Metal Mondays: My Top 5 Female Metal Guitarists

Female guitarists in metal may number fewer than their male counterparts, but their brutal riffage packs just as heavy a punch.  I don't really want to open up a big debate about the role of women in metal, but I do want to take this chance to shine some light on five ladies who totally shred and deserve some recognition.  This list isn't meant to be a rundown of who I think are the five best female pluckers; it's simply a list of my favorite women who deliver venom through the six strings.

Image from: http://bettytooo.blogspot.com/2013/03/hungry-for-stink.html

5. Donita Sparks of L7

For me, L7 were the original female badasses of heavy metal.  Donita's sludgy style and mean vocals propelled this wicked grunge-metal outfit.

Image from: http://www.phorum.gr/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=130566&start=195

4. Mika Penetrator of Gallhammer

Although no longer a member of the Japanese crust-punk-blackened-doom frenzy known as Gallhammer, Mika brought a raw ferocity to the group during her time.  Her grim, minimal approach sent chills down my spine.

Image from: http://forum.flamingatom.com/topic/9090192/75/

3. Liz Buckingham of Electric Wizard

Liz provides the powerful, demonic riffs behind the current incarnation of the English doom act, Electric Wizard.  Her heavy style invokes the dark mysteries of the occult.

Image from: http://www.themelvins.net/wiki/index.php?title=Lori_S

 2. Lori S. of Acid King

With her hypnotic wails and thick, fuzzy riffs, Lori S. forges the signature sound of San Fran doom legends Acid King.  The groovy flair of her style gives the band a unique, psychedelic atmosphere.

Image from: http://www.metal-archives.com/artists/Wata/7356

1. Wata of Boris

Who would Boris be without Wata?  She breaths life into the Japanese experimental metal group with her combination of punishing distortion and chilling melodies.  Whether she's playing at a frantic gallop or delivering a booming, feedback-drenched drone, Wata always packs emotion into her methodical style.  You wouldn't know it from her stoic onstage demeanor, though.  Wata is a treat to listen to; I highly recommend seeing Boris live.

 

Metal Mondays: My Top 5 Doom Metal Albums

Metal Mondays is back!  Thanks for enduring the two-week hiatus; the list making is back in business.  This week I'm going to give a run down of my favorite doom metal albums (using a fairly broad definition of doom).  I'd like to emphasize that this is a very personal list.  A lot of key players from doom tradition are missing here.  I must apologize to all the Sabbath fans; I greatly respect the group, but never got that into them.  Thus, though some important albums from the genre may be absent here, I nonetheless highly recommend these recordings, especially if you haven't given them a listen before.

(Disclaimer: Some of these albums/artists make direct reference to illicit drugs.  The Metallurgy blog and its author in no way endorse the use of illicit substances.  Make your own decisions people.)

5. First Daze Here: The Vintage Collection by Pentagram
OK, alright...this isn't really an album; it's a collection.  Nevertheless, I consider it an essential doom release.  This collection really traces back the roots of American doom, presenting the early works of one of its pioneers.  Though many of the songs sound more like a darkly tinged classic rock than metal in its modern sense, the doom-laden riffage that inspired the genre is definitely present.  Worth checking out, especially for historical purposes.

4. Gateway by Bongzilla
The album differs from the others here in that the vocal delivery is more harsh and aggressive, but it is still a colossal dreadnought of a recording.  Murky, mind-numbing riffs saunter throughout the album.  Let the amp fuzz and dramatic drumming carry you to impending doom!

3. III by Acid King

Acid King is a great group that doesn't get enough attention.  I have long admired Lori S.'s scratchy, drawn-out vocal delivery.  This album is like an obese cave troll: it's hefty, sluggish, and dreadfully dense.  And I mean that fully as a compliment.  This is cumbersome doom with a psychedelic flair that one should not pass up. 

2. Dopesmoker (a.k.a. Jerusalem) by Sleep 
Clocking in at one hour and three minutes, the one song on this album is an epic masterpiece in the truest sense.  From the gravelly chants and active bass lines of Al Cisneros, to the patient, crunching guitar of Matt Pike, to the brooding, suspenseful drumming of Chris Hakius, this song-album shines the whole way through.  It's as thick and ensnaring as quicksand.

1. Witchcult Today by Electric Wizard 
Throughout their lengthy and legendary career, Electric Wizard have produced many classics of the doom genre, and they're still ticking.  Though all of their albums are top notch, Witchcult Today in particular captures my fancy.  Perhaps this is because the album is so riff-focused.  Each song presents a patchwork of high-quality riffs dredged up from the pit.  These riffs embody the true doom spirit as they descend with demonic foreboding.  The album oozes cinematic suspense as well, making it a must-have doom recording.  The witchcult today is alive and well!