Female-fronted metal bands

Civilian_Target

OK, one of the pervasive things about metal recently, for better or worse, are female fronted metal bands. Everyone's got their favourites, for whatever reason, from the mixing quality to the hotness of the lead singer, which one's yours? And why?

I'd have to swing towards Lacuna Coil, they're highly original although they do overplay the female-fronted bit a bit much, even though she is damn hot

AsphaltRisin'

To be fair though if you had a female member as hot as christina scabia would you not use that to it's full advantage?

Nightwish

Its obvious where my vote goes! There are so many great bands in the genre at the moment, that never get mentioned here or in the UK. Anyway this year will be a good year, seeing as Tristania have just released the brilliant album Illumination, and Within Temptation's album The Heart of Everything will be out in March, and there's a summer release for Nightwish and Epica and Xandria will have their new albums out in the Autumn.

Civilian_Target

I dunno, I reckon I did a fairly good job of covering the options up there...
Didn't know there was new Within Temptation coming, only started listening to them recently and very impressed. They're on tour in April too apparantly...

John

All those bands scrape the bottom of the mediocrity barrel for me. Lacuna Coil were interesting for a short while when they came out but quickly just seemed to start rehashing the same tripe over and over again. All these bands are just Britney Spears for the girl in black. The fact that a band is referred to as being female-fronted is completely backwards, how many times do you hear reference to male-fronted bands? For every interview bands like these make where they say they are opening up metal for women, I die a little. Look at bands like A Perfect Circle, Sonic Youth, Smashing Pumpkins Thorr's Hammer, Electric Wizard, Mars, Bardo Pond, Melvins, Atari Teenage Riot, Acid Mothers Temple, Earth, Swans and Boris. All these bands have or had female members but most people talk about how great the music is and not what chromosomes are present. To define a band as being part of a certain genre because their singer is a woman is insane! To be a woman in metal doesn't require a soapbox or an agenda or to conform to this sub-metal pop opera crap, it means just getting on like anyone else. Sorry for the rant but this subject irks me.

Pugsley

I'd put my vote for "The Sins of thy Beloved" if they were there, superb doom/goth band with great dual vocal work from a male growl and a suprb ambient female singer.

Karl Hungus

I voted Nightwish, as they're one of the few there who've anything substantial, musicially. Take Christina away, and Lacuna Coil is just nothing. Arch Enemy is another band I could mention that are musicially substantial.

Other bands I'd like to add to this would be:

Aghora
To-Mera

Again, amazing music, songwriting and technical ability with both bands there, not just bands with female vocalists as a gimmick.

Shiminay

I voted for Arch Enemy in that poll.

I'm with John on this, saying you've got a "female fronted" band is only a record selling tool. I also agree that I found Lacuna Coil interesting for a while till the whole lot of those bands all blended into a single mish-mash of each other. I recall hearing a Lacuna Coil tune on the telly in a mate's house a few years ago saying "is that more of that Evanescence sh1te?" We then shook our heads at their down-turn when he corrected me about it being LC.

TBH, the "female fronted" thing is also unbelievably sexist and does LOADS :rolleyes: for the struggle for equality of the sexes (and why am I as a man making that point? lol).

A couple of days ago, Karl gave me this link and I think I've fallen in LOEV!!!

LightofDarkness

Seconded @ john. I wouldn't call Within Tempation or Evanescence metal either. They have some of the trappings but they lack the soul, they both sound more like misguided goth girl "cry when I play my piano song" bands. Heck, Aborted have a female bass player and there's some Tech Death band whose name escapes me for now that's fronted by a woman, but of course they get no quarter because she's no Scabia or Angela Gossow in the looks department. And Amy Lee, profiting off a recent relationship collapse (Call Me When You're Sober, anyone) is exactly what Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey are doing right now, complete with teary eyed performances. Of course there'll always be a market for this kind of tripe, but don't lump that manure in with the rest of the metal genre, Metallica or Death they ain't.

neGev

Jo Bench has been bassist in Bolt Thrower for damn near twenty years now, long before this fad arrived. Like John said, if the band are good enough, they'll stand on their merits, not some gimmick.

Nightwish

Pugsley wrote:

I'd put my vote for "The Sins of thy Beloved" if they were there, superb doom/goth band with great dual vocal work from a male growl and a suprb ambient female singer.

I would totally agree with you there. The Sins of thy Beloved are amazing, pity nothing's been happening with them for a while.

With regards to it being "gimmicky" to have girlies front a rock/metal band. The success of Evanescence has helped give Lacuna Coil a thrust into the spotlight. I love old Evanescence, but wouldnt classify them as a metal band. I agree with what was said about the new album - its something I'd expect from the likes of Christina Aguilera. Lacuna Coil, do definately use Cristina Scabbia's good looks to their benefit. Again, I liked their older stuff and not their new album. There are so many bands, who arent as well known, who are so much better than the likes of Evanescence or LC. Tristania are one such band. Each of there albums are totally different, but still brilliant. Sirenia were good, but there demise into mainstream Ev-like pop rock has just come upon them with the god -awful Nine Destinies and a Downfall, due to be released next month. Penumbra, are another band, kinda like old-Sirenia meets The Sins of thy beloved, which rely heavily on death growls, which hardly anyone here has heard of, but are brilliant.

Within Temptation, may not exactly be metal, with the last 2 albums, but Enter and The Dance albums, undoubtedly are. Most songs feature "beauty and the beast" vocals. Pity they dont do that anymore. The new album is meant to be heavier than Mother Earth and The Silent Force, and I've heard the song The Howling, and its pretty good.

Don't judge "female fronted metal" because of Evanescence or Lacuna Coil. There are loads of praiseworthy bands, who sound nothing like them.

Undergod

Probably Arch Enemy. I'd disagree with John about Arch Enemy being defined by "their singer being a woman," although otherwise I feel you're right.

Also as Hungus points out, Agohra are pretty class.

LivingDeadGirl

My Ruin or Arch Enemy

It wasn't me!

Aghora, with Arch Enemy from the list. Quite like Gossow's vocals, though the old stuff with the male vocals is as good, just in a different vein, and I absolutely hate all these pseudo-operatic female-fronted pop-in-black bands, I can't stand the whole thing, heavy guitar riffs with all the life taken out by some vocally twisted cow, I just see no merit in it whatsoever. However, give me Aghora and Arch Enemy and those are two good bands, with soem damn solid musicians to back them up.

Oral Slang

Hard to choose - I love Epica, Lacuna Coil, Within Temptation & Tristania.. Sinergy are also a great band.

Saw Therion last night too & while they're not quite female fronted, the 2 female vocalists are amazing, as are the 2 males.. They'd probably come first in that poll if they were mentioned - still in awe here! My jaws were hurting getting the tube to the hotel last night, from grinning so much...

John

Undergod wrote:

I'd disagree with John about Arch Enemy being defined by "their singer being a woman," although otherwise I feel you're right.

I missed them being mentioned in the poll.

Agent Steel

Nightwish? Lacuna Coil? Within Temptation? You pussies!

Two words: Original Sin.

Prezatch

I really like The Provenance, I suppose they're "female fronted" but they have male vocals too. Swedish progressive metal, turning more into hard rock lately.

slssprite

Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult - Onielar is quite impressive

Alucard II

UneXpecT. easily. ****ing awesome band.

Nea

I voted for Lacuna Coil as to my preference in the list although I do prefer their older stuff.

My favourite would be L7.
Donita was deadly and would kick the arse off anyone else. Bricks are heavy and Hungry for Stink were great albums.

Tar.Aldarion

Stream of Passion.
Nightwish.
Old Evanescene.
Tristania.

I think a lot of Lacuna coil and Within temptation is pants, pants I say!

mrmojo

Lacuna Coil are quality. I wouldn't call Evanescence a band so much as one Idea repaeted again and again.

Undergod

One of Lacuna Coil's ideas repeated again and again.

Civilian_Target

Hmm... I think yous are wrong about Lacuna Coil. I would argue that Karmacode, their latest album, is their best. While the sound is quite 'retro' its also not a sound that has been done before. It does sound similar to stuff I've heard before but not the same, and there's a lot to be said for that. I do like it. Some of the older stuff, not so good, I don't think that their previous 2 albums had quite the same level of originality.

I'd also have a fair amount of time for Within Temptation, certainly Mother Earth is an extraordinary album. Eitherway, I'd definitely define both of them as metal - they've got the riffs and grinding guitars, which are exactly what you need to make a band metal!

Malice

It's a tough one to pick a favourite for me. It's either Arch Enemy or Nightwish depending on my mood! I think Arch Enemy just shade it so I'll vote for them. With that said though, I quite like most of the bands on that list. I don't like the male grunting vocals on Tristania's songs for some reason. I just find them too much of a contrast from the female vocals. I also wouldn't be too fond of Leaves' Eyes. They're not bad, they just don't grab me.

I would also recommend the following bands:Sinergy and Xandria

Matthewthebig

THORR'S HAMMER!

There are no other female fronted bands worth talking about!

Nightwish

Yeah I agree that Xandria are pretty good (I'm listening to them now). There are so many many brilliant bands. Stream of Passion are one definately worth a mention. Its an Arjen Lucassen band with a female singer. They released their album in late 2005 and its brilliant.

Mr. CooL ICE

Whatever about metal, I really dislike music with a female voice. It's nothing sexist, I just don't like the sound of anything like it. My cd collection is full of all types of metal and rock, and Arch Enemy is the only band with a female vocalist (excluding claire torry on great gig in the sky), and I probably only enjoy listening to them because she doesn't sound female.

I totally agree with John with what he said. Currently, the only female-fronted band that I would consider buying a CD of is probably The Donnas, and the ain't metal and are still far down the list of my must-buys

CyberWaste

Id say Lacuna Coil, because they have good music and theyre femal singer rules.

John

Matthewthebig wrote:

THORR'S HAMMER!

There are no other female fronted bands worth talking about!

Not even Khlyst?