No one can deny that these women rock! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most influential women within the historically testosterone-driven worlds of heavy metal and hard rock.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most influential women
00:08within the historically testosterone-driven worlds of heavy metal and hard rock.
00:2210.
00:23Amy Lee – Evanescence The genre of gothic metal didn't originate
00:34with Evanescence, but that band's success certainly helped lift the style's commercial
00:39profile.
00:40Amy Lee served as the focal point for much of this success, thanks to her emotionally
00:44resonant performances as Lee's singer.
00:53Lee always felt like she was laying bare her soul on stage, and fans reacted in droves
00:58to this approachability.
01:03Evanescence's debut album, Fallen, has sold over 17 million copies worldwide, underlining
01:13how closely audiences connected with Lee and her bandmates.
01:17She's also something of a fashion plate, bringing her goth-chic style to the masses
01:23with each of her wonderful outfits.
01:299.
01:34Lee Aaron The woman-born Karen Lynn Greening has recorded
01:43music in a wealth of different genres, from pop and jazz to opera.
01:49However, it's Greening's musical breakthrough from the 1980s under the moniker of Lee Aaron
01:54that solidified her as one of Canada's best-known heavy metal icons.
02:04The Metal Queen album, from 1984 in particular, featured 10 tracks that were all co-composed
02:10by Aaron herself, and combined hard-hitting riffs with unabashed melodic hooks.
02:22Metal fans may have flocked to Lee Aaron's physical beauty during the 1980s, but they
02:27also stuck around once they heard the level of impressive vocal talents on display.
02:368.
02:39Roxy Patrucci – Vixen, Madame X The 1980s glam metal scene was notorious for
02:53its bad boys club, but the members of St. Paul, Minnesota's Vixen weren't going
02:58to hold anybody's coats.
03:00Instead, founding members like original lead singer Janet Gardner, and especially drummer
03:06Roxy Patrucci, boldly blazed their own musical trail.
03:18Patrucci had already proven that girls could hit the percussive skins just as hard as boys
03:23with the group Madame X, but she really got things cooking with Vixen.
03:35The band's glam metal attack was sharpened to a razor's edge, while Patrucci's enthusiastic
03:40and energetic drumming kicked things up to another level.
03:44She's still going strong today, too, rocking Vixen fans all around the world with her charm
03:50and talents.
03:557.
03:58Tarja Turunen – Nightwish The symphonic metal band Nightwish has employed
04:09a number of supremely talented vocalists over the years.
04:13But it's Tarja Turunen that will always live within the hearts of many fans.
04:23Turunen's classical training immediately struck a chord with audiences, as her power
04:28and range was juxtaposed against some truly bombastic-sounding metal.
04:39Her solo work has continued to straddle that line as well, with many Nightwish fans following
04:44Turunen's musical journey.
04:46The effect as a whole almost feels like Tarja is auditioning to be the Celine Dion of heavy
04:51metal, and this is no insult.
04:53Instead, consider Turunen to be the ultimate heavy metal diva, worthy of respect, admiration,
04:59and love.
05:046.
05:07Angela Gossow – Arch Enemy The Swedish melodic death metal group Arch
05:16Enemy didn't always employ a female vocalist, but fans certainly stood up and took notice
05:21once Angela Gossow joined the group.
05:28This German-born singer broke the mold the second she opened her mouth with Arch Enemy,
05:33unleashing deep growls and harsh rasps that emulated musical heroes such as Carcass and
05:38Morbid Angel.
05:43Gossow eventually parted ways with the group on a creative level, but continued to work
05:47behind the scenes in management, while also growing her brand as an influencer and yoga
05:53teacher.
05:54Simply said, Angela Gossow is the real deal.
06:025.
06:03Wendy O. Williams – Plasmatics There will never be another performer or
06:14provocateur like Wendy O. Williams.
06:17This bold and uncompromising spirit was a punk rocker, metalhead, and performance artist
06:23fearless in the face of criticism.
06:31Live shows for the Plasmatics were known for flirting with legal disaster, thanks to daring
06:36bits of destruction, nudity, and giant-sized explosions.
06:40Wendy O. would appear on talk shows and in movies, always using her outrageous reputation
06:45to push the envelope.
06:47Despite this, the real-life Wendy Orlean Williams was a historically shy person who loved animals,
06:53was a dedicated vegetarian.
06:55Sadly, Wendy O. Williams took her own life on April 6th, 1998, but her legacy as a musical
07:02icon will live on forever.
07:124.
07:13Sean E. Soltz – White Zombie
07:15Yeah, I am the astral creep, a demolition-style hell-American spring, yeah
07:21Her 2010 scrapbook just sort of says it all.
07:25Sean E. Soltz wasn't with the band, she was in the band.
07:29White Zombie, to be precise.
07:31E. Soltz's blower bass tone, magnetic stage presence, and captivating style made the musician
07:37fans wherever she went, all over the world.
07:41Yeah, I am the rip-off man, a locomotion man, love American style, yeah
07:46Art always seemed to surround the woman born Shauna Reynolds, and this balanced diet of
07:51culture assisted in guiding Sean E. Soltz's musical journey into adulthood.
07:55Yeah, things keep looking easy, and that's what I said
08:00She also enjoyed a successful journey into designing home goods, while also having her
08:04photography exhibited in states like Texas, as well as her beloved Louisiana.
08:09Sean E. Soltz will forever be the coolest chick in the room.
08:13Yeah, I'm a snake, and I'm a hammer, and I'm back door, yeah
08:18Yeah, I'm on my way, yeah
08:213.
08:22Kim McAuliffe – Girl School
08:24We may be singling out rhythm guitarist and vocalist Kim McAuliffe here, but if we're
08:33being honest, the entire line-up of Britain's Girl School deserves praise.
08:38McAuliffe and lead guitarist Kelly Johnson were clear focal points, but the rhythm section
08:42of Enid Williams and Denise Dufour also supplied plenty of heavy metal thunder.
08:54McAuliffe and her Girl School bandmates were at the forefront of the new wave of
08:58British heavy metal, and took no guff from anyone.
09:02The group enjoyed a lifelong collaborative relationship with Motörhead, but McAuliffe's
09:06passionate vocals and electric guitar never sat on the back seat.
09:11Instead, Girl School took the wheel and smashed down all forms of heavy metal sexism that
09:16lay in their way.
09:252.
09:26Doro Pesh – Dora the Exorcist
09:292.
09:30Doro Pesh – Warlock
09:37There's no other way to say it.
09:39Doro Pesh lives for heavy metal.
09:42This German-born icon first turned heads, fronting the group Warlock in the 1980s.
09:47But Pesh would also thrive as a solo artist.
09:50Her career continues today, together with an intimate connection with her audience that's
09:55quite unlike any other performer from the genre.
10:05Pesh's dedication to her cause feels genuine because it is genuine.
10:10The woman has dedicated her life to music, and her fans have felt this honesty.
10:14Doro Pesh rocks hard to this day.
10:17She remains humble through it all, but we know a queen when we see one.
10:27Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
10:31Jinx Dawson, Coven, The Roots of Satanic Shock Rock begin right here.
10:37Suzie Quatro, A Pleasure Seeker and Glam Rocker.
10:48Lizzy Hale, Hailstorm, leads Hailstorm and works with many other artists.
10:52She's also the first woman to win an Oscar for Best Actress in a Music Video.
10:56She's also the first woman to win an Oscar for Best Actress in a Music Video.
11:01Lizzy Hale, Hailstorm, leads Hailstorm and works with many other artists.
11:11Maria Brink, In This Moment, a multi-faceted singer and performance artist.
11:23Morgan Lander, Kitty, one of Canada's new metal queens.
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11:50Number 1. Lita Ford, The Runaways
11:54It doesn't feel unfair to say that back in the 70s, The Runaways walked so future
12:05female-fronted rock acts could run in the decades that would follow.
12:09The group made stars out of both of its guitarists, Joan Jett and Lita Ford.
12:14The former would explore punk and rock sounds after The Runaways disbanded,
12:24while it would be Ford who would go on to become one of the first ladies of heavy metal.
12:36Ford's flashy playing style was tailor-made for the extravagant 80s,
12:40and she would play this up to the hilts. Lita could compose, sing and, of course,
12:45play a mean guitar, while she even found time for bit parts in films like 1991's Highway to Hell.
12:51Lita Ford could do it all.
13:01Have you heard any of these artists? Who's your favorite? Let us know in the comments!
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