So, once more into the land of mascara and lipstick and long hair, and when we're finished with Motley Crue
we'll check out the last of our
Hey, all-female metal bands aren't confined just to the decadent West, you know!
Volnaya Staya hail from beautiful Moscow, where they probably give old Putin a heart attack with their wicked western look and in-your-face image. They claim to be (and I won't dispute them) the only all-girl metal band in all of Russia, and comprise Ksenia on vocals, Julie Main on guitar and vocals, Natalie Terekhova on guitar, Marina Malakhova on bass and Svetlana Deinekina on drums. They're only together since 2006 and have the one album, but apparently it's making a big noise over in the motherland. Maybe we'll hear more about them. Oh, after some searching I've come up with the answer: their name, translated from the original Russian, is “free flight”.
And then there's Sweden...
Hysterica have been in existence since 2006, with their first album out in 2009. They just released their second in 2012 and are presumably working on a third effort. They are Anni De Vil on vocals, Bitchie on guitars, RockZilla on guitars, Satanica on bass and Hell'n on drums.
To say nothing of Japan...
Saeko Kitamae had to move to Europe to form her band and is now well known in German power metal circles. She seems to have had two albums recorded under her own name, and was also in two bands she formed, Insania and Fairy Mirror. She would appear to use a rotating mix of male/female band members to help her record her albums, leaning mostly towards the distaff.
and of course, how could we forget
Babymetal
Yeah, they're seen as something of a joke, and to be honest I've heard little from them, but as Alphaville once noted, they're big in Japan, so they must be doing something right. Apparently they have three vocalists --- Su-Metal, Yuimetal and Moametal --- three guitarists, one bassist and two drummers! They're described as a Metal Idol band (don't ask me) and have to date just the one album, released in 2014, but it has sold over 100,000 units in their native country alone, and has topped the US World Albums as well as hitting the top ten in the US Heatseekers (?) Albums chart and the UK Independent Albums Breakers (again: ?) and Rock and Metal Albums charts. Laughing, are you? I'm sure they are too, all the way to the First National Imperial Bank!
Although she has since diversified more into blues and jazz, there was a time when she was a
bona fide metal queen, so we should really tip our hat to
Lee Aaron
Releasing four metal albums in the eighties before she moved away into hard rock and then softer, more commercial directions, Lee Aaron was one of the few major female metal acts of that era, and her album
Metal Queen is a recognised classic of the time. Like many of her ilk, she failed to have any real commercial success, but is remembered fondly by metalheads.
Another all-female band from Eastern Europe is
Hellcats, who have been going since 2003 but only had their first EP released in 2011 and their first album in 2013. They come from Slovenia, and can probably confidently claim to be the only all-female metal band from that country. They include two sisters in their lineup, which is: Ajda Kovačič (vocals), Katja Mavec (Guitar) and the Zagorc sisters, Sasha on bass and Sonja on drums.
Doro Pesch (Doro)
Most metalheads will know the name of Doro Pesch, who originally fronted Warlock and then created her own band under her name. She has been around since the mid-eighties and in total, including both bands, has released sixteen albums. Her aversion to publicity and refusal to trade on her sexuality set her apart from other female acts who used their looks and their bodies to advance their musical career and their fanbase, and her dedication to PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) led her to wear simulated leather rather than real leather clothing. Committed totally to her career and her fans, she took a conscious decision not to marry or start a family, and though the rise of Grunge in the 90s made life difficult for her, she did not jump on the bandwagon, perservering until metal became popular again. She released her latest album in 2012, attracting even metal god Lemmy to sing on one of the tracks.
Liv Jagrell (Sister Sin)
Another Swedish metal band fronted by a lady, Sister Sin have five albums and have been together since 2003. They have played live with Motorhead, In This Moment, Arch Enemy and more. They describe themselves as “old school metal”, and being from Gothenburg, one of the capitals of death/black metal and the more extreme scene, find it a little hard sometimes to get their music across. But they're gaining a lot of attention, and have played both in the USA and in the Czech Republic, and of course in their native Sweden. Liv is also a professional model and has done some acting, though she says music is her first love.
And another all-girl metal band, from Canada again,
Kittie have been in existence since 1999 and have gone through a lot of changes over the course of their sixteen-year career. Originally a nu-metal band, they later changed their style to a more death/black metal style. They have six albums and are: Morgan Lander (Lead vocals, Guitar, Piano), Tara McLeod (Guitars), Trish Doan (Bass and Mercedes Lander (drums). They say that they chose the name Kittie because of its direct contradictory relationship to their music, which you can hear below.