While women are slowly infiltrating extreme metal lineups, they’re mostly vocalists, bassists, and keyboardists. The “skill positions” – guitars and drums – are still a boys’ club. Some exceptions: guitarists Laura Christine (Warface), Liz Buckingham (Electric Wizard), Laura Pleasants (Kylesa), and Christy Cather (Ludicra); Chiyo Nukaga (Graves at Sea/Nostra Cornu), Gabrielle Morin (Deeply Confused), and Sandrine Bourguignon (Gorod), all sick drummers.
Elizabeth Schall is the latest addition to these ranks. She’s the vocalist/guitarist/mastermind of LA’s Dreaming Dead, who changed their name last year from Manslaughter. Check out the video above for “Within One” live at Hollywood’s Key Club. (The band has since become a two-lady axe attack.) It’s as if Chuck Schuldiner came back as a woman – the vocals, the pedal point riffs, the wide interval melodies. This song rips. Look at those fingers! They were made for playing guitar. Dreaming Dead are out on a two-week US tour – see dates below. Their PR needs work (see this extremely confusing promo photo), but they’ll get the hang of it. Debut LP Within One is out on Ibex Moon on 1/29/09 – I eagerly await that bad boy (girl).
- Dreaming Dead live-
10/13 Metamusic – Santa Cruz, CA
10/14 The Metro – Oakland, CA (w/Kataklysm, Dying Fetus)
10/15 Monstros – Chico, CA
10/16 Samurai Duck – Eugene, OR
10/17 Hell’s Kitchen – Tacoma, WA
10/18 Mootsy’s – Spokane, WA
10/19 Sundance Saloon – Payette, ID
10/20 Club Vegas – SLC, UT
10/21 Cafe Cero – Denver, CO
10/22 The Pig – Independence, MO
10/23 Memphis on Main – Champaign, IL
10/24 Elva’s Fiesta Club – South Bend, IN
10/25 The Ritz – Warren, MI
10/26 *TBA* – Cleveland, OH
10/28 Rubber Gloves – Denton, TX
10/29 The War Legion Underground – Amarillo, TX
10/30 Code Red – Las Cruces, NM
10/31 Halloween House Party – Tucson, AZ
11/01 Divebar – Las Vegas, NV
Holy crap, how did I not know about this band from my hometown before now? Totally ripping. Dreaming Dead even shares drummers with Exhausted Prayer, one of my local favorites.
Another great female metal musician is Hozoji Matheson-Margullis, drummer/guitarist from Helm’s Alee/Lozen, respectively.
Yep, they just played your town last night. I’ve been following them for a little while, but only recently realized, Holy crap, they’re good.
I’ve heard good things about H.M.M., though I’m on the fence about that Helm’s Alee record. She appeared on the Mamiffer record, though, which I’ve really grown to like.
This “dudes and look! a well-dressed lady!” PR stunt thing must stop. The band has riffs and presence, the record might be good! Thanks for the heads up!
Ooooh, thanks for the heads up on this band!
Didja forget that Chiyo was also in Noothgrush? Or were you just going with active bands? I shoulda saw D.D. when they were Mannslaughter last summer when they played with Gary’s (ex-Nootgrush) new prog/space rock band Human Anomaly. And kack! Can’t make it to S. Cruz tonight or Oaktown tomorrow.
Seconding helm on the photo thing. I definitely like it better when the woman looks like she’s an active member of the band, not a girl who got lost and wandered into the photo shoot. The photo makes her seem like she isn’t quite the force that she really is. It’s tough territory to the tread.
Even that aside, the photo is a mess. I’m not even going to bother going into the fashion laws that were broken here (but at least the guy on the far left has a suit that seems to fit him fairly well).
ragnarr – I never imagined there would be a connection between Dreaming Dead and Noothgrush. Wild!
onerode – Now with two ladies in the band, hopefully its fashion sense will improve. I’m digging that guy on the left, too. He looks like Nick Cave as a metalhead.