With International Women's Day happening on Sunday, we here at Maniacs wanted to pay tribute to all the amazing women that help make heavy music a more balanced and inclusive affair, whether it be in a band or just a fan!
Of course, there are a lot of talented women in heavy music, but these are just a few from both at home and abroad who are crushing it in their own right!
Tatiana Shmaylyuk (Jinjer)
Photo - Gina Wetzler / Getty Images
Ukranian vocalist Tatiana Shmaylyuk is a war-hardened badass, rising from a bleak and conflict-riddled environment back home to lead her band Jinjer across the world in a ferocious campaign.
Her vocal range is unbelievable, as she's able to go from soft crooning to some of the most bloodthirsty growls you've ever heard in your life, and Jinjer's brutal brand of progressive metal just wouldn't be the same without her.
There is now almost an entire genre of reaction videos on YouTube where people listen to Tatiana's brutal screams for the first time, and it honestly never gets old to watch the shock on their faces.
If you're yet to acquaint yourself with the band, do yourself a massive favour and have a listen/watch below:
Larissa Stupar (Venom Prison)
Photo - Katja Ogrin
Venom Prison are one of the most uncompromising bands in heavy music right now; vocalist Larissa Stupar spits unholy plagues over her bandmates' brutal death metal riffs, while shedding light on confronting and important subjects of violence against women and female oppression.
Larissa's voice has been described by Kerrang! as "metal's most important - and uncompromising - voice", and we couldn't agree more.
Venom Prison will be playing at Download Australia 2020, and we've pinned them as one of five bands you absolutely cannot miss on the day!
Nita Strauss
Photo - Dave Simpson
Nita Strauss has had one hell of a career as a guitarist, first gaining attention for her work in the all-female Iron Maiden tribute band The Iron Maidens from 2011-2015. Nita has also played in other various rock bands and was recruited by Alice Cooper to be his full-time touring guitarist.
She also put out her own solo album called Controlled Chaos in 2018 and is an absolute virtuoso when it comes to her instrument. Nita was named Guitar World’s #4 Guitarist Of The Decade, and is arguably one of the best female guitarists ever; check out some of her sick shredding abilities for yourself on her solo track 'Our Most Desperate Hour' below!
Simone Dow (Voyager)
Simone was featured in last year's list of women in Aussie metal you should know about, but we just had to include her again because she's still crushing it over in Perth with her band Voyager - they've just had one of their new tracks 'Runaway' shortlisted for Eurovision this year and her excellent guitar work continues to drive the band from strength to strength.
Voyager are arguably one of the best Aussie heavy bands of all time, creating magnificent, winding journeys of pop-infused progressive metal which is like some gifted lovechild of The Presets and Northlane.
Booka Nile (Make Them Suffer)
Photo - Rusty Shepherd
Booka joined Perth's Make Them Suffer in 2017, and didn't waste any time making her mark on their third album Worlds Apart with her keyboard and singing talents.
The band have impressed with the heavy singles '27' and 'Hollowed Heart', as Booka and co. continue to fly the Aussie flag across the US, Europe and wherever they find themselves touring. We're excited to hear what she'll bring to the table for the band on future tracks!
Shontay Snow (Saviour)
Photo - Ruby Boland
Yes, both Shontay Snow and Make Them Suffer's Booka play keyboard and sing in heavy bands from Perth, but that's where the similarities end - Saviour's core sound has always consisted of an emotional yin and yang between crushing heaviness and beautiful clean vocals/piano from Shontay.
The band know exactly how to bring her talents to the forefront on songs like 'The Cool Calm', and frankly, we couldn't imagine Saviour without her.
They've also just released their new album 'A Lunar Rose' as well, which is jam-packed with melodies that frequently tug on the ol' heartstrings.
Megan Targett (VEXED)
VEXED are a relatively new metalcore band out of the UK, but have quickly demanded our attention with gut-punching instrumentals and Megan Targett's staunch vocal presence at play.
The band's debut single featured CJ McMahon (Thy Art Is Murder) and they're hitting the road with Whitechapel in Europe throughout April, which is a pretty huge achievement for a band who have only released two tracks so far. People are taking notice, and they damn well should be!
Megan's tough attitude and even tougher vocals somehow lift the heavy guitars into a different realm altogether, and we can't wait to hear what's next from VEXED.
Eva Spence (Rolo Tomassi)
Photo - Roberto Ricciuti / Getty Images
The UK's Rolo Tomassi have been hammering away at their blissful concoction of post-hardcore for fifteen years, and Eva Spence has been singing/screaming away from the very start.
Their latest album Time Will Die And Love Will Bury It appeared on a massive amount of end-of-year and end-of-decade lists, becoming a genre-defining album. It was so good that the band picked up massive shows with the likes of Gojira and Architects.
Fans of Converge, The Dillinger Escape Plan and Genghis Tron absolutely must listen to this band, but there is something for almost everyone to be found here.
Eva is one of the best vocalists in the genre, period, and you'll be able to watch her do her thing live when they open for Sydney's Sleepmakeswaves in May/June!
