In recent years, the world of heavy music has had a long overdue injection of fresh feminine energy. Armed with bold creative visions and the talent, confidence and drive to match, a new breed of femme talent are smashing through industry glass ceilings and misconceptions at a ferocious rate, dishing up innovative, empowered and impactful music that is changing the heavy music landscape in ways many never would have imagined. This International Women's Day we pay tribute to some of our favourites, these fierce femmes are absolutely crushing it in heavy music right now.
These Fierce Femmes Are Absolutely Crushing It In Heavy Music RN
Nikki Brumen - Vocalist - Blood Command
The details of how the Melbourne based ex-Pagan frontperson ended up fronting this exciting Norwegian 'death pop' collective read like the contents of a wild teenage dream. Currently, Brumen is on tour in Europe with Blood Command and Kvelertak with a Blood Command album about to drop, with her unique voice is rising to new heights, powering Blood Command towards a bright new future.
Courtney LaPlante - Vocalist - Spiritbox
As the literal and spiritual voice of one of the most hyped metal bands on the planet at the moment, Spiritbox, Courtney LaPlante's presence at the bold forefront of heavy music is undeniable. Spiritbox's debut full-length Eternal Blue has seen them explode to worldwide prominence and now of it could have or would have happened without LaPlante.
Reba Meyers - Guitarist/Vocalist - Code Orange
Reba Meyers needs no introduction to Maniacs, as guitarist/vocalist for one of the metal scenes modern monoliths, Code Orange, Meyers influence has already been felt by millions of heavy music fans worldwide. An imperative part of one of the most innovative and genuinely exciting acts in metal, Meyers goes from strength to strength with every release, helping Code Orange exceed even their own lofty ambitions.
Larissa Stupar - Vocalist - Venom Prison
2022 is shaping up to be an all-timer for quality output in heavy music with an album of the year contender dropping seemingly every week. Erebos by Venom Prison will take some beating though and as vocalist for the Welsh wonders, Larissa Stupar is one of the major reasons why. Capable of conveying vitriol and venom unlike few others in heavy music, Stupar is a force to be reckoned with and Venom Prison are on our tour wishlist for 2022.
Dana Dentata
The first female signee to Roadrunner Records, Dentata dropped her debut album Pantychrist last year and it is the sound of a new beginning for Dana Dentata. Recorded over lockdown with an array of producers including Travis Barker, Dylan Brady, Arthur Rizk, NO LIFE, Yawns & Fish Narc, Italian Leather and others, Pantychrist represents the culmination of Dana Dentata’s spiritual and artistic breakthrough; her evolution from darkness into light. A collection of songs resulting from a period of healing and positive manifestations, Pantychrist is the sound of her coming to life.
Emmy Mack - Vocalist - RedHook
RedHook are one of the fastest rising bands in the Aussie heavy music landscape with their unique brand of new nu-metal connecting with people across Australia and the world. Brimming with character and life, vocalist Emmy Mack's voice grows with prominence with each release, with Mack's knack for carving out earworm melodies while dispensing atomic truth bombs against a constantly evolving soundscape, helping to power RedHook to the forefront of the new breed of Aussie heavy music.
Kate Davies - Vocalist/Guitarist - Pupil Slicer
As the creative visionary, vocalist and guitarist for London based noise terrorists Pupil Slicer, Kate Davies a vital part of one of the fastest rising acts in UK extreme music. Thanks to Davies' and her bandmate's collective efforts, Pupil Slicer’s debut, Mirrors sounds like every genre of heavy music being played at once, while sounding nothing like anything you've head before. That might sound like hyperbole, but listen to Wounds Upon My Skin one of our 30 Best Metal Singles of 2021 and tell us you've ever heard anything like that before? You can't and that's why Davies is a force to be reckoned with.
Tatiana Shmayluk - Vocalist - Jinjer
Ukraine's Jinjer dropped the massive breakthrough album Wallflowers last year, exploding into mainstream metal consciousness thanks to its bombastic blend of metal subgenres, placing charismatic vocalist Tatiana Shmayluk firmly in the industry spotlight where she belongs. As capable of pristine clear vocals as she is pungent rap-like passages and utterly ferocious growling, Shmayluk is everything you want in a heavy vocalist and more.
Justine Jones - Vocalist - Employed To Serve - Co-founder - Church Road Records
As the ferocious, raw-throated vocalist for English metallers Employed to Serve, Justine Jones instils both fear and fandom in us at Maniacs on the regular. A powerhouse presence whose influence can be felt all over the band's superb, decade long output, Jones cuts the performance of her career on their recent offering Conquering, one of our 20 Best albums of 2021, further establishing herself and her band as an unfuckwithable presence in the UK metal scene. Jones is also the co-founder of the incredible UK indie label Church Road Records, helping to release music by Tuskar, Heriot, Inhuman Nature, Svalbard, Palm Reader, Grivo, Slowcrush and more, adding another layer to her overall badassery.
Amariah Cook - Vocalist - Kira Neil - Bass/Vocalist - Future Static
Recent triple j unearthed feature artists, winners of the triple j unearthed competition to open UNIFY and signees to Wild Thing Music Group, Future Static are blowing up the Aussie underground right now thanks to the breakout success of their single Waves. The tandem of vocalist Amariah Cook and bassplayer/backing vocalist Kira Neil are central to the bands evolving sound, a blend of alternative genres which is as innovative and dynamic as it is undeniably anthemic. As the recorded Future Static debut of Cook, Waves has Future Static firmly positioned on the cusp of being one of 2022's breakout bands.
Looking for more fierce femmes in heavy music? Head here and here.
Listen to these Fierce Femmes now
