

 

Jesus Christ.

Who punched Mickey Mouse in the throat and put him up there?

[IncitingChaos]

Just now, Gordon Comstock said:

 

Jesus Christ.

Who punched Mickey Mouse in the throat and put him up there?

It's bad right now...idk why it's being ignored. Our first live performance is in two weeks...he's not ready for that 

Thank god @killuridols is in here. No more hiding in the show thread! 

But seriously Axl needs a break I agree with you there

[Gordon Comstock]

1 minute ago, IncitingChaos said:

It's bad right now...idk why it's being ignored. Our first live performance is in two weeks...he's not ready for that 

 

I'd like to believe he'll get his shit together before that, but I know better...

[Tom-Ass]

From the Detroit show on I had no issues with Axl's voice.. I mean it was what it was... Mind blowing some songs, good enough others and some weak songs.. It was working though..  It seems to be deteriorating fast though... I don't know what it is but the band behind him isn't good enough to pick up the slack if it continues in this trend.. If the band was tight as fuck and could play the shit out of the songs they could squeak buy but they aren't... At times here are cover bands that could do some of these songs better..

Edited July 8, 2017 by Tom-Ass

[Pedrolg]

Whenever he comes back from a break he sounds rough. Either he is really losing his voice or his 2016 form can mostly be attributed to his work for AC/DC.

[6lake sa66ath]

Okay..

I've not even bothered to watch any of the vids from the eras posted in this thread because put simply... I can't fuckin' really stand nuGNR anymore in 2017 unless it's YouTubes from '06/'07 as I consider that absolute pinnacle Axl solo styles... READ: reminiscent of "prime time" late 80s/early 90s chain saw rasp on command vocal destruction!

BUT

Do you guys not consider PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE i.e. running about the stadium stage setup, covering space all over the place, strutting, side stepping, snake dancing etc etc...

BECAUSE without going back through the last 10 years PLUS of YouTube evidence, besides that 10 years ago period in his lithe nuGNR serpentine-esque best, he didn't really seem to be "INTO IT" and "PERFORMING" like "AXL ROSE" like he is NOW alongside Slash and Duff on stage since last April... (*sidenote:- I attended back to back London stadium shows last month in Golden Circle*)

***

SO in closing the vocal AS WELL as the PHYSICAL stage presence PERFORMANCE all contributes to the ENTERTAINMENT and overall ENJOYMENT FACTOR for me as a LONGTIME GN'R FAN...

Feel FREE to sound off and QUOTE my arse ;-D

[Gordon Comstock]

8 minutes ago, Tom-Ass said:

From the Detroit show on I had no issues with Axl's voice.. I mean it was what it was... Mind blowing some songs, good enough others and some weak songs.. It was working though..  It seems to be deteriorating fast though... I don't know what it is but the band behind him isn't good enough to pick up the slack if it continues in this trend.. If the band was tight as fuck and could play the shit out of the songs they could squeak buy but they aren't... There are cover bands that could do some of these songs better..

 

Realistically, his 2016 voice was about as good as could've been expected if you've followed him for a while. Some of the songs he stayed in his comfort zone of falsetto or whatever it is, but the good far outweighed the bad in my experience. The best examples off the top of my head are Coma and OTGM/My Michelle. Those songs, on average, sounded good-great in NA. But not so much since then...

 

1 minute ago, Blake Sabbath said:

Okay..

I've not even bothered to watch any of the vids from the eras posted in this thread because put simply... I can't fuckin' really stand nuGNR anymore in 2017 unless it's YouTubes from '06/'07 as I consider that absolute pinnacle Axl solo styles... READ: reminiscent of "prime time" late 80s/early 90s chain saw rasp on command vocal destruction!

BUT

Do you guys not consider PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE i.e. running about the stadium stage setup, covering space all over the place, strutting, side stepping, snake dancing etc etc...

BECAUSE without going back through the last 10 years PLUS of YouTube evidence, besides that 10 years ago period in his lithe nuGNR serpentine-esque best, he didn't really seem to be "INTO IT" and "PERFORMING" like "AXL ROSE" like he is NOW alongside Slash and Duff on stage since last April... (*sidenote:- I attended back to back London stadium shows last month in Golden Circle*)

***

SO in closing the vocal AS WELL as the PHYSICAL stage presence PERFORMANCE all contributes to the ENTERTAINMENT and overall ENJOYMENT FACTOR for me as a LONGTIME GN'R FAN...

Feel FREE to sound off and QUOTE my arse ;-D

 

He was moving around as much in 2016 as he is now, and he sounded better.

2009-SA 2010 was the pinnacle of nuGNR, IMO. He was running around the stage while still sounding like classic Axl. I'm not sure how much the stage moves actually affect his voice, but using AC/DC (and some nuGNR shows where he was pissed off) as an example, I'd much prefer he didn't run around if it means better vocals.

[killuridols]

35 minutes ago, IncitingChaos said:

It's bad right now...idk why it's being ignored. Our first live performance is in two weeks...he's not ready for that 

Thank god @killuridols is in here. No more hiding in the show thread! 

But seriously Axl needs a break I agree with you there

Ok, I'll give you that 'My Michelle' you just posted

But your theory is plain wrong. Like I told you before, he's mickeymoused the whole planet by now.

That awful DVD 'Appetite For Democracy' is Mickey Mouse in full mode in Las Vegas, USA.

The Bridge School Benefit disaster happened in the United States.

And this is from last year in the USA too and it is just as awful as those Paris videos

 

[6lake sa66ath]

6 minutes ago, Gordon Comstock said:

I'm not sure how much the stage moves actually affect his voice, but using AC/DC, I'd much prefer he didn't run around if it means better vocals.

Perhaps we've inadvertently discovered the KEY here to Axl/DC PINNACLE MODE ;-D

[6lake sa66ath]

12 minutes ago, killuridols said:

Ok, I'll give you that 'My Michelle' you just posted

But your theory is plain wrong. Like I told you before, he's mickeymoused the whole planet by now.

That awful DVD 'Appetite For Democracy' is Mickey Mouse in full mode in Las Vegas, USA.

The Bridge School Benefit disaster happened in the United States.

And this is from last year in the USA too and it is just as awful as those Paris videos

 

Watching back on this, just over a year later, this is a VERY weak Axl performace vocally, but I find it still somewhat astounding that other non-hardcore/constantly checking this forum fans I know didn't even clock the perceived "weak" vocals...

Once again, Rose is an enigma ;-D

[IncitingChaos]

17 minutes ago, killuridols said:

Ok, I'll give you that 'My Michelle' you just posted

But your theory is plain wrong. Like I told you before, he's mickeymoused the whole planet by now.

That awful DVD 'Appetite For Democracy' is Mickey Mouse in full mode in Las Vegas, USA.

The Bridge School Benefit disaster happened in the United States.

And this is from last year in the USA too and it is just as awful as those Paris videos

 

I agree he has bad moments in the states but comparatively the NA leg is still superior to the current leg in terms of vocals but Europe wins setlist forever

[killuridols]

3 minutes ago, IncitingChaos said:

I agree he has bad moments in the states but comparatively the NA leg is still superior to the current leg in terms of vocals but Europe wins setlist forever

It is the same setlist from everywhere with just a few add-ons