Why Some Metal Bands Draw More Female Fans Than Others

May 21, 2024

Last week, I got to see my favorite band, Kamelot, live for the tenth time over the course of twelve years. The support acts on this tour were Hammerfall and Ad Infinitum. For those who aren't into European or power metal, these names might mean nothing to you, and that's okay. You don't need to know the bands to understand what I'll be writing about them.

During Hammerfall's set, their vocalist, Joacim Cans, talked, joked, and made banter between songs. At one point, he noted how many women were in the audience. He made it clear he considered this a good thing, saying that the band loved to see so many women, but said that it's different where they're from (Sweden), joking about how the only woman at their show is usually waiting in the parking lot for her boyfriend.

Knowing how much more mainstream metal is in Europe, as well as how dedicated female metal fans typically are, I'm sure this was at least partially an exaggeration. It's possible the whole topic was brought up just to get laughs and cheers from the crowd -- but if he was being genuine about a gender discrepancy between their tours in Europe and the United States, I have a feeling it has less to do with an actual cultural difference, and more to do with the band they were touring with this particular time. Which is why the thing running through my head when he made this comment was, "It's because we're here to see Kamelot."

To my knowledge, these two bands have never toured together before -- if they have, it was probably a very long time ago -- so Joacim and the rest of his bandmates are probably not used to what it's like touring with Kamelot. I still have trouble believing they don't see female fans at their shows at least somewhat often, but compared to the bands they usually tour with, it's entirely possible that Kamelot does have a much stronger female fanbase, and if so, I think I can explain why.

It isn't because Kamelot's music is "feminine" -- though I'm sure many would argue that their heartfelt lyrics centered around grief, human emotion, and literature are more feminine than the majority of what Hammerfall sings about. I disagree that something being deeper and more poetic makes it more "feminine," however, as the depth of human emotion is something all genders experience and should not deny themselves. And people of all genders can enjoy the occasional song played on a guitar shaped like Thor's hammer as well. So no, I don't think it's just the music itself that appeals to more female fans, as I view music as something that has no gender and anybody can enjoy whatever they want.

With that being said, I acknowledge that there are some aspects of music that we interpret as being more feminine based on sound, just like our society has placed the feminine label on colors, scents, etc. It doesn't really make sense, but it's the reality of the world we live in. I will, however, stand firm in my belief that men, women, and non-binary people are free to enjoy any type of music that appeals to them and that music has nothing to do with gender.

Additionally -- and I only mention this because I can already hear the more cynical readers bringing it up if I don't -- the reason women love Kamelot is not because they hired a frontman who also happens to be (coincidentally) a conventionally-attractive bodybuilder/firefighter. With a voice like his, I can promise you the fans would still love Tommy even if he was considered ugly by conventional standards.

There are a lot of factors that go into whether or not somebody chooses to see a band live, and how welcome they feel or don't feel among the crowd could be one of them. This is something men never really have to worry about (unless there are other factors at play like racism or homophobia), but it isn't unheard of for women. To be clear, I'm not saying the members of Hammerfall themselves make women feel unwelcome, and as I already covered, Joacim made sure to point out how much they loved seeing us all there. There are, however, some bands that are more likely to make women feel uncomfortable being in the crowd, such as bands like Gloryhammer, whose members were seen using racial slurs and making disgusting sexual comments about women in a leaked group chat in 2021.

Not many bands have been as egregious as that, but as we all know, heavy metal in general is still considered a boys' club by a lot of people. And frankly, some people, and bands, are putting in a lot more work than others to change this misconception.

I have in the past, completely unironically, referred to Kamelot as "the most feminist metal band." This might sound weird at first, because you might be wondering about the fact that all of the band members are male. Wouldn't the most feminist band be one that actually has women in it?

Well, not necessarily. Feminism isn't just about the presence of women, but more about your lived values, and how you view and portray women.

In fact, there are some bands with female members -- particularly if the only woman is the lead singer -- that give me the impression their frontwoman is as much eye candy as she is an equal member of the band. That isn't to say these ladies aren't also selected for their talent, as that is definitely a requirement for any band, but there are definitely a lot of female-fronted bands that give me a certain impression, and a few that actively give me the ick based on the impression I get. When every other band member is male including the founder or mastermind behind the band, they only select very attractive young women as their singers, and much of their advertising is centered around her, it makes me wonder how that woman is being treated behind the scenes. Especially in bands that can't seem to hold onto a singer, and have gone through multiple women as if they're interchangeable. And as much as I hate to say it, some of them almost do seem interchangeable because of how similar they sound, look, dress, and even wear their hair. (Do they all have something against women with curly hair, different lengths of hair, or non-center parts?)

But the thing about this cookie-cutter appearance so many female singers display is that I'm unsure how much of that is their own choice and how much is done for the benefit of the band. How much pressure is put on these women to look a certain way? Even though I get frustrated by how similar many female singers are, I try not to place that blame solely on the women themselves, because I understand the pressure they probably feel is placed on them. Female vocalists are already held to much higher standards vocally, and judging by the lack of diversity in body type, styling, and overall appearance, it seems like they're held to a certain standard physically as well. Male vocalists don't have to have flawless voices or be conventionally attractive to be worshiped by the metal community, but women do. Even powerhouses like Floor Jansen have been body-shamed by fans for not being as petite and feminine as expected. (As a reminder, Floor Jansen is over six feet tall and looks like this, yet has still been called fat.)

There are plenty of female-fronted or female-involved bands that break this mold, usually ones where female members get more creative input, rather than a man making all of the band's decisions. Some of my favorite bands have female members, including my "second only to Kamelot" favorite, Battle Beast, whose singer is the one of the most badass goddesses out there, and whose male members seem to show her a ton of respect. But when it comes to some of the others, particularly in the symphonic metal community, it seems as though they are simply trying to portray a certain image by having a beautiful feminine vocalist they can show off. In other words... objectifying her.

So for me, the title of most feminist band would go to one that does not objectify women, but instead displays a feminist attitude in their work, and even actively works toward making the metal scene a better place for women. And Kamelot has consistently shown up for the female fans and musicians in their circle.

I've noticed this especially since Tommy Karevik joined the band and brought his own influence to it. I'm not sure if this was a coincidence or not, but as Tommy is someone who seems to consistently lift up the women in his life and always speaks very highly of his wife, Kobra Paige, it wouldn't surprise me if he was the one bringing some of these ideas to the table. However, the credit doesn't go entirely to him, as the band as a whole seems to have similar values.

Ever since 2012 in particular, Kamelot's taste in guest vocalists has brought awareness to several awesome women who were lesser-known prior to their involvement with the band. They have also helped break gender stereotypes by bringing in female vocalists to do harsh vocals and growls instead of men. Having a male vocalist -- and not just any man, but the aforementioned bodybuilder and firefighter -- doing soaring clean vocals and showing off his flawless voice on the high notes, and then a female guest vocalist doing all the growling and harsh vocals, is a refreshing reversal of the classic "beauty and the beast vocals" trope seen in so many other metal bands. It shows that men can be gentle, soft, and poetic -- while women can be fierce, aggressive, and badass.

These days, women who do harsh vocals are a lot more common, and to be honest, Kamelot is probably at least partially to thank for making that more mainstream. Obviously, the actual bands and women doing the vocals deserve credit for their own work, but Kamelot using their fame within the genre to bring awareness to other artists has been helpful as well. They promote the hell out of their guest musicians and it has really helped some of them out, which is part of what I mean when I say that they uplift women.

They even brought Alissa White-Gluz to the forefront of the metal scene, which led to her being chosen as the new vocalist for Arch Enemy in 2014, after having been featured on Kamelot's album and touring with them throughout 2012 and '13. If it hadn't been for the exposure she received during that period, it's possible she wouldn't have been selected to join the band she's now most famous for fronting. Their subsequent albums also featured Lauren Hart and Melissa Bonny as harsh vocalists, continuing to opt for female rather than male guests.

Additionally, the opening acts they choose when they tour often include bands with female musicians, which has given all of those bands a ton of attention and led to their rise in popularity as well, especially among North American audiences. I believe Delain had never performed in the United States at all prior to being selected as Kamelot's opening act (along with the all-female group Eklipse) in 2013, and since then they have become one of the most popular and frequently-touring bands, opening for several other large acts after their first tour with Kamelot, and now being big enough to headline. Ad Infinitum, the openers on their most recent tour, also hadn't toured the U.S. before, but after this exposure, plus the attention Melissa gained for being Kamelot's guest vocalist, I'm sure they'll be touring here more frequently in the future as well.

From their older albums like Karma, The Black Halo, and Ghost Opera, to the new era's Silverthorn, Haven, and The Awakening, the overwhelming majority of Kamelot's album covers have featured women in the artwork. As a style choice, this might not seem that unusual or like a big deal, but it's still a subtle way of "normalizing" women as a part of the heavy metal scene. And on rare occasions where near-nudity occurs, it's done in an artistic way. Unlike some all-male bands (such as Beast in Black, whose two most recent album covers feature male-fantasy art), the women featured aren't overly sexualized or unrealistic in their portrayal.

Throughout their lyrics, Kamelot also expresses their admiration for women in subtle ways. While characters such as the "queen of the symphony" who avenges her dead grandmother in the song "Opus of the Night" show women in stronger, more take-charge roles, I've also noticed that it's always female characters who are portrayed as healing and calming, as saviors or beacons of strength when the male characters are overwhelmed or distressed. This can be seen in the Angel of Afterlife portrayed by Elize Ryd in "Sacrimony," and Jennifer Haben's final verse of "In Twilight Hours." While it's obviously not women's responsibility to be saviors to men, which I don't think they are implying in any way, these lyrics make it clear that the male writers find comfort and security in the women in their lives. And as long as they aren't forcing women into those roles, I think that's a great thing.

Everything you will see the band members say about their wives and family members supports that, as well. The way they talk about their female partners makes it obvious they have a lot of respect for them. I include their former drummer Casey Grillo in this as well, whose relationship with his wife Kim actually makes my jaded heart believe in love.

Even right down to their merch table, the band takes their female fans into consideration, as they are one of the very few metal bands that continuously sell a large variety of women's-fit shirts in addition to the blocky "unisex" ones -- a choice that I, and every female friend I have who likes the band, really appreciate. It's honestly rare to find a band with this good of a shirt selection for women; even my favorite female-fronted bands like Battle Beast don't live up to this, despite having metal-loving female members who have probably struggled with the sizing of unisex band shirts themselves.

Basically everything Kamelot does, from the lyrics and artwork, to the guest vocalists and opening bands, to the merch table, and of course every interaction I've had with them or seen them have with other fans, implies that the men in the band just respect women. But they typically don't have to come right out and say that (other than the occasional social media post such as on International Women's Day), because it's obvious in the subtle things and their behavior. Instead of treating us like we're anomalies, like women who are into metal are as rare as unicorns, they treat us like we belong in the community and are just a normal part of it.

The heavy metal scene is still largely considered a boys' club in part because there are men actively trying to keep it that way. They don't want women to be involved in something that they view as belonging to them. At least not in any substantial way. It's fine for us to be there as eye candy, to look pretty on a stage or be models for highly sexualized artwork for album covers and posters -- but trying to get male metalheads to take their female counterparts seriously can be a struggle, if you even think it's worth bothering in the first place.

Historically, women even have a tendency to be harassed by male gatekeepers at concerts, demanding that they name five songs by a band they say they like, or otherwise prove their validity as a fan.

Going back to why Hammerfall's female fans may not want to attend their concerts, this could be one reason. If a woman feels outnumbered by men within a band's fanbase, or feels like she isn't their "target" audience, she might choose not to see them live just because she doesn't want to be around that demographic of other fans -- no matter how much she likes the music. If she has to put up with feeling unwelcome or even unsafe because of the male fans around her, it might not feel worth it and she might just prefer to listen to the band's studio albums rather than come out in person.

But with Kamelot, all of the measures they've taken to make women feel respected -- whether intentionally or organically -- also make those women feel safe and welcome.

As a result, their female fans will always show up for them.

tags: heavy metal, music, feminism