Metal Mistresses: 5 Top Heavy Metal Lead Women of All Time

At the rise of heavy metal rock women hardly ever joined metal bands or released their own songs. This genre of music seemed quite odd to the masses which meant that any woman dressing up in dark and wild costumes and banging away to loud metallic sounds would probably be frowned upon. However, as time went by a number of courageous women started joining bands and creating their own sounds. Here is a list of some of the most popular heavy metal front women of all time.

5. Janet Patricia Gardner

Born in March of 1962 Janet became a musical sensation in the early 80s. She joined the band Vixen which was made up of female members only. She was the lead singer and doubled up as its rhythm guitarist. The band’s single titled Edge of a Broken Heart became one of the most popular hits of the 80s. It is also considered one of the songs that thrust the band into the limelight. Some top hits from Janet include Candle, Rat Hole and Best Friend.

4. Donita Sparks

Donita was born in April of 1963 and was raised in Chicago, Illinois. She later became a co-founder of the band known as L7. She is a songwriter, vocalist and guitarist which is part of the reason why she stands out as one of the most talented women in the heavy metal rock industry. She released her debut solo album called Transmiticate in the year 2008. Some of the tracks in which she featured heavily include Pretend We’re Dead, Shitlist and Andres.

3. Doro Pesch

Dorothy “Doro” Pesch was born in June of 1963 in Germany. As a singer and songwriter she has over the years awed fans by showcasing her talents as a solo artist or together with the band Warlock. Most of her fans fondly refer to her as the Metal Queen. To date she has produced over 12 studio albums with some of her top tracks including Love Me Forever, I’m In Love With You, Raise Your Fist in The Air and Metal Tango.

2. Lita Ford

Lita was born in Britain but later moved to the United States where she was raised. She is regarded as one of the best female guitarists in the heavy metal music genre. As if that was not enough she joined the industry at the age of 16 and captivated audiences with her largely operatic mezzo-soprano voice. She was part of the band Runaways but also produced a number of solo tracks. Some of her top hits include Kiss Me Deadly, Mother and Shot Poison.

1. Wendy O. Williams

Wendy was part of the founding members of the heavy metal band called Plasmatics, which had its origins in New York City. Audiences were captivated by her costume choice which featured a rhinoceros horn on top of her head, a chainsaw in each of her hands and an electric tape concealing her nipples. Despite her band disbanding in 1984 Wendy went ahead to release a solo album titled W.O.W. Some of her top tracks include Super Jock Guy, Rulers of Rock, It’s My Life and Early Days.