Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 31.05.2015 at 16:13


Doro has done more for female vocals in metal than anyone around in metal.

and she still do

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 31.05.2015 at 16:13

Written by scorn on 31.05.2015 at 01:34

Written by deadone on 21.04.2015 at 03:30

Written by Guib on 21.04.2015 at 03:26

I completely agree with you, though I always found that Angela had quite aggressive vocals, but w/e let's not debate on that haha.

I think Angela was fine for Arch Enemy and I think she's done more for girls in metal than the Nightwishes and Within Temptations and Lacuna Coils which promote crappy stereotypes of pretty things who sing pretty.

Leather Leone has done more for metal than any of the aforementioned.

Doro has done more for female vocals in metal than anyone around in metal.

Hard to argue with Doro, unless you can argue she's done more for women on the 'rock' side of metal.

Regarding Angela and others, I would say Floor Jansen has probably had the most significant impact on women singing for metal bands, but obviously not because of her work in Nightwish. Dark Tranquillity, Devin Townsend, and Arjen deserve some mention here, because they kind of pioneered how women could fit into a metal album in unique and interesting ways (other than being a full-time lead vocalist).

Written by AtLossForWords on 01.06.2015 at 18:42

Dark Tranquillity, Devin Townsend, and Arjen deserve some mention here, because they kind of pioneered how women could fit into a metal album in unique and interesting ways (other than being a full-time lead vocalist).

The Gathering and Paradise Lost pioneered that. those you mention just made it mainstream.

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 01.06.2015 at 18:46

Written by AtLossForWords on 01.06.2015 at 18:42

Dark Tranquillity, Devin Townsend, and Arjen deserve some mention here, because they kind of pioneered how women could fit into a metal album in unique and interesting ways (other than being a full-time lead vocalist).

The Gathering and Paradise Lost pioneered that. those you mention just made it mainstream.

Yeah, I can agree with that. I think the work done by Dark Tranquillity and Devin Townsend sticks out in my mind because both of them implemented that element into their music before it was 'cool' and it became such afterwards, so your point about mainstreaming is quite accurate.

Written by AtLossForWords on 01.06.2015 at 19:02

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 01.06.2015 at 18:46

Written by AtLossForWords on 01.06.2015 at 18:42

Dark Tranquillity, Devin Townsend, and Arjen deserve some mention here, because they kind of pioneered how women could fit into a metal album in unique and interesting ways (other than being a full-time lead vocalist).

The Gathering and Paradise Lost pioneered that. those you mention just made it mainstream.

Yeah, I can agree with that. I think the work done by Dark Tranquillity and Devin Townsend sticks out in my mind because both of them implemented that element into their music before it was 'cool' and it became such afterwards, so your point about mainstreaming is quite accurate.

Wasn't female vocals cool prior to 2009, when Townsend released his 1st album with a co-singer (Ki)?

I like the female fronted traditional doom bands - Avatarium, Blood Ceremony, Mount Salem, gonna listen to Lucifer, I heard two songs and I liked them.

Written by M C Vice on 02.06.2015 at 10:36

Written by AtLossForWords on 01.06.2015 at 19:02

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 01.06.2015 at 18:46

Written by AtLossForWords on 01.06.2015 at 18:42

Dark Tranquillity, Devin Townsend, and Arjen deserve some mention here, because they kind of pioneered how women could fit into a metal album in unique and interesting ways (other than being a full-time lead vocalist).

The Gathering and Paradise Lost pioneered that. those you mention just made it mainstream.

Yeah, I can agree with that. I think the work done by Dark Tranquillity and Devin Townsend sticks out in my mind because both of them implemented that element into their music before it was 'cool' and it became such afterwards, so your point about mainstreaming is quite accurate.

Wasn't female vocals cool prior to 2009, when Townsend released his 1st album with a co-singer (Ki)?

What about during first his experimentation with female vocals in '98? I'm trying to focus on female vocals in metal that are not necessarily full-time lead vocals.

Written by AtLossForWords on 02.06.2015 at 19:18

What about during first his experimentation with female vocals in '98? I'm trying to focus on female vocals in metal that are not necessarily full-time lead vocals.

That was only backing and choirs. Lots of acts did that before and after. By 98 power, symphonic and gothic bands had started to use more women as vocalists (lead, backing, choirs). Candlemass used some on their debut back in 80-something (I want to say 86? 87?).

Written by M C Vice on 03.06.2015 at 12:30

Written by AtLossForWords on 02.06.2015 at 19:18

What about during first his experimentation with female vocals in '98? I'm trying to focus on female vocals in metal that are not necessarily full-time lead vocals.

That was only backing and choirs. Lots of acts did that before and after. By 98 power, symphonic and gothic bands had started to use more women as vocalists (lead, backing, choirs). Candlemass used some on their debut back in 80-something (I want to say 86? 87?).

86

IMO this song demonstrates how soft feminine vocals can sound much more metal than aggressive masculine vocals: https://thel-train.bandcamp.com/track/scene-4-lunar-march
Yeah, there is some sort of effects placed on the voice to give it a darker tone, but I've got nothing against studio magic.

I haven't heard a large amount of female-fronted metal bands, but I would say that I don't care about their gender as long as the vocals sound good.

I am surprised no one brought up Mallika Sundaramurthy from Abnormality yet, her vocals are proof that women can do death growls right.

Anyway, I would generally say I am ok with female vocals in metal. If they are incorporated correctly, they can sound really good.

Som Pluijimers (ex. Cerebral Bore) is as extreme a female vocalist can get.

Having a hot chick lead singer seems a little gimmicky too me. Example would be Jill Janus in Huntress, the band doesn't do a whole lot for me, but my male brain keeps thinking about them and wants to like them because of how sexy she is.

Having said that, I loved Angela Gossow in Arch Enemy. Not only was she hot, but she had a great set of pipes for distorted vocals. She sounded great, still one of my favorite distorted vocalist. I dislike Gluz(also very very hot, I remember when she auditioned on Canadian Idol and when she was in The Agonist) in Arch Enemy now, it's just not my cup of tea with her. I just hope Loomis changes a few things.

It works in Symphonic Metal. Outside of Nightwish and Epica I don't really listen too much of that though.

Yes, in some bands.

Only female i like very much are Theatre of Tragedy especially on their album Aegis
and also Amesoeurs.
there is something that i usually find odd about female growls I dont know exactly how to say

Unless they stop thinking opera singing sopranos or overcompensating for something not natural works the answer is and still stays no.

First of all, metal isn't only about anger and aggressiveness, that's exactly why I love it, because there are tons of emotions and moods expressed through this genre and there are no limitations.

Second, there are plenty of badass chicks who can be aggressive if they want to, Leather Leone, Kate French, Veronica Freeman, just to name a few. And there are plenty of males who don't sing aggressively at all, most of the classically trained tenors in power metal, for example.

That's a very limited way of seeing things, imo.

Written by Sentinel65 on 06.06.2015 at 04:35

I haven't heard a large amount of female-fronted metal bands, but I would say that I don't care about their gender as long as the vocals sound good.

I agree!

I like Noora Louhimo and Maria Brink. Noora gives me shivers on some songs but to me it sounds as if she was somewhat thamed by the band on the last album, not that much of her glorious rage. Imagine the heavy sound of Sabaton with her unleashed.

Holy Moses! Sabina Classen is great! \m/

Written by ScreamingSteelUS on 19.12.2010 at 23:54

Now nobody gets to read this

Damn, you really have been stanning The Slot for a full decade

Written by RaduP on 19.04.2020 at 16:55

Written by ScreamingSteelUS on 19.12.2010 at 23:54

I can't even look at this in the year 2020

Damn, you really have been stanning The Slot for a full decade

You should stop crawling into the distant past of Metal Storm, because the only part of this post that I currently agree with is the fact that Slot is awesome.

Generally for a lot of metal it doesn't make a difference and I prefer female vocals just for the breath of fresh air. I could see how in funeral doom or something it could be advantageous do be a dude, but I don't know. Generally really dislike female clean vocals though, as they almost all kinda sound the same to me.

Marina Brink is fucking fantastic

I don't think gender matters, what matters is whether you sound good. I can't remember any female vocalists I really didn't like but I always thought Angela Gossow from Arch Enemy sounded amazing.

I was listening to a playlist on Spotify the other day, and a girl sounded pretty good. Most of the time she was on backing vocals, but it was great. So I don't mind female vocals in metal.

This is a bit of a ridiculous question. How is gender relevant, exactly? What type of female vocals are we talking about? Because there are so many different types of female vocalists with all sorts of different ways of singing ; extreme, operatic, gritty, epic, doomy, you name it. What do the vocals of Messa, Arch Enemy, Nightwish, Blood Ceremony, Holy Moses, Doro, Astarte, Lordian Guard, Avatarium, Allochiria, Vouna, Stygian Crown, Satan's Hallow, Détente, etc, etc, have in common?

I do like female vocals in metal. Some even sound harsher and with more power than some male vocalists.

Onielar, from Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult, is in my top 3 black metal vocalist, alongside Maniac and Ihsahn.