various beauty & brutality

Released: 02 November 2010 Label: Femme Metal

Hard to believe when confronted by the overwhelming amount of talented female vocalists and musicians showcased here on Femme Metal label's Beauty & Brutality, but there actually used to be a dearth of decent female artists releasing records during metal's late 80s heyday, with only the likes of Doro, Lita Ford or Lee Aaron springing to (my admittedly addled) mind.

Now there is not only quantity, but on the strength of this impressive compilation, quality!

Don't be put off by the low-rent digital artwork on the cover; this is the real-deal musically speaking. Thirty one bands from fifteen different countries showcased over 140 minutes of rock and metal, there really is a great deal to cover in the space of a single review!

ReVamp's Head Up High is a powerful start to the proceedings; the heavy riffing is augmented by orchestra hits, and DAMA's Rainy Roads is an epic track in the mould of Evanescence; all twinkly piano, and then huge power chords.

Gothy operatic metal is perhaps the most popular style on this CD; high on drama and orchestral phrasing, such as on Epica's Unleashed, Disdained 's Longing for Serenity and the very stylish indeed My Cold One from Özge Özkan.

Thrashy offerings are also numerous such as the frantic Running Away by Infinite Tales, or the highlight of the second CD for me, Solsikk's Volatile Territory which sounds like a female fronted Megadeth and easily scoops the riff of the album with its aggressive opening salvo.

Elsewhere the likes of Somewhere Far Away by Seven Kingdoms and Destined by Ex Libris, combine crunching heaviness with articulate musical flair. Especially so on the latter, which has extensive instrumental workouts throughout its epic six and a half minutes.

There are some eccentrically cool efforts too such as Shine by Aperion with full-on operatic vocals, violins and a folky main riff in amongst the chug of guitars and Finland's Kivimetsän Druidi, with their theatrically costumed fantasy metal!

My favourite track though is Shapeless by Re-Vision, largely down to the incredible vocals from Anke Willnat, which remind me of the first time I heard Stevie Vann Lange. She has that same kind of effortless power and melody to her voice. The track itself is very catchy, with an indie kind of Nirvana drum beat, and a chorus that is simply phenomenally infectious! The chugging slide riff of the bridge also harbours what I think is a sample from A Clockwork Orange instead of a guitar solo – and any band that samples Malcom McDowell is alright with me!

Overall there's something enormously appealing about the contrast between the lilting beauty of the female singing voice, melodic and delicate at times, being counterbalanced by the snarling grind of heavy metal guitars. It provides an evocative audial palette.

Of course, it's not all delicacy, they can certainly roar too. But it's nevertheless, a refreshing change to hear something different vocally, in the male dominated rock arena.

And apart from anything else, you need to buy this compilation so that these talented women can influence future generations of female metal vocalists, so we are spared the god-awful procession of giftless warbling R&B brain-dead pop divas, all using auto-tune, that have come to dominate the female music industry, as it sounds like they're singing down a toilet roll tube or something, with that hollow-sounding garbage that pollutes the airwaves... Ah, and relax...

Besides, it's in aid of Cancer Research UK. So stop reading this and go get it now!

by Steven Hargraves