Welcome to Metal Lair’s Seven Deadly Songs weekly feature where we curate music from the past and the present for your listening pleasure.
Written By Christy Lee
Women have long challenged gender stereotypes, skillfully navigating a delicate balance in many fields, including metal. Beyond breaking barriers, many women in the metal scene have worked tirelessly to uplift and support each other, fostering networks and communities where empowerment and safety thrive. In honor of International Women’s Day, we’ve highlighted a few remarkable women who have made their mark in the metal world.
Doro Pesch, better known simply as Doro is a true pioneer of heavy metal. Born in Düsseldorf, Germany, on June 3, 1964, she earned the title The First Lady of Metal by smashing barriers in a genre dominated by men. As the powerhouse vocalist of Warlock in the ‘80s and later as a solo artist, Doro’s unmistakable voice and relentless spirit have made her a global icon for over three decades.
Her passion for rock ignited early at just three years old, she was singing along to Little Richard’s Lucille. By ten, she was learning piano and falling in love with glam rock legends like T. Rex, The Sweet, and Slade. That fire led her to join her first band, Snakebite, in 1980, cutting her teeth in Düsseldorf’s underground scene. From there, she fronted Beast and Attack before forming Warlock, the band that put her on the map.
Since 1989, Doro has led her own ever-evolving band, carrying her legacy forward with an unbreakable devotion to metal. Now based in New York City, she continues to tour and inspire generations of fans, proving that metal isn’t just a boys’ club, it’s a kingdom, and she’s its reigning monarch.
Angela Gossow, hailing from Sweden, made history as the fierce and uncompromising voice of melodic death metal titans Arch Enemy. With her savage growls and commanding stage presence, she shattered expectations and carved a path for women in extreme metal.
One of the standout tracks from her reign with the band, My Apocalypse, is celebrated for its crushing riffs and Gossow’s blistering vocal delivery, solidifying her legacy in the genre.
Gossow announced her departure as Arch Enemy’s frontwoman in 2014 after thirteen years and six albums. She chose to step away from the spotlight to explore new ventures while staying on as the band’s manager. Her exit marked the arrival of Alissa White-Gluz, formerly of The Agonist, ushering in a new chapter for the band.
Nita Strauss shines like a lightning strike in the darkness. Armed with her guitar like a warrior wielding a battle axe, she’s carved out a legendary career shredding on stage with Alice Cooper, rocking alongside Demi Lovato, and conquering the scene as a solo artist.
Her debut album, Controlled Chaos, turned heads with its raw energy and technical brilliance. One standout track, Mariana Trench, is a jaw dropping display of fretboard mastery, proving Strauss isn’t just keeping up, she’s leading the charge.
Sean Yseult didn’t just play bass for White Zombie, she helped redefine what it meant to be a woman in heavy metal during the ‘90s. At a time when the scene was overwhelmingly male, she stood out, not just for her presence but for her raw talent and unapologetic attitude.
Her 2010 autobiography, I’m in the Band: Backstage Notes from the Chick in White Zombie, nods to the way she was often labeled, but the title itself is a clever twist on Pamela Des Barres’ famous groupie memoir, I’m With the Band. Yseult made it clear where she stood. “I wanted to be those guys on stage. I didn’t want to date them,” she told She Shreds magazine. “I don’t ever want to be ‘with the band.’ I’d rather be in it.”
And that’s exactly what she did. Blazing a trail for women in metal, not as a spectator, but as a force to be reckoned with.
Bikini Kill isn’t a metal band, but their impact on heavy music and culture is undeniable. Formed in 1990 in Olympia, Washington, the feminist punk outfit sparked the Riot Grrrl movement, using music, zines, and activism to fight sexism and carve out space for women in punk.
Led by Kathleen Hanna, with Billy Karren, Kathi Wilcox, and Tobi Vail, the band encouraged women to start bands, take up space, and challenge the status quo. Their shows became legendary for the “girls to the front” movement, creating safe spaces in the male dominated scene. Rebel Girl became their defining anthem, celebrating female solidarity and defiance. Decades later, their influence still fuels punk’s feminist fire.
Larissa Stupar of Venom Prison isn’t just another death metal vocalist, she’s a force of nature, as ferocious in her sound as she is fearless in her beliefs. Her guttural roars could peel the flesh off bone, but behind the brutality is an artist challenging the scene’s ingrained biases. She speaks out against mysogyny, reclaims motherhood from stigma, and welcomes those who’ve long felt metal wasn’t for them.
From crust punk to hardcore and death metal, Stupar learned early that women in heavy music are expected to conform, tough, emotionless, fitting into a mold built by a male-dominated culture that equates power with aggression. But she refuses to play by those rules. Metal’s roots lie in a system that glorifies masculine dominance, yet she proves that true power isn’t about mirroring men, it’s about redefining strength on her own terms. And as her voice continues to shake the genre, so does her message: metal belongs to everyone bold enough to claim it.
Marissa Martinez-Hoadley didn’t just join metal she reshaped it. As the guitarist and vocalist of Cretin and later Extremity, she challenged preconceptions while proving herself as a powerhouse musician. She introduced a conversation the metal scene wasn’t fully ready for, the presence of a trans death metal musician. Her story alone was groundbreaking.
Extremity began as an “ignorant death metal project” with Vastum’s Shelby Lermo and Aesop Dekker (ex-Ludicra, Agalloch, VHOL), aiming to revive late-‘80s brutality. But with bassist Erika Osterhout (Necrosic, Scolex) and Martinez-Hoadley in the mix, the sound evolved. Their debut EP, Extremely Fucking Dead, pays homage to Carcass, Repulsion, and Autopsy, but with sharper edges and undeniable chemistry.
Tracks like “Crepuscular Crescendo” showcase Lermo’s guttural growls, Martinez-Hoadley’s razor sharp screams, and Dekker’s relentless drumming, all anchored by Osterhout’s snarling bass pushed forward in Greg Wilkinson’s mix. Despite their old-school mission, their sheer talent made stagnation impossible.
Martinez-Hoadley isn’t just part of the scene she helped push it forward, proving that true metal is about skill, passion, and intensity, not gender.
