IWD/ Women in Rock

By Gail El-Halaby, Second year Psychology

'In genres so teeming with testosterone, these girls are a breath of fresh air', Gail El-Halably explores Women in Rock.

International Women’s Day is one of my favourite celebratory days of year, where the achievements and importance of women around the world are at the forefront and we’re reminded how incredible we all really are.

To mark this occasion, I’ve decided to compile a short list of some of my favourite girls in the rock and metal scenes at the moment that you need to check out. In genres so teeming with testosterone, these girls are a breath of fresh air:

YVETTE YOUNG - COVET

Covet are a progressive metal band from America who I discovered only a few weeks back after seeing them support Polyphia on their headline tour at The Fleece. I was simply blown away by Yvette’s monumentally beautiful and gracious guitar playing, being one of the most incredible guitarists to watch live. She’s a multi- instrumentalist with talent also lying in piano and violin, which she also pursues in her solo projects.

LZZY HALE - HALESTORM

No list like this can be complete without mentioning the legend that is LZZY HALE, lead singer of American rock band ‘Halestorm’. LZZY HALE is one of the vocalists I idolised during my teenage emo phase, but even today her raw, angry and incredible vocals never fail to 'get me going'.

BECCA MACINTYRE - MARMOZETS

Another badass in rock. Marmozets first came to the forefront after the release of their 2014 album The Weird And Wonderful. They’ve consistently been one of the few female-fronted acts at Reading & Leeds in the last few years. Their live gigs are some of the most energetic and fun shows i went to as a teenager. Their latest release Knowing What You Know Now is definitely worth checking out.

TATIANA SHMAYLYUK - JINJER

Jinder are a Ukranian progressive metal band which incorporate aspects of death metal, prog metal and nu metal, formed back in 2009. They’re a new discovery for me but worth Schmayluk’s stunning talent is worth exploring, especilally if you’re a fan of the likes of TesseracT and Periphery.

MARIA BRINK

She’s 42 this year but doesn’t look a day past 30, genuinely. Voted 'Rock Goddess of the year' twice in the Loudwire Music Awards, the lead singer of metalcore band IN THIS MOMENT, Brink has one of the most unique and theatrical stage presences I have ever encountered. She’s been through a tough time in her life and pulled through to become as successful as she currently is. For the new listener- check out 2012 album 'Blood' to start off with.

REBA MEYERS- CODE ORANGE

Formed in 2008, Code Orange are a hardcore band from Pennsylvania. MEYERS is the guitarist in the band and earlier this year became the first woman to ever release a signature ESP guitar- a complete game changer for future women in heavy music. Check out their latest album Forever for some true heaviness.

Of course, this is, by no means at all an exhaustive list. There’s so many talented women out there in the alternative world that deserve way more recognition than they get. It is exciting that slowly, we’re getting more and more female talent emerging in these genres!

Featured Image: Bethany Marris/ Epigram

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