by No.10 Taylor Momsen
The Pretty Reckless
Yes, it’s Cindy Lou from How the Grinch Stole Christmas all grown up. It’s also Jenny Humphrey from Gossip Girl. How the hell does actress Taylor Momsen get on our list of 11 Women in Heavy Metal & Hard Rock Who Matter? Well, she fronts her own hard rock band, The Pretty Reckless. Still not convinced of her legitimacy? Well, she co-writes the music and lyrics, has an inexhaustible passion for rock, plays guitar, intentionally went with a rock producer (Kato Khandwala) instead of a pop producer, and, despite her Hills-esque self-absorbed generation, she didn’t go the Glee or Paris Hilton route and put out some frivolous pop/dance album.
No, instead she does hard rock, exploring themes of lost love, insecurity, revenge, and reclamation with an incredible whiskey-soaked, cigarette-smoking voice that’s years beyond that of the average 17 year old (she’s 18 now). The surprisingly mature Taylor Momsen also dresses beyond her years – or does she? Yes, she struts around in little more than underwear and is sexually suggestive, but Cherie Currie did all that in the ‘70s, and now she’s a rock hero. If you don’t like it, get over your judgment and realize that it’s just show biz.
No.9 Alissa White-Gluz
The Agonist
Now for something a bit more serious. Alissa White-Gluz fronts the Montreal-based band The Agonist. Her vocal range is nothing short of amazing, spanning from impressive death growls to about 2.5 octaves of clean vocals (check out her performance on “Swan Lake” to get a taste of her abilities).
While The Agonist is mostly full-on melodic death metal, their music has elements of thrash, grindcore, black metal, jazz, classical, and metalcore. It’s groove laden with plenty of shredding and tons of other disturbing and beautiful elements. Lyrically, they attack the system, addressing politics and the protection of the planet.
While they’re not necessarily contributing anything new to the genre, they’re excellent and in capable hands with Alissa up front. Look for their upcoming album, Prisoners, in 2012.
Before you cry bullshit, we’re making you jump…
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