If you love metal, how did you get into it?

[MronoC]

The only female fronted band I could ever get in to was Otep. Gossow's vocals always seem to fall just short of what I'd like to hear in terms of harshness, that and Arch Enemy seem, to me, like they try a bit too hard to sound like Iron Maiden, and I hate (HATE(!!!!)) bands like Lacuna Coil and In This Moment.

[Lolicat]

The only female fronted band I could ever get in to was Otep. Gossow's vocals always seem to fall just short of what I'd like to hear in terms of harshness, that and Arch Enemy seem, to me, like they try a bit too hard to sound like Iron Maiden, and I hate (HATE(!!!!)) bands like Lacuna Coil and In This Moment.

I never got people who claimed they couldn't tell that Gossow was a female vocalist.

[MronoC]

I never got people who claimed they couldn't tell that Gossow was a female vocalist.

The only time I couldn't tell the gender of an extreme metal vocalist was hearing Visions for the first time.

[Lolicat]

It's really quite easy once you've listened to enough. In the Nightside Eclipse was the hardest album for me to decode the lyrics, but now I can hear every word.

[Soror_YZBL]

@Soror_YZBL: Bikini Kill had a male member? I know Vail looked like a dude, but I'm pretty sure they were all female. I agree that outside of metal you do get a much wider variety, though, there are endless examples. Heavy Metal is very much seen as white males club, whether people like that or not.

Billy Karren played guitar. I was actually wrong in my original post, Bikini Kill had a male guitarist, but a female drummer. I thought it was the other way around.

[Lolicat]

Billy Karren played guitar. I was actually wrong in my original post, Bikini Kill had a male guitarist, but a female drummer. I thought it was the other way around.

Whoops, yea. He should have been louder though, and then Bikini Kill wouldn't have seemed so radical. He was easy to ignore.

[Soror_YZBL]

I hear what you're saying and you make a good point. I think for the most part it's a very valid point and spot on. That being said I thre are exceptions to that. I've always kinda like the contrast of metal music with a pretty face. There's something about harder edged music being sung/performed by someone that doesn't appear as hard as the music. Guess it's the glam fan in me

Then you have bands like Otep where the singer is the antithesis of the "pretty face". The promos for last album prettied her up a little, but typically she performs in ragged clothes, no makeup, ****ed up hair, screaming at everyone, and to top it off she's a lesbian who sings about destroying the patriarchy. I admire her a lot for that, she's like a metal version of Ani. I'd go so far as to say she's the only real feminist role model in metal. Laura Pleasants doesn't glam herself up either, but she also doesn't have the underlying politics (but then again, she can play guitar, something I've never seen Otep do).

OK, back on topic. This is not a thread on feminism in metal or music in general.

[Lolicat]

Then you have bands like Otep where the singer is the antithesis of the "pretty face". The promos for last album prettied her up a little, but typically she performs in ragged clothes, no makeup, ****ed up hair, screaming at everyone, and to top it off she's a lesbian who sings about destroying the patriarchy. I admire her a lot for that, she's like a metal version of Ani. I'd go so far as to say she's the only real feminist role model in metal. Laura Pleasants doesn't glam herself up either, but she also doesn't have the underlying politics (but then again, she can play guitar, something I've never seen Otep do).

OK, back on topic. This is not a thread on feminism in metal or music in general.

It's so much more interesting though

The CD that got me into something other than metal, since I've already said about buying a Priest album (British Steel, I believe). What put me off metal was, in the end, Julian Cope, who I found out about through he appearance on Sunn0)))'s white 1 album.

[Xaris3514]

@Xaris3514: ManOwaR aren't Power Metal, they're just good old-fashioned Heavy Metal. But I still think the rest of Power Metal is silly, dragons make me giggly.

Doesn't change the fact that Manowar is EXTREMELY cheesy. And not every power metal band has over the top lyrics about dragons, despite what DragonForce would have you believe.

[Lolicat]

Doesn't change the fact that Manowar is EXTREMELY cheesy. And not every power metal band has over the top lyrics about dragons, despite what DragonForce would have you believe.

I know this too, but I find the actual music cheesy too, I enjoy it, but it's not 'serious'.