It is an unfortunate fact that here in New Zealand we have it pretty crap when it comes to Summer festivals. This is partly to do with our isolated location and partly the fact that the general populist has some pretty bad taste in music (sorry New Zealand, its true). To celebrate the start of June and the start of the European music festival season I have decided to go over some of the festivals that make Big Day Out look like a small gathering.
Whilst there are hundreds of festivals taking place in Europe over the Summer months, many of which feature the odd rock or metal act due to its intense popularity, I’m going to focus on the ones the specifically cater to those who prefer things heavier.
What better place to start than the God of metal festivals, Wacken Open Air. Wacken Open Air started off in the small German town of Wacken way back in 1990 as a small gathering for some German bands, but by the late 90’s it had grown into a colossus featuring over 70 bands from around the world and attracting fans from just as far. Its capacity of 70,000 over the three days now sells out months in advance, with the 2009 edition setting a sales record, selling out over 200 days before the start of the festival. 2008 saw names such as Iron Maiden, Nightwish, Children of Bodom, and Holy Moses grace the stages, with 2009 already boasting acts such as Motorhead and Doro its set to be just as big and successful as its predecessors.
Next is a personal favourite, Tuska Metal Festival, held in the middle of Helsinki Finland every year for the last 11 years. It focuses somewhat on Scandinavian acts, which nowadays isn’t that hard as they now dominate the metal scene. Along with the rest of the European metal scene, Tuska has grown steadily each year since its start and has found added success from the metal-crazy Finns. 2008 saw it sell out for the first time in its history, hitting its capacity of 36,000 attendants who got to see Amon Amarth, Dimmu Borgir and Slayer.
To finish on a lighter note you can find Rock am Ring and Rock im Park, two festivals run simultaneously normally with the same line up. Usually counted as just one festival, together they form one of the largest music festivals in the world with an attendance of over 150,000 annually. Rock am Ring and Rock im Park have the most mixed acts of the festivals I’ve talked about, featuring alot more American and rock acts than Wacken or Tuska, but still getting in a large amount of metal acts like In Flames, Iron Maiden and Strapping Young Lad.
If you are ever in Europe during Summer and fancy some hearing some awesome music, I highly recommend you check out atleast one of these festivals. They are value for money compared to the Big Day Out and will be the experience of a lifetime.
This is the last column of the semester. There will be new ones in about a months time. Stay tuned!!
6/12/2009
6/02/2009
Issue 12 2009
This week I’m going to talk about a genre of metal I quite enjoy, Norwegian black metal. Some people take this genre of music deathly seriously (literally, but more on that later) but for the life of me I just cannot. Don’t get me wrong, I love the music, but everything associated with it just makes me laugh.
First things first though, what exactly is black metal? Black metal is at the extreme end of the metal spectrum and features fast tempos, unconventional song structure and shrieked or screamed vocals. Black metal is also heavily reliant on imagery, both in their personal appearance and stage props. It is not uncommon to see a stage covered in animal blood at a tro0, kvlt black metal concert and musicians wearing the obligatory corpse paint (black and white make-up which is used to give a ‘corpse like’ appearance).
But black metal in Norway has become more famous for the activities that have taken place outside of the music rather than the music itself. In the early 90s over 50 historically significant, early Christian churches were burned down by members of the Black metal scene. The reasoning behind these varies between the claimants, but it is generally accepted that the burnings were to reinforce an anti-Christian message. Today these burnings are looked down on by some members of the community, such as Kjetil Manheim of Mayhem but others such as Gaahl of Gorogroth support them.
However church burnings seem to pale in comparison to other things that also took place in the early 90s, the first of these being the suicide of ‘Dead’ vocalist for the band Mayhem. Dead was found with a shotgun wound to the head by fellow Mayhem member Euronymous. Deads suicide note infamously read "Excuse all the blood". Before calling the police, Euronymous went to a nearby store and bought a disposable camera to photograph the corpse. One of these photographs was later stolen and used as the cover of a bootleg album. Don’t Google it unless you have a strong stomach. It was later rumoured that Euronymous made a stew with pieces of Dead's brain, and made necklaces with fragments of his skull. Mayhem denied the first, but confirmed the second...
Finally in 1993 Varg Vikernes of Burzum who has been described as the most notorious metal musician of all time, murdered Euronymous by stabbing him 23 times. It was speculated that the murder was the result of a power struggle over record profits, but Vikernes claimed that Euronymous had attacked him first and the large number of cuts were a result or Euronymous falling on broken glass during the struggle. Regardless, a few months later Vikernes was sentenced to 21 years in prison for both the murder and church arsons. In a chilling display, Vikernes smiled at the moment his verdict was read.
On May 22 2009 Vikernes confirmed that he had been released from jail.
Welcome to the wonderful world of Norwegian black metal.
First things first though, what exactly is black metal? Black metal is at the extreme end of the metal spectrum and features fast tempos, unconventional song structure and shrieked or screamed vocals. Black metal is also heavily reliant on imagery, both in their personal appearance and stage props. It is not uncommon to see a stage covered in animal blood at a tro0, kvlt black metal concert and musicians wearing the obligatory corpse paint (black and white make-up which is used to give a ‘corpse like’ appearance).
But black metal in Norway has become more famous for the activities that have taken place outside of the music rather than the music itself. In the early 90s over 50 historically significant, early Christian churches were burned down by members of the Black metal scene. The reasoning behind these varies between the claimants, but it is generally accepted that the burnings were to reinforce an anti-Christian message. Today these burnings are looked down on by some members of the community, such as Kjetil Manheim of Mayhem but others such as Gaahl of Gorogroth support them.
However church burnings seem to pale in comparison to other things that also took place in the early 90s, the first of these being the suicide of ‘Dead’ vocalist for the band Mayhem. Dead was found with a shotgun wound to the head by fellow Mayhem member Euronymous. Deads suicide note infamously read "Excuse all the blood". Before calling the police, Euronymous went to a nearby store and bought a disposable camera to photograph the corpse. One of these photographs was later stolen and used as the cover of a bootleg album. Don’t Google it unless you have a strong stomach. It was later rumoured that Euronymous made a stew with pieces of Dead's brain, and made necklaces with fragments of his skull. Mayhem denied the first, but confirmed the second...
Finally in 1993 Varg Vikernes of Burzum who has been described as the most notorious metal musician of all time, murdered Euronymous by stabbing him 23 times. It was speculated that the murder was the result of a power struggle over record profits, but Vikernes claimed that Euronymous had attacked him first and the large number of cuts were a result or Euronymous falling on broken glass during the struggle. Regardless, a few months later Vikernes was sentenced to 21 years in prison for both the murder and church arsons. In a chilling display, Vikernes smiled at the moment his verdict was read.
On May 22 2009 Vikernes confirmed that he had been released from jail.
Welcome to the wonderful world of Norwegian black metal.
5/25/2009
Issue 11 2009
This week I’ve decided to educate you about something awesome that has come out of the metal community. It’s not the music, it’s not the clothes, and it’s not the hairstyles. It’s a television show actually. But now just any television show, this is Metalocalypse.
Metalocalypse follows the lives of part - American/part – Scandinavian band Dethklok, a band that has reached unimaginable levels of popularity and has become the 7th largest economy in the world and growing. Dethklok tend to cause violence and destruction wherever they go, and their concerts are so violent that attendants must sign “pain wavers”, releasing the band from any liability in the likely case that they are maimed or killed. The band themselves greatly enjoy this chaos that seems to follow them everywhere, and often choose to do something depending on how “metal” or “brutal” they think it is.
Metalocalypse is like The Simpsons of the metal world. You’re not famous until you’ve lent your voice to a character or had your band referenced in one of the episodes. To date members of bands such as Arch Enemy, Cannibal Corpse, Metallica and Dimmu Borgir have made vocal appearances and there have been references made to bands such as Burzum, Finntroll and Children of Bodom.
It has also become the source of some of the most memorable quotes you are ever likely to hear on a television programme, with the members often insulting each other and those around them in quite imaginable ways. It is not uncommon to hear someone referred to as a “Swedish dildo licker” and quotes such as “This is metal...for fish” or “Looks at this one, asleeps in some bloods.”
With two seasons completed and a third in production, Metalocalypse has gained a large fanbase and continues to grow in popularity and influence. You can find this great cartoon on YouTube, or pick up the DVDs at places like JB HiFi and The Warehouse. You won’t regret spending the money on it!
On a final note, I just want to say thanks for all the feedback I keep receiving. It’s really good to know people are reading and enjoying. Although I think I should mention a few things about myself. Basically I listen to alot of metal, mainly in the genres of Symphonic and Melodic Death. I’m also quite partial to a bit of Power metal and Black metal. As a general rule if it’s from Scandinavia, I’ll like it. I’m pretty familiar with most bands in the European metal scene, but if you have any suggestions or anything you would like to see in a future column, feel free to email me at kjf1352@aut.ac.nz.
Metalocalypse follows the lives of part - American/part – Scandinavian band Dethklok, a band that has reached unimaginable levels of popularity and has become the 7th largest economy in the world and growing. Dethklok tend to cause violence and destruction wherever they go, and their concerts are so violent that attendants must sign “pain wavers”, releasing the band from any liability in the likely case that they are maimed or killed. The band themselves greatly enjoy this chaos that seems to follow them everywhere, and often choose to do something depending on how “metal” or “brutal” they think it is.
Metalocalypse is like The Simpsons of the metal world. You’re not famous until you’ve lent your voice to a character or had your band referenced in one of the episodes. To date members of bands such as Arch Enemy, Cannibal Corpse, Metallica and Dimmu Borgir have made vocal appearances and there have been references made to bands such as Burzum, Finntroll and Children of Bodom.
It has also become the source of some of the most memorable quotes you are ever likely to hear on a television programme, with the members often insulting each other and those around them in quite imaginable ways. It is not uncommon to hear someone referred to as a “Swedish dildo licker” and quotes such as “This is metal...for fish” or “Looks at this one, asleeps in some bloods.”
With two seasons completed and a third in production, Metalocalypse has gained a large fanbase and continues to grow in popularity and influence. You can find this great cartoon on YouTube, or pick up the DVDs at places like JB HiFi and The Warehouse. You won’t regret spending the money on it!
On a final note, I just want to say thanks for all the feedback I keep receiving. It’s really good to know people are reading and enjoying. Although I think I should mention a few things about myself. Basically I listen to alot of metal, mainly in the genres of Symphonic and Melodic Death. I’m also quite partial to a bit of Power metal and Black metal. As a general rule if it’s from Scandinavia, I’ll like it. I’m pretty familiar with most bands in the European metal scene, but if you have any suggestions or anything you would like to see in a future column, feel free to email me at kjf1352@aut.ac.nz.
5/18/2009
Issue 10 2009
This week I take a break from trying to educate the masses about metal and talk about something that is happening right now, New Zealand music month. Now you may be thinking ‘oh great, she’s going to talk about some awesome NZ metal bands!’ But you would be wrong. Whilst there are some really good NZ metal bands out there, that is not the main point I’m going to address (but never fear I will talk about them in the future, along with shameless plugs for any bands willing to answer my questions).
Now if you’re looking for a happy little article about how much good NZ music month does for NZ music, then you should probably stop reading now, because it’s simply not true. In order to benefit from NZ music month one basically needs to be already signed to a record label, and be getting substantial airplay. To put it bluntly, it only helps the bands that don’t really need it, completely disregarding the unsigned, non-mainstream bands that have to work twice as hard just to get their music out there.
The NZ music commission boasts that during the month of May radio play of NZ artists increases by however many percent each year. What they don’t say is how many different NZ artists are played on NZ radio and whether or not that increases over May. Repeating the same Elemeno P or Smashproof song every hour, 24 hours a day for a whole month shouldn’t count as ‘giving artists more exposure’. It’s simple over exposure.
Talking to people who should actually benefit from NZ music month, you quickly find out that they don’t. Cameron from Invercargill band Osmium thought that “it [NZ music month] doesn’t really help the bands that need it the most” and that “a lot of the bands I know don’t really give a shit about it.” Similarly Damian from Dunedin band Soulseller suggested that “All the effort should be put into the actual promotion of the bands and music. Whenever May rolls around, all some people seem to desire is a new tshirt or hoodie with that logo on it.... I can't help but feel a lot of people are missing out. It feels like all the attention goes to those all ready well established acts, who let’s face it, don't need it. Everyone knows who they are. It’s a load of shit.”
So this New Zealand music month, instead of buying one of those overpriced tshirts go out and see a band or buy a CD and help support our local industry the right way.
On a similar note, Soulseller have just re-released their debut EP! Check them out at http://www.myspace.com/soulsellersouths. While you’re on Myspace check out Camerons’ band Osmium at http://www.myspace.com/osmiumband
Now if you’re looking for a happy little article about how much good NZ music month does for NZ music, then you should probably stop reading now, because it’s simply not true. In order to benefit from NZ music month one basically needs to be already signed to a record label, and be getting substantial airplay. To put it bluntly, it only helps the bands that don’t really need it, completely disregarding the unsigned, non-mainstream bands that have to work twice as hard just to get their music out there.
The NZ music commission boasts that during the month of May radio play of NZ artists increases by however many percent each year. What they don’t say is how many different NZ artists are played on NZ radio and whether or not that increases over May. Repeating the same Elemeno P or Smashproof song every hour, 24 hours a day for a whole month shouldn’t count as ‘giving artists more exposure’. It’s simple over exposure.
Talking to people who should actually benefit from NZ music month, you quickly find out that they don’t. Cameron from Invercargill band Osmium thought that “it [NZ music month] doesn’t really help the bands that need it the most” and that “a lot of the bands I know don’t really give a shit about it.” Similarly Damian from Dunedin band Soulseller suggested that “All the effort should be put into the actual promotion of the bands and music. Whenever May rolls around, all some people seem to desire is a new tshirt or hoodie with that logo on it.... I can't help but feel a lot of people are missing out. It feels like all the attention goes to those all ready well established acts, who let’s face it, don't need it. Everyone knows who they are. It’s a load of shit.”
So this New Zealand music month, instead of buying one of those overpriced tshirts go out and see a band or buy a CD and help support our local industry the right way.
On a similar note, Soulseller have just re-released their debut EP! Check them out at http://www.myspace.com/soulsellersouths. While you’re on Myspace check out Camerons’ band Osmium at http://www.myspace.com/osmiumband
5/11/2009
DragonForce Guitar hero
Some of you may or may not be aware, but a while back I won a competition held by Nightline to win a a Guitar hero III controller signed by DragonForce. All I had to do was write a story in the style of DragonForces lyrics explaining why I should get it.
Heres the video Sam and Frederic announcing my story as the winner.
And heres the story
Once there was a young maiden who was entrapped by an evil foe. It was a nasty foe which had wasted away the lives of many. This foes name was boredom.
In order to defeat boredom the young maiden enlisted the help of her friend the Ninja. The Ninja suggested that in order to defeat this foe, that young maiden should go on an epic quest and battle many in order to attain something known as “Guitar Hero III”. The Ninja agreed to accompany the young maiden on the quest and together on the back of a dragon they left on the epic journey to find the mythical unicorn, who was the guardian of “Guitar Hero III”.
Fuelled by a magical potion, they flew on their mighty dragon for 500 days until they came to the great gate. At the gate stood a man, his long hair flowing gloriously in the wind.
“You have come to see the unicorn, but before you do you must answer me this. Once long ago, there was a great ruler of this land, he too was entrapped by the evil foe boredom, but he defeated it. The “Guitar Hero III” you seek bares his mark. So tell me what the name of this great leader was?”
The young maiden immediately knew the answer
“It was not just one man” she replied, “but a group of six men who came to be known as DragonForce.”
“That is correct” replied the man with the glorious hair, “you may now pass to see the unicorn.”
Before the young maiden could blink (but not the ninja, ninjas don’t blink. Ever.) the man with the glorious hair had disappeared and a unicorn had replaced him.
“Many also seek what you want” said the mythical talking unicorn, “so why should you receive this mighty gift over others?”
“Oh great mythical talking unicorn” began the young maiden, “long have I fought the foe boredom, and battle after battle have I lost to him. Perhaps though, if I were to wield this mighty weapon, in which the spirit of the great group DragonForce resides, perhaps then I could defeat this evil foe.”
The mythical talking unicorn looked unimpressed, so the maiden continued.
“I am of but humble means, oh great mythical talking unicorn, to attain such a tool against the enemy is far out of my reach unless gifted to me by such a noble creature as yourself.”
Apparently the mythical talking unicorn was not above flattery, as his expression changed.
“Alright then young maiden. Your battles have been numerous and your quest here long and epic. I shall reward your efforts”
And with that, the magical “Guitar Hero III” in which the spirit of the great group DragonForce resided appeared infront of the young maiden.
Her quest complete, the young maiden returned home on the back of a dragon with her friend the Ninja to battle the foe of boredom with her new weapon.
Heres the video Sam and Frederic announcing my story as the winner.
And heres the story
Once there was a young maiden who was entrapped by an evil foe. It was a nasty foe which had wasted away the lives of many. This foes name was boredom.
In order to defeat boredom the young maiden enlisted the help of her friend the Ninja. The Ninja suggested that in order to defeat this foe, that young maiden should go on an epic quest and battle many in order to attain something known as “Guitar Hero III”. The Ninja agreed to accompany the young maiden on the quest and together on the back of a dragon they left on the epic journey to find the mythical unicorn, who was the guardian of “Guitar Hero III”.
Fuelled by a magical potion, they flew on their mighty dragon for 500 days until they came to the great gate. At the gate stood a man, his long hair flowing gloriously in the wind.
“You have come to see the unicorn, but before you do you must answer me this. Once long ago, there was a great ruler of this land, he too was entrapped by the evil foe boredom, but he defeated it. The “Guitar Hero III” you seek bares his mark. So tell me what the name of this great leader was?”
The young maiden immediately knew the answer
“It was not just one man” she replied, “but a group of six men who came to be known as DragonForce.”
“That is correct” replied the man with the glorious hair, “you may now pass to see the unicorn.”
Before the young maiden could blink (but not the ninja, ninjas don’t blink. Ever.) the man with the glorious hair had disappeared and a unicorn had replaced him.
“Many also seek what you want” said the mythical talking unicorn, “so why should you receive this mighty gift over others?”
“Oh great mythical talking unicorn” began the young maiden, “long have I fought the foe boredom, and battle after battle have I lost to him. Perhaps though, if I were to wield this mighty weapon, in which the spirit of the great group DragonForce resides, perhaps then I could defeat this evil foe.”
The mythical talking unicorn looked unimpressed, so the maiden continued.
“I am of but humble means, oh great mythical talking unicorn, to attain such a tool against the enemy is far out of my reach unless gifted to me by such a noble creature as yourself.”
Apparently the mythical talking unicorn was not above flattery, as his expression changed.
“Alright then young maiden. Your battles have been numerous and your quest here long and epic. I shall reward your efforts”
And with that, the magical “Guitar Hero III” in which the spirit of the great group DragonForce resided appeared infront of the young maiden.
Her quest complete, the young maiden returned home on the back of a dragon with her friend the Ninja to battle the foe of boredom with her new weapon.
Issue 9 2009
Last time I educated you about the history of females in metal, telling you about the few prominent females and how females had still struggled to find a foothold in such a male dominated society. This week I’ll attempt to educate you about the rise of female fronted metal.
In the early 1990’s two bands of significance, Theatre of Tragedy and The Gathering formed and released albums which would go on to be the foundations of Gothic metal and directly influence these later bands. The thing that made these two bands stand out from their peers is the fact they were fronted by females. In the early 90’s this was practically unheard of, but Theatre of Tragedy and The Gathering seemed to find an as yet untapped market by combining delicate female vocals with the heaviness of metal music. Another element that started to emerge with these two bands was the combination of metal music with classical elements. But despite the growing popularity of these two bands, females still lacked a solid foothold.
Then in 1996 Tuomas Holopainen was sitting around a campfire with some friends when he had the idea to start a little project. He enlisted the help of a friend of his, Tarja Turunen, to sing the lyrics expecting a voice similar to that of Anneke van Giersbergen, front woman of The Gathering. He instead found that Turunen had a powerful classical voice which was far too strong for his simple acoustic music. This prompted Holopainen to add more heavy metal elements to his project. Holopainen would later name this project Nightwish, and now after 13 years, 6 albums, the addition of a full orchestra and choir to their album recordings, changing their original bass player and the controversial public firing of Tarja Turunen, Nightwish have sold over four and a half million albums worldwide, created the sound of Symphonic metal and become one of the most prominent European metal bands. Nightwish have greatly helped the rise of female fronted metal bands to prominence, both in being a spearhead for their peers and providing inspiration for countless other bands. I don’t think it’s possible to put into words how massive these guys are in Europe. In their native Finland, you can actually get a Nightwish credit card.
Because of the early pioneers such as Doro Pesche and Girlschool, the latter influences of The Gathering and Theatre of tragedy, and finally the emergence of Nightwish as a metal heavyweight, females now seem to have found their active place in the metal world. It is now not an uncommon sight to see a band of long haired, unwashed, drunk men fronted by a long haired, washed, mostly sober female.
However despite this new found prominence, most female fronted metal bands are somewhat confined to the genres of gothic and symphonic metal. Females are also mostly confined to the role of front woman, with very few female musicians finding their way to prominence.
In the early 1990’s two bands of significance, Theatre of Tragedy and The Gathering formed and released albums which would go on to be the foundations of Gothic metal and directly influence these later bands. The thing that made these two bands stand out from their peers is the fact they were fronted by females. In the early 90’s this was practically unheard of, but Theatre of Tragedy and The Gathering seemed to find an as yet untapped market by combining delicate female vocals with the heaviness of metal music. Another element that started to emerge with these two bands was the combination of metal music with classical elements. But despite the growing popularity of these two bands, females still lacked a solid foothold.
Then in 1996 Tuomas Holopainen was sitting around a campfire with some friends when he had the idea to start a little project. He enlisted the help of a friend of his, Tarja Turunen, to sing the lyrics expecting a voice similar to that of Anneke van Giersbergen, front woman of The Gathering. He instead found that Turunen had a powerful classical voice which was far too strong for his simple acoustic music. This prompted Holopainen to add more heavy metal elements to his project. Holopainen would later name this project Nightwish, and now after 13 years, 6 albums, the addition of a full orchestra and choir to their album recordings, changing their original bass player and the controversial public firing of Tarja Turunen, Nightwish have sold over four and a half million albums worldwide, created the sound of Symphonic metal and become one of the most prominent European metal bands. Nightwish have greatly helped the rise of female fronted metal bands to prominence, both in being a spearhead for their peers and providing inspiration for countless other bands. I don’t think it’s possible to put into words how massive these guys are in Europe. In their native Finland, you can actually get a Nightwish credit card.
Because of the early pioneers such as Doro Pesche and Girlschool, the latter influences of The Gathering and Theatre of tragedy, and finally the emergence of Nightwish as a metal heavyweight, females now seem to have found their active place in the metal world. It is now not an uncommon sight to see a band of long haired, unwashed, drunk men fronted by a long haired, washed, mostly sober female.
However despite this new found prominence, most female fronted metal bands are somewhat confined to the genres of gothic and symphonic metal. Females are also mostly confined to the role of front woman, with very few female musicians finding their way to prominence.
Issue 8 2009
You may be a little confused as to why I, as a female, may be writing about metal music. But never fear, you’re not the first and you will not be the last. I have been asked many things such as if I was lost whilst standing in the metal section, or where my boyfriend was. As such I felt it was important to talk about the role and involvement of females in metal, because as it may come as a surprise to some, they do exist in such a male dominated society.
It’s a simple fact that there is no bigger boys club in the world than the metal culture. Most of the performers are men, most of the fans are men, most of the roadies are men, most of the producers are men, you get the idea. But there have always been females in this boys club.
There have been a number of prominent females floating around in the rock scene since the mid 70s, but for the point of this article I’m going to look solely at those you can find in the world of metal. The first females to make a real dent in the metal scene came out of London in 1977, a band called Girlschool. They went through a number of line-up changes but kept to their original idea of an all female metal band. Girlschool went on to support big name bands such as Motorhead, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Alice Cooper and Deep Purple. Though Girlschool never really achieved a high amount of commercial success they continue to maintain a cult status worldwide.
But this cult status is nothing when compared to that of the undisputed Queen of Metal. In 1983 a blonde haired, leather clad Doro Pesch joined the band Warlock. In 1989 after surviving numerous line-up changes Pesch was the only original member of Warlock remaining and renamed the band Doro. Pesch lead the way for females in metal, refusing to conform to the typical image of a female and proving to her male peers and the male audience that females could rock as hard as the males. Helping Pesch lead the way was Sabina Classen of the band Holy Moses, who in 1981 was one of the first women to use death growls, and is still one of the few females who have managed to make a name for themselves in this way.
Despite these early pioneers, females still struggled to find a foothold in the scene. But in the mid 1990’s a series of bands formed fronted by females that would help to change this. Next time I’ll go into detail about this new wave of female prominence and their influence on this male dominated society.
It’s a simple fact that there is no bigger boys club in the world than the metal culture. Most of the performers are men, most of the fans are men, most of the roadies are men, most of the producers are men, you get the idea. But there have always been females in this boys club.
There have been a number of prominent females floating around in the rock scene since the mid 70s, but for the point of this article I’m going to look solely at those you can find in the world of metal. The first females to make a real dent in the metal scene came out of London in 1977, a band called Girlschool. They went through a number of line-up changes but kept to their original idea of an all female metal band. Girlschool went on to support big name bands such as Motorhead, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Alice Cooper and Deep Purple. Though Girlschool never really achieved a high amount of commercial success they continue to maintain a cult status worldwide.
But this cult status is nothing when compared to that of the undisputed Queen of Metal. In 1983 a blonde haired, leather clad Doro Pesch joined the band Warlock. In 1989 after surviving numerous line-up changes Pesch was the only original member of Warlock remaining and renamed the band Doro. Pesch lead the way for females in metal, refusing to conform to the typical image of a female and proving to her male peers and the male audience that females could rock as hard as the males. Helping Pesch lead the way was Sabina Classen of the band Holy Moses, who in 1981 was one of the first women to use death growls, and is still one of the few females who have managed to make a name for themselves in this way.
Despite these early pioneers, females still struggled to find a foothold in the scene. But in the mid 1990’s a series of bands formed fronted by females that would help to change this. Next time I’ll go into detail about this new wave of female prominence and their influence on this male dominated society.
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