Year in Metal: 1996

AMORPHIS: ELEGY
The Finnish band released this album, my personal favorite Amorphis album and the best combination of death metal and folk influences they have released in 1996. Featuring an amazing range of vocal dynamics, humppa-influenced riffing in spots, and some terrific solos, this is a great album. It also includes some of Amorphis's strongest songs to date.

CRISIS: DEATHSHED EXTERMINATION
It's not so much the music that makes this album so memorable. It's the manic vocal style of frontwoman Karyn Crisis. The music is fairly simple post-thrash/groove metal, but the vocals make this an over-the-top, frantic listening experience. Karyn Crisis can go from a whisper to a death growl to a high-pitched shriek all in the same vocal line. And she does this, frequently. Her tortured vocals definitely carry this album, which would be forgotten quickly otherwise.

CRYPTOPSY: NONE SO VILE
Cryptopsy took the Suffocation sound and made it even more brutal. Not an easy task, but one in which Cryptopsy excelled at. They continued to push the boundaries of brutality in this landmark album. Forget the recent Cryptopsy releases, this is the one to pick up. It is unmatched in power and will leave your ears bleeding. The lyrics are actually fairly impressive as Lord Worm is an English teacher for his real life career, but you can't tell from the vocal style.

EDGE OF SANITY: CRIMSON
A unique album, in that there is only one song on the entire album. The song "Crimson" is a 40 minute masterpiece divided into several movements and telling the story of the end of humanity in the distant future. Edge of Sanity was a Swedish death metal/avant garde project of the great Dan Swano, who performed most of the music and supplied the vocals. With just one song, one would think it would start to drag or people would lose interest, however Swano does a magnificent job at keeping the attention of the listener. This is an incredible musical experience.

EYEHATEGOD: DOPESICK
An early example of sludge metal. The hardcore and doom metal roots of the genre are clearly evident in this album. I did not care much for it at first, the vocals are very extreme and difficult to get used to, but this is an incredible album once it sinks in. Eyehategod are masters of making their bleak worldview known to the listener.

Honorable Mentions: Behemoth: Grom, Cannibal Corpse: Vile, Cradle of Filth: Darkness and Her Embrace, Dimmu Borgir: Stormblast, In Flames: The Jester Race, Opeth: Morningrise, Sepultura: Roots.

Bands that formed in 1996: Arch Enemy, Decapitated, God Forbid, Gojira, Hibria, Nightwish, Sonata Arctica, The Haunted, Within Temptation.

Women Fronting Metal Bands

I'm fascinated by bands that feature a strong female as their singer. I have no idea why. And I'm not talking about groups like Nightwish, Leaves' Eyes, Lacuna Coil, or others. No, I am talking about real metal: traditional metal, thrash metal, death metal, black metal, and more. None of this gothic metal stuff, not that I mind it, it just does not have the same effect as listening to an aggressive, powerful metal band and finding out that their singer is a woman.

We have long since passed the point where these bands were novelties, yet many of them still are not held up on the same pedestal as their peers. Many of these bands should be regarded as highly as other bands in their individual scene, but are not. They are still viewed as sex objects or in some innate way inferior to other bands. I would like to see this end.

With that being said, here are some of my favorite metal bands with female lead singers. Check them out, you will not be sorry. I am also always looking for more recommendations. I am aware of some other bands that I just have not been able to check out in depth yet, such as Znowhite, Ignitor, Darkestrah, Crystal Viper, Nuclear Death, Voetsek, Madder Mortem, Astarte, Pyrrah, and Ludicra.

HOLY MOSESHoly Moses was around during the 1980's German thrash metal scene. They were a bit more melodic than groups like Kreator, Destruction, and Sodom, but no less punishing. The band has put out several great releases and Sabina Classen's rabid, snarling vocals lead the charge. A great, underrated thrash metal band that is still going strong.
RECOMMENDATION: FINISHED WITH THE DOGS

ARCH ENEMYMost metalheads have heard of Arch Enemy by now. The melodeath band was started by the Amott brothers and originally featured a man by the name of Johan Axelsson on vocals. It was after Angela Gossow, with her psychotic shrieking death growls, took over that the band's mainstream popularity skyrocketed. Yes, that is pretty much entirely due to the female singer doing death growls.
RECOMMENDATION: WAGES OF SIN

CRISISCrisis played an unholy mix of death metal and thrash metal on their early recordings Karyn Crisis's vocals sound seriously disturbed and maniacally sinister. Able to fluctuate between a soft whisper and a primal roar and everything in between in the span of the same lyrical sentence, she truly unnerves the listener.
RECOMMENDATION: DEATHSHED EXTERMINATION

BENEDICTUMBenedictum is a relatively recent band that plays traditional-sounding metal, capitalizing on the recent retro craze. The band is similar musically to Grave Digger and other longtime true metal bands. Veronica Freeman possesses soaring vocals that she puts to great use on their music.
RECOMMENDATION: SEASONS OF TRAGEDY

TEMTRISThe Australian traditional metal band is not real well-known at this point. That may soon change as the band is every bit as competent musically as Benedictum. Genevieve Rodda does not have the same range as Veronica Freeman, but may have a more emotional-sounding voice.
RECOMMENDATION: MASQUERADE

ESTUARYWhy the hell isn't this band better known? And when will they have a new album out? Zdenka Prado's inhuman death growls are easily the equal of any man's and the band's style of death/thrash is infectiously brutal.
RECOMMENDATION: THE CRAFT OF CONTRADICTION

GALLHAMMERJapan's Gallhammer is the result of three girls with a taste for Hellhammer, Celtic Frost, and crust punk. They are at their best when they just let the grooving style of Hellhammer/Frost dictate the direction they go. Lead vocalist Vivian Slaughter has a corroded, decayed vocal style that matches the bleakness of the band's music quite well.
RECOMMENDATION: III INNOCENCE

LANDMINE MARATHONI don't know how this band has gotten the tag of hipster metal. Revolver also loves them, which isn't doing them any favors in the metal underground either. But the band plays a mean brand of death/grind most similar to groups like Napalm Death, Carcass, and Bolt Thrower. Vocalist Grace Perry sounds possessed.
RECOMMENDATION: RUSTED EYES AWAKE

DREAMING DEADThis is a very new band, combining elements of black metal, death metal, and thrash metal all together. They play very fast and very brutal and are amazingly talented. This band could be very big someday soon. Vocalist Elizabeth Schall is also one hell of a guitar player, prompting comparisons to Death's Chuck Schuldiner in musical and vocal style.
RECOMMENDATION: WITHIN ONE

Do not sleep on these bands.