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Heavy metal is one of rock music’s most loyal fan genres. Traditionally known for headbanging and dudes, the metal mainstream is shifting. I have always been a self-proclaimed “metalhead,” and never has the fan base been stronger than it is now — from Sabbath to Slipknot to Spiritbox.
Yup, the ladies are present in a big way — selling out shows without selling out. Women in metalcore, alt metal, and power metal are not only present but popular. The recent shift to harsh vocals, mixed with pop sensibility and powerful visuals, seems to be a trend for a new generation of female performers and the fans who follow them.
Future female stars? Check out Daedric, The Pretty Wild, and Living Dead Girl — talented, determined, and business-minded. Gone are the days of needing a major label or airplay to jumpstart a career and define success.
Social media, hard work, and a DIY attitude have made the field much more accessible for a new generation of strong females who could easily go the pop star or TikTok route but decided to let their vigorous voices and passion for the genre define their art.
The Model Is Evolving Quickly
I recently caught up with Molly Rennick, the intoxicating frontwoman and visionary for the band Living Dead Girl (whose second full-length metal masterpiece Conspiracy just dropped). She told me about her self-made approach — and why never compromising in her music or her band’s impressive videos is more important than instant crowd size.
“Without control, my identity is not my music. If I were a fabricated artist, like a Disney Channel pop star that they write songs for, I would not enjoy music anymore. It has to be my idea, my vision. There was this one band that asked me to join twice — they reached out to me again recently, where I would be in face paint and anonymous — and I said no,” said Rennick. “I’ve seen that they are playing huge shows to huge crowds, and that would be really fun for me, but if no one knows it’s Molly, then what’s the point?”
Living Dead Girl has also worked with Mitchell Marlow (In This Moment) on both of their records. How does an indie band score the perfect producer?
“I just messaged him on Facebook, asked what his rates were, and told him I am a self-funded musician who wanted to hire him because I respected his work,” explained Rennick. “He knew I meant business and told me to come up next month. That’s why he took me seriously — I was a businesswoman.”
Having a team that has a strong belief in artistry is an important piece of the puzzle, and I hit up a few “male metal believers” who stand by their women.
Speaking with the founder of Landshark Promotion, Gary Jay, I asked how do you open doors for new artists who clearly have the talent and drive to become unique stars when the genre is so much harder to the ear and not specifically radio-friendly.
“Fortunately, there are a vast number of airplay outlets at commercial rock and classic rock radio that cater to artists and bands with a heavier edge to their music,” said Jay. “I wish there were more, ’cause there’s absolutely an audience out there that’s hungry for it. Ultimately, radio is a giant loudspeaker — an amplifier — that broadcasts your music, and also whatever you’re doing, to the masses. So, if you’re not doing anything, well, that message gets delivered as well. Musicians that treat their band like a business, that tour extensively, that invest in their own future — those are the ones that tend to succeed, and the types of artists that we’re looking to work and partner with.”
Jay believes the women in the country have every right to be angry, especially in this current climate. He says that the expression of that anger manifested into music is maybe more relevant now than ever before. So, why does he choose to partner with super-heavy artists?
“While the airplay outlets for the stuff that’s really heavy and shocking aren’t plentiful, there are some — and their loyal audience is a dedicated, prime target to market aggressive and edgy new sounds to. To me, it all starts and ends with the riff. That’s my point of entry into a song — a deep, sludgy riff that immediately sends you into air guitar mode,” explained Jay. “As a radio guy, I’m also looking for a hook — a massive, monster chorus (I love gang vocals, fist-in-the-air, call-and-response, etc.). There’s gotta be something that brings you back to the song again and again. I think all of the best metal songs have that epic chorus that makes you wanna scream it back at your radio or speakers.”
Legendary radio metal god Munsey Ricci, president of Skateboard Marketing, has definitely noticed a shift in acceptance of the female-fronted, super-heavy genre.
“Yes, we’ve seen a big shift of women in heavy music,” noted Ricci. “We have Lacuna Coil, Butcher Babies, Dogma, and Tati from Jinjer. All have left a mark on the format, but we’ve seen a growth of many more artists come in.”
He went to to explain in the past, the genre had Doro, Lee Aaron, and Lita Ford — the two most predominant in the ’80s. Over the last 10 to 15 years, metal seen a big rise in symphonic metal and hard rock with Epica, Nightwish, Xandria, and Within Temptation. All have made an impact on how fans view music.
“Then we have Alissa White-Gluz from Arch Enemy, Otep, and Kittie as well — all of whom have made a massive impact with fans musically,” said Ricci. “It’s not a man’s world any longer, as the look and the trend have shifted, where some women are making a bigger splash than men are. If you look at many of the newer artists, such as Dystopica and The Burned Over, it’s very clear that they are in a position to leave a legacy on heavy music.”
Screams And Streams
Loud ladies are streaming as well as screaming — the stats for super-heavy, female-fronted music are massive.
Heavy metal pop superstar Poppy is at close to a billion streams with very little traditional radio support and has had wildly successful tours. Newcomer Daedric is making noise with over 21 million streams on Spotify. Japanese metal icons Babymetal have surpassed the one-billion mark with literally no radio airplay.
Spiritbox is selling out venues, breaking terrestrial radio barriers, and has over three million monthly listeners on Spotify. Their classic “Circle With Me” has surpassed 100 million streams.
Cheers to the groundbreakers — Doro, Lita Ford, Cristina Scabbia from Lacuna Coil, Maria Brink from In This Moment, and more — who have opened doors for new generations to step through. And to those empowering the genre to move forward. Evolution in the music business is moving fast — metal fans will not get left behind.
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Terrie Carr is a Music Features writer for Barrett Media and a Veteran Radio Programmer and On-Air personality who has programmed legendary New Jersey rock brands WDHA and WHTG. She also served as midday host and has opened her big mouth at Q104.3, WPST and WJRZ. In addition, Terrie has programmed at Sirius XM and hosted nationally syndicated radio specials. She is presently the host of her new venture “The Carr Stereo Podcast”, which talks music and more with some of today’s top artists. Barrett Media recognized her in 2024 as one of the industry’s “Best PD’s” and “Best On Air Personalities”. She was also named one of America’s Best Program Directors by Radio Ink in 2001. Find Terrie on Instagram @TCRockdog or contact her at Terriecarrrnr@gmail.com.