Top 10 Frontwomen in Hard Rock and Heavy Metal

Top 10 Frontwomen in Hard Rock and Heavy Metal

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They’re the leaders of their bands and have way more metal cred than you do. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re be counting down our picks for the top 10 frontwomen in hard rock and heavy metal. For this list, we’re following up on our Top 10 Frontwomen in Rock video with this list of female lead vocalists in hard rock and heavy metal. While you may have been told that girls are made of sugar, spice, and everything nice, these women made the list thanks to their undeniable performance ability, skilled songwriting, popularity, and unmatched vocal range.

Despite stepping away from Flyleaf in 2012 to pursue other interests, Lacey Strum nabs the number 10 spot on our countdown thanks to a strong, decade-long run as leader of said band. During Strum’s time as lead vocalist, Flyleaf netted a platinum album, top 20 spots on the Billboard 200 and a number spot on the Billboard alternative chart. Sturm’s various endeavors outside of Flyleaf have also won her various accolades.

#9: Sharon den Adel Within Temptation

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A performer since the age of 14, Sharon den Adel has never had formal vocal training, but you wouldn’t know that when listening to her. She possesses an incredible mezzo-soprano range, which she utilizes to create the epic sound of Within Temptation. Versatility is an MO for den Adel, who sings with full orchestral backing and a piano. She also put to use her fashion industry experience by designing stage costumes for Within Temptation stage shows, and she can sing in both Dutch and English. You might say she is somewhat of an artistic polymath.

Brody Dalle drew comparisons to Courtney Love of grunge era band Hole when the Distillers debuted in 2000. She became a one of the more recognizable faces of punk rock for a time in the early 2000s as her band enjoy a brief period of wide popularity. Displaying an aggressive side that gave her performances a sharper edge than most, her fierceness keeps her in high demand among the hard rock community: She’s guested on work by Garbage, as well as her ex-husband Tim Armstrong’s band Transplants, and her current husband Josh Homme’s groups Queens of the Stone Age and Eagles of Death Metal, among others.

The second Dutch metal frontwoman on our list, Simone Simons left behind her pop singing lessons in favor of classical singing after hearing other female-fronted metal band Nightwish. Fans of the genre are glad she did, as they now get to enjoy her take on symphonic metal as the lead singer of Epica. Gothic metal music provides the perfect soundscape for Simons’ operatic vocal range, and she has helped define the newest generation of women in metal.

Plenty of bands have singers who would be hard to replace, but Halestorm definitely couldn’t go on without Lzzy Hale, the band’s namesake and frontwoman since she was just 14 years old. Lzzy brings her raw style and raspy vocals to over 250 shows a year as part of the group’s grueling touring regimen. When not on the road, Lzzy acts as a metal ambassador, performing crossover songs with violinist Lindsey Stirling and country star Eric Church. A Halestorm song has even been immortalized on Glee.

#5: Amy Lee Evanescence

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With 25 million albums sold, two Grammys, two albums to reach the top spot on the Billboard charts, and two certified platinum records, Amy Lee and her band Evanescence are undeniably popular. She puts her lyrical acumen to work alongside her skills as a classically trained pianist, serving as the primary songwriter for the band as well. She does it all, and she’s received just about every award imaginable for her efforts.

Angela Gossow’s, contributions to Swedish melodic metal and Arch Enemy are too good and too lasting to ignore, and will surely be remembered long after her recent parting with the band. Gossow cut her teeth in metal with bands like Mistress before mastering the unique growling vocals that she displays with Arch Enemy, a singing style that eludes and challenges lead singers of both genders. Now acting as the band’s manager rather than performing, Angela has equipped Arch Enemy with similarly skilled Alissa White-Gluz.

Sometimes the best metal comes with age. Doro Pesch recently turned 50 and just keeps on rocking. She’s been belting out gothic fantasy metal lyrics with her trademark scream and vibrato for over three generations now. Originally the vocalist of German heavy metal band Warlock, she was the sole remaining member of the band by the turn of the ‘90s and was forced to change the name to Doro. The original lineup of Warlock reunited in 2003 and has toured under the name “Warlock 1986.”

Starting her career as a touring musician by performing backup vocals, Cristina Scabbia now has no reservations about sharing the stage with co-lead vocalist Andrea Ferro. When Cristina opens her mouth, she quickly takes the spotlight and her vocal capabilities make her malleable to the often-shifting sounds of Lacuna Coil. She is capable of soaring high notes or rolling low vocals and her crystal clear voice plays the perfect foil of "beauty" to Ferro’s "beast." Before we reveal our top pick, let’s take a look at some other noteworthy frontwomen in the honorable mentions: - Maria Brink In This Moment - Floor Jansen ReVamp, After Forever, Nightwish - Otep Shamaya Otep - Alexia Rodriguez Eyes Set to Kill - Laura Vierra The Animal In Me - Taylor Momsen The Pretty Reckless

If you’ve heard Tarja Turunen sing, then you know exactly why she’s in the top spot of this countdown. She studied singing in school, continued to develop her voice over her career, and managed to unlock a three octave vocal range, which allows her to sing mezzo-soprano, contralto and coloratura soprano. And she uses them all in her emotionally driven, powerful music. Tarja’s operatic voice gave Nightwish its trademark sound but even after she was dismissed from the band in 2005, she’s used her incredible vocal skills to build a successful solo career. Do you agree with our list? Which heavy metal frontwomen make you want to find the nearest mosh pit? For more head-banging Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.