18 Best Female Metal Singers (2024 Rankings)

Perhaps one of the most diverse genres within modern rock music, heavy metal has grown to a massive success throughout the United States and Europe since its beginnings in the late 1960s.

Artists such as Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Alice Cooper, and Motorhead pioneered the sound which has since expanded far beyond its shiny roots. The genre has developed an array of subgenres and fusion genres since its beginnings, such as black metal, death metal, power metal, gothic metal, and progressive metal.

Here are some of the best female metal singers of all time who have helped define and transform the genre over the years.

Here Are the Best Female Metal Singers

18. Janet Gardner

Years	1983 to 1992; 1997 to 1998; 2001; 2004 to Present
Wikipedia Page	Visit Janet Gardner Wiki Page Here

Known as the former frontwoman for the all-female glam metal band Vixen, Janet Patricia Gardner helped pave the way for other female metal artists.

Born on 17 March 1962 in Juneau, Alaska, Gardner grew up as the only girl amongst four bothers. She sang in school choirs and learned to play the guitar and piano at a young age, inspired by her mother who was a church organist and piano player.

Gardner joined Vixen in 1983 and was featured in the film Hardbodies alongside her bandmates. The band moved to Los Angeles to further their career, and Gardner worked at a golf course pro shop until the group became successful after the release of their hit single, Edge of a Broken Heart.

After leaving the band in 2001, Gardner attended the University of Bridgeport where she earned her degree in dental hygiene, becoming a dental hygienist immediately afterward. Though she stayed out of the spotlight since, she reunited with her bandmates in 2012 and performed a reunion concert in 2013 in memory of their late bandmate Jan Kuehnemund.

In 2017 Gardner released her debut eponymous solo album which was produced a written by her and her husband Justin James. In 2019 she confirmed her official resignation from Vixen so she could focus on her music career alongside her husband. She released her second album, Synergy, the following year under the name Gardner/James.

17. Angela Gossow

Years	1991 to 2014, 2020 to Present
Wikipedia Page	Visit Angela Gossow Wiki Page Here

Angela Nathalie Gossow is known primarily for her work as the former frontwoman and now manager of the melodic death metal band Arch Enemy, though she’s also known as one of the first women to front as a death metal vocalist.

Born on 5 November 1974 in Cologne, Germany, Gossow was raised by Orthodox Christian parents who divorced when Gossow was seventeen. She became anorexic and bulimic as a result of her split family and their financial hardships and decided to move away from home to join a band after graduating high school.

In 2000 she joined Arch Enemy after interviewing with guitarist Michael Amott for a German Webzine. Amott immediately asked Gossow to audition for the band after she gave him a demo tape which she described as being “poor quality” at the interview.

In 2002 Gossow was diagnosed with nodules, though she recovered quickly after vocal therapy and went on to take screaming lessons from Melissa Cross, who she still works with today. In 2006 Gossow began providing the voice for the character Lovona Succuboso for the animated TV series Metalocalypse.

In 2014 Gossow stepped down as Arch Enemy’s vocalist so that she could spend more time with her family, though she agreed to become the bands business manager so that she could still be involved. She also manages Amaranthe, Obscura, and Spiritual Beggars.

Gossow provided vocals on Amaranthe’s 2020 single Do or Die and was featured in the song’s music video, making it Gossow’s first performance in roughly eight years.

Gossow has been open about her views and personal beliefs in recent years, stating that they have often been reflected in the lyrics of her songs with Arch Enemy. She is an atheist, liberal-green anarchist, vegan, and does not smoke or drink or alcohol.

16. Alissa White-Gluz

Years	2004 to Present
Wikipedia Page	Visit Alissa White-Gluz Wiki Page Here

Alissa White-Gluz is known as the founding member of the Agonist and the current frontwoman of Arch Enemy, having taken over for Angela Gossow.

Born on 31 July 1985 in Montreal, Quebec, White-Gluz is the second of three children, her younger sister being the frontwoman of shoegaze band No Joy. She was raised vegetarian and has been vegan since 1998, though she engaged in animal rights activism at a young age.

She has discussed her family’s history in Revolver magazine, stating that her grandparents were imprisoned in a concentration camp during World War II but managed to escape, which became a major influence for her throughout her life and particularly in the Arch Enemy song, First Day in Hell.

White-Gluz formed the Agonist in 2004 with Chris Kells and Danny Marino, releasing three albums with them before leaving in 2014 after being offered the role as the lead vocalist for Arch Enemy.

Despite her success with the Agonist and Arch Enemy, White-Gluz has also collaborated with artists throughout the years, including Blackguard, Kamelot, Nightwish, Delain, DOYLE, Angra, Carnifex, Lamb of God, and Powerwolf. White-Gluz released her debut solo album in 2016, Alissa.

White-Gluz has also been involved in voice acting, as she voiced the Swarm Hunters in the 2019 video game Gears 5.

15. Floor Jansen

Years	1997 to Present
Wikipedia Page	Visit Floor Jansen Wiki Page Here

Singer, songwriter, and vocal coach Floor Jansen is known best as the frontwoman of the symphonic metal band Nightwish and former vocalist of After Forever.

Born on 21 February 1981 in Goirle, North Brabant, Netherlands, Jansen grew up with an aspiration to become a biologist. At the age of sixteen she began her music career after joining After Forever (known then as Apocalypse). Shortly after she enrolled at the Dutch Rock Academy and the Conservatorium Tilburg where she studied musical theatre and opera. Jansen then worked as a vocal coach before becoming widely successful with After Forever.

Jansen remained the frontwoman of After Forever until 2009 when she parted ways with the group and announced that she was forming her own band, ReVamp. The band released two studio albums before their split, ReVamp in 2010 and Wild Card in 2013. Jansen also taught her own music course at the time, called “Wanna be a Star?!.”

ReVamp split after Jansen was recruited by Nightwish to provide the lead vocals for their Imaginaerum World Tour in 2012 after Anette Olzon parted ways during the tour. Jansen was announced as the band’s permanent vocalist in 2013, with their first album together being released in 2015, Endless Forms Most Beautiful. The second album with Jansen was released in 2020, Human. :II: Nature.

Jansen has also collaborated with the Dutch composer and multi-instrumentalist Arjen Anthony Lucassen on his project Ayreon. She also joined Lucassen’s heavy metal supergroup, Star One.

In 2018 Jansen’s love for biology was brought to life, as a new species of beetle was discovered by Andreas Weigel, who named it Tmesisternus Floor Jansen.

Jansen participated in the Dutch TV show Best Singers in 2019, where she sang Phantom of the Opera with classical singer Henk Poort.

14. Otep Shamaya

Years	1994 to Present
Wikipedia Page	Visit Otep Shamaya Wiki Page Here

The lead vocalist and brains behind the nu metal band Otep, Otep Shamaya made her music debut in 2000 when she formed her music project.

Born on 7 November 1969, in Austin, Texas, Shamaya released her debut studio album with Otep in 2002, Sevas Tra. Otep has since seen a rising success, having charted on numerous music charts, with Otep’s latest album Generation Doom reading number 10 on the Billboard Independent chart, number 4 on the Hard Rock Chart, and number 7 on the Rock Chart.

In 2010 Shamaya was nominated for a GLAAD award for Outstanding Music Artist alongside Adam Lambert and Lady Gaga.

In the 2014 film The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies, Shamaya provided vocals for numerous creatures that appeared in the film. The following year she officially published her first set of short stories, Movies in My Head, having only self-published two poetry collections in the past on Lulu.com.

Though Shamaya has remained relatively private, she has openly discussed her sexuality as a lesbian, her advocacy for animal rights, and democratic political beliefs.

13. Lacey Sturm

Years	2000 to Present
Wikipedia Page	Visit Lacey Sturm Wiki Page Here

Lacey Nicole Sturm is perhaps best known for co-founding the Christian metal band Flyleaf, as well as performing as their lead vocalist.

Raised in Belton, Texas, Sturm was an atheist for the majority of her childhood. After she contemplated suicide, she visited a church where a man spoke to her about God. In 2000 she had the idea to start her own Christian metal band, and she began playing alongside drummer James Culpepper. In 2002 they officially formed Flyleaf (known as Passerby at the time) and released their debut self-titled studio album three years later.

Sturm has also collaborated with numerous artists independently, some of which being Breaking Benjamin, Third Day, Apocalyptica, Orianthi, We as Human and Love and Death. In 2008 she was nominated for two Grammys at the 52nd Grammy Awards for her backing vocals on Third Days album Revelation, Best Gospel Performance, and Best Gospel Song.

Sturm left the band in 2012 after the birth of her son and began her solo career two years later. She also published her first book at the time, an autobiography titled The Reason: How I Discovered a Life Worth Living. She released her debut solo album in 2016, Life Screams, which topped the Billboard Hard Rock Albums chart and reached number 7 on the Alternative Albums Chart and number 8 on the Top Rock Albums chart. In 2020 she released the single, The Decree, with Korey Cooper of Skillet.

12. Simone Simons

Years	2002 to Present
Wikipedia Page	Visit Simone Simons Wiki Page Here

Singer songwriter Simone Johanna Maria Simons is known best as the lead vocalist for the symphonic metal band Epica.

Born on 17 January 1985 in Hoensbroek, Heerlen, Netherlands, Simons began playing the flute at the age of twelve after being enrolled in a music school. At the age of fifteen, she began classical music training after she heard Nightwish’s second album, Oceanborn, which remains her favorite Nightwish album to this day. Simons joined Epica at the age of seventeen after singing in a choir for a short time.

Epica (initially known as Sahara Dust) was formed after Mark Jansen of After Forever left the band due to creative differences and recruited the then-unknown Simons to form the band, who was also his girlfriend at the time. Their debut studio album, The Phantom Agony, was released in 2002.

Simons suffered from recurring MRSA infections in 2008, hindering her ability to perform with Epica for half of the year. She recovered in mid-2008 and performed with the band in the Netherlands.

Simons has an ongoing lifestyle blog called SmoonStyle, where she discusses food, fashion, and makeup as well as her experiences as the frontwoman of Epica.

When asked about how her looks as a female frontwoman affect the band in an interview with Metalist Magazine, Simons stated that “first of all the most important is the sound of the band, because beauty will fade one day, and I hope my voice won’t.”

11. Maria Brink

Years	2004 to Present
Wikipedia Page	Visit Maria Brink Wiki Page Here

Singer-songwriter Maria Brink is the creative brains behind the alternative metal band In This Moment.

Born on 18 December 1977 in New York, Brink was introduced to artists such as The Rolling Stones, Black Sabbath, and Patti Smith, who inspired her as early as the age of five. She was inspired by Pantera, M83, and Deftones as a teenager and also drew inspiration from Mother Teresa, Joan of Arc, and Queen Elizabeth I.

At the age of fifteen, Brink became pregnant and had her son Davion while helping her mother to overcome her drug addiction. At 25 she moved to Los Angeles and performed at cafes and bars while working at retail stores.

Two years later she met Chris Howorth at an audition, who was hesitant to consider Brink for a metal singer because of her being a woman. He apologized two weeks later and hired her as the frontwoman for his band, Dying Star, which became In This Moment shortly after. The band has released seven studio albums since 2007.

Though still the active frontwoman of In This Moment, Brink is also an aspiring artist and painter, using the alias “Maria Brink’s Wonderland.” She is also an active member of the PETA campaign and is a vegetarian.

10. Elize Ryd

Years	2003 to Present
Wikipedia Page	Visit Elize Ryd Wiki Page Here

Hanna Elise Isabell Maj Höstblomma Ryd (known professionally as Elize Ryd) is best known as one of the three vocalists of the widely popular melodic metalcore and power metal band Amaranthe.

Born on 15 October 1984 in Värnamo, Sweden, Ryd was introduced to music from an early age as both of her parents were musicians. She was heavily inspired by metal music and Walt Disney as a child, which helped inspire her career in music. In 1998 she won first place in a talent competition at the age of thirteen. The prize was a record deal, but since Ryd didn’t meet the age minimum of fifteen she was unable to receive the deal. She received numerous music scholarships throughout high school before going on to enroll at a performing arts school.

Ryd began her singing career professionally as a cabaret performer in Gothenburg, Sweden, and recording songs for local bands such as Falconer, Dragonland, and Dreamland. Ryd started Amaranthe (known as Avalanche at the time) with Joacim Lundberg of Dreamland and Olof Mörck of Dragonland and released their debut EP in 2009, Leave Everything Behind.

Ryd has also collaborated with numerous bands and artists following Amaranthe’s major success, some of whom being Nightwish, Kamelot, Renegade Five, and Takida.

9. Cristina Scabbia

Years	1991 to Present
Wikipedia Page	Visit Cristina Scabbia Wiki Page Here

Singer-songwriter Cristina Adriana Chiara Scabbia is known best as one of the lead vocalists for the gothic metal band Lacuna Coil.

Born on 6 June 1972 in Milan, Italy, Scabbia started her music career in 1991 after becoming a touring musician for numerous bands and providing backing vocals. She met the vocalist and bassist of Lacuna Coil (known as Ethereal at the time) later that year who recruited her to become the band’s second vocalist. The band recorded a demo track in 1996 and was then signed by Century Media, kickstarting Scabbia’s career as a metal vocalist. The band has since released nine studio albums and received five awards and nominations.

Scabbia has since had a short career as a writer, having collaborated alongside Vinnie Paul of Pantera to write an advice column for Revolver Magazine. She has also collaborated with numerous artists and bands over the years. She was featured on thrash metal band Megadeth’s song À Tout le Monde (Set Me Free), Apocalyptica’s song S.O.S. (Anything But Love) Arjen Anthony Lucassen’s album for his Ayreon project, The Theory of Everything, and the soundtrack for the 2013 Italian film Passione sinistra.

8. Liv Kristine

Years	1993 to Present
Wikipedia Page	Visit Liv Kristine Wiki Page Here

Singer songwriter Liv Kristine Espenæs (known professionally as Liv Kristine) is best known as the former frontwoman for the symphonic metal band Leaves’ Eyes, the vocalist for the gothic metal band Theatre of Tragedy, and pioneer of the “beauty and the beast” vocal approach.

Born on 17 February 1976 in Stavanger, Norway, Kristine got her start in music in 1994 as a backup singer but was recruited shortly after to become one of the lead vocalists for Theatre of Tragedy. Kristine was fired from the band in 2003 and went on to form a new band with the former members of the death metal band Atrocity, Leaves’ Eyes.

Kristine left Leaves’ Eyes in 2016 after she was asked to join her younger sister Carmen Elise Espenæs’ band, Midnattsol, which she officially joined in 2017. Kristine has also gone on to release five solo albums and was nominated for a Grammy award in 2005 for her collaboration on the Cradle of Filth song Nymphetamine.

Kristine pioneered the “beauty and the beast” vocal approach in 1995 on Theatre of Tragedy’s self-titled debut studio album. Described by Grammy.com as “an aesthetic contrasting ‘angelic’ female vocal with male growls or aggressive singing,” this particular approach has been used by other metal bands across Europe, including Epica, Within Temptation and After Forever.

7. Taylor Momsen

Years	1997 to Present
Wikipedia Page	Visit Taylor Momsen Wiki Page Here

Known by many for her childhood acting career as Cindy Lou Who in the 2000 film How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Jenny Humphrey in The CW TV series Gossip Girl, Taylor Michel Momsen has distanced herself from her childhood career and has become a part of one of the most popular hard rock/metal bands today, The Pretty Reckless.

Born on 26 July 1993 in St. Louis, Missouri, Momsen began her professional acting career at the age of three when she was featured in a 1997 commercial for Shake ‘n Bake. Momsen has since described her experience with acting with Bethesda Magazine, stating that “no 2-year-old wants to be working, but I had no choice. My whole life I was in and out of school. I didn’t have friends. I was working constantly and I didn’t have a real life.”

At the age of sixteen in 2009, Momsen revealed that her new and upcoming band The Pretty Reckless had signed with Interscope Records and would tour with The Veronicas. Momsen stated in an interview with Digital Spy that “music is where I can be me. Music is more personal because you’re writing it and you’re involved in every step.” She has cited Kurt Cobain, Led Zeppelin, Oasis, Shirley Manson, and the Beatles as some of her biggest influences.

The band released their debut studio album the following year, Light Me Up, which became an immediate success, with songs from the album being featured in the film Kick-Ass and the TV series The Vampire Diaries.

Momsen has since seen a rising success with The Pretty Reckless. They have toured extensively across the world and have released four studio albums, their newest being Death by Rock and Roll released in 2021.

Popular Related Article: Most Famous Female Rock Stars of All Time

6. Suzuka Nakamoto

Years	2007 to Present
Wikipedia Page	Visit Suzuka Nakamoto Wiki Page Here

Musician, model, and singer Suzuka Nakamoto (known by her stage names of Su-metal and Suzuka) is known best as the lead singer of the kawaii metal band Babymetal.

Born on 20 December 1997 in Hiroshima, Japan, Nakamoto got her start as an actress at the age of five appearing in numerous commercials for Bandai. She began attending the Actor’s School Hiroshima in 2006 and was signed to the talent agency Amuse, Inc the following year.

In 2008 the agency formed the trio Karen Girls, which Nakamoto was selected to be in. The group sang the theme songs for the anime Zettai Karen Children but disbanded after the show ended. Two years later Nakamoto became one of the founding members of the idol group Sakura Gakuin but left soon after when she graduated from junior high school.

Nakamoto joined Babymetal in 2014, who released their debut self-titled studio album the same year. Babymetal has since become a worldwide success, as they are credited with the creation of the kawaii (cute) metal genre, described by BBS Newsbeat as “combining elements of J-pop and heavy metal.”

5. Amy Lee

Years	1995 to Present
Wikipedia Page	Visit Amy Lee Wiki Page Here

Singer, songwriter and pianist Amy Lynn Hartzler (known by her stage name of Amy Lee) has become one of the most influential vocalists to emerge from the early 2000s with her unique mezzo-soprano vocal range mixed with a more gothic tone and style.

Born on 13 December 1981 in Riverside, California, Lee moved around as a child before her family settled down in Little Rock, Arkansas. Lee wrote her first song at the age of eleven, Eternity of the Remorse. She then began taking classical piano lessons which she continued for nine years, aspiring to become a classical composer.

After meeting Ben Moody at a youth camp, Lee founded Evanescence. The duo played at cafes and bookstores across Arkansas before recording two EPs, Evanescence in 1998 and Sound Asleep in 1999. In 2000 Lee went on to attend Middle Tennessee State University where she studied music theory and composition, though she dropped out shortly after to focus on Evanescence. Lee and the band released a longer EP, Origin, later that year. It included the song My Immortal which was later featured on the band’s debut studio album, Fallen, in 2003.

While Evanescence grew to a huge success, Lee also worked on a few early solo projects and collaborated with other artists. In 200 she sang on David Hodges’ songs Fall Into You and Breathe. One of her most notable collaborations was her duet with former boyfriend Shaun Morgan on the song Broken by Seether, which was featured in the 2004 film The Punisher.

Lee has since become a legend in the alternative rock and metal scene due to Evanescence’s international success, and in particular, has become a fashion icon and inspiration for young women interested in metal subculture. She has stated that she often makes her own clothes to embrace her own style and refuses to use any form of sex appeal in her music, putting out a positive message for young women and girls who digest their music and performances.

4. Sharon den Adel

Years	1996 to Present
Wikipedia Page	Visit Sharon den Adel Wiki Page Here

Known as “The Ice Queen” and “Mother of Dragons,” singer, songwriter, and fashion designer Sharon Janny den Adel is perhaps best known for her work as the frontwoman of Within Temptation, a Dutch symphonic metal band.

Born on 12 July 1974 in Waddinxveen, Netherlands, Den Adel lived in over ten different countries throughout her childhood which inspired her adoration for dance. At the age of fourteen, Den Adel joined together with her boyfriend Robert Westerholt to form the band The Portal which later became Within Temptation in 1996. Despite having no vocal training whatsoever, Den Adel practiced singing alone for three or four hours a day.

Before Within Temptation became an international success, Den Adel earned her bachelor’s degree in fashion design and briefly worked for a fashion company, though she left when the bands 2001 single Ice Queen garnered major success and media attention. Den Adel still admires fashion and designs her stage costumes as well as the merchandise for Within Temptation.

Though best known for her work with Within Temptation, Den Adel has also collaborated independently with other bands and artists such as Tarja Turunen, After Forever, Evanescence, Armin van Buuren and Delain. She has also taken part in several metal and rock opera projects, including The Metal Opera, The Metal Opera Part II, Into the Electric Castle and The Land of New Hope.

In 2017 Den Adel announced the release of her debut solo project, My Indigo, though she initially completed the project as a means of dealing with personal problems and writer’s block for composing with Within Temptation and had no plans of releasing it publicly. The album was released the following year.

Most recently, Den Adel collaborated with Evanescence for their 2020 single Use My Voice, which also featured Taylor Momsen of The Pretty Reckless, Lzzy Hale of Halestorm and violinist Lindsey Stirling.

3. Tarja Turunen

Years	1996 to Present
Wikipedia Page	Visit Tarja Turunen Wiki Page Here

Known as the former frontwoman of Nightwish, Tarja Soile Susanna Turunen-Cabuli (known by her stage name of Tarja Turunen or Tarja) has been described by critics as having a remarkably powerful and emotional soprano voice that suits metal unusually well.

Born on 17 August 1977 in the village of Puhos outside of Kitee, Finland, Turunen sang in the Kitee church hall at the age of three. She joined the church choir where she began taking vocal lessons and learned to play the piano by the age of six.

During her early school years, Turunen found herself singing at every school function and earning high praise from her music teacher, Plamen Dimov, who explained that she was immediately able to pick up every note. However, Turunen became unhappy at school, as she was bullied for her voice and dedication to singing.

In 1993 at the age of sixteen, she went on to attend the Senior Secondary School of Art and Music in Savonlinna where she became fascinated with singer Sarah Brightman and the song The Phantom of the Opera. She went on to study at the Sibelius Academy in Kuopio at the age of eighteen.

Three years later, her former classmate Tuomas Holopainen reached out to Turunen to join his acoustic music project, which soon became Nightwish after Holopainen realized that Turunen’s voice was far too powerful for acoustic mood music. In 2000 she enrolled at German University Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe to earn a professional qualification as a soloist with specialization in art song.

Despite her success with Nightwish, Turunen left the band due to her and her husband Marcelo Cabuli’s deteriorating relationship with Holopainen. In 2005 she performed numerous classical concerts across Europe and began writing her own music the following year, going on to release eight studio albums. Most recently, Turunen published her first novel in 2021, Singing in My Blood which documents her life and music.

2. Lzzy Hale

Years	1997 to Present
Wikipedia Page	Visit Lzzy Hale Wiki Page Here

Singer, songwriter and musician Elizabeth Mae Hale (known by her stage name Lzzy Hale) is known as the frontwoman of Halestorm which she co-founded alongside her brother Arejay Hale in 1997.

Born on 10 October 1983 in Red Lion, Pennsylvania, Hale learned to play the piano at the age of five and the guitar at the age of sixteen. Hale and her brother Arejay released their debut EP in 1997, Forecast for the Future and their second, (Don’t Mess With The) Time Man in 1999.

Though Hales success stems from Halestorm, she has made a name for herself throughout the years as she has gone on to collaborate with numerous bands, including Shinedown, Stone Sour, In This Moment, Evanescence, Apocalyptica and Dee Snider of Twisted Sister.

In 2020 Hale became a host on the third season of the AXS TV show, A Year in Music, and judged on the first season of the TV show No Cover, a music competition show. Hale also has her own advice column for Revolver magazine called Ask Lzzy which was first published in 2015.

Most recently, Hale was announced to be the first female Gibson Brand Ambassador in 2021 after being a long-time Gibson fan and user, having collaborated with the company in the past to design the Limited Edition Lzzy Hale Explorer guitar. Lzzy Hale certainly deserves a spot at the top of this list. She is one of the most famous female metal singers of all time.

Popular Related Article: The Best Female Metal Bands of All Time

1. Doro

Years	1980 to Present
Wikipedia Page	Visit Doro Wiki Page Here

Known primarily as the former frontwoman for the heavy metal band Warlock, Dorothee Pesch, (known by her stage name of Doro), has been deemed as the “Metal Queen” by die-hard fans and music critics.

Born on 3 June 1964 in Düsseldorf, West Germany, Doro found herself listening to music as early as three years old before learning to play the piano and sing at the age of ten. After suffering a life-threatening form of tuberculosis at the age of sixteen, she declared that she would dedicate her entire life to music. Doro was recruited into her first band later that year, Snakebite, before disbanding in 1981. Doro performed in numerous garage bands afterward before forming Warlock with Peter Szigeti in 1982.

Following the release of Warlocks debut studio album in 1984, Burning the Witches, Doro became an immediate fan-favorite. According to Kerrang and Allmusic, “the mix of traditional heavy metal and power ballads, together with her voice and stage presence led Warlock to success, an exception in the 80s’ metal scene dominated by male-fronted metal bands.”

Doro saw great success throughout the late 1980s, as Warlocks music videos were constantly rotated on MTV, and the group had toured with other 80s household metal bands such as Dio, Megadeth, Judas Priest and W.A.S.P. Despite their success, Doro split ways with Warlock following the release of their fourth and final studio album, Triumph and Agony, and started her own band under her own name.

Doros career has since spanned for roughly four decades, as she has continued to make music on her own, performing most recently becoming the first heavy metal singer to have a drive-in concert due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Doro was enthusiastic about her most recent approach to live shows, stating in an interview with Nuclear Blast that “I’ve really missed my fans and also my band. The drive-in show has been a real unique experience and a career highlight for me. It feels great to rock out together again.”

Doro has easily become one of the most influential metal singers of all time, inspiring other female metal artists such as Floor Jansen of After Forever. Kerrang has described her legacy, stating that “In the 1980s the presence of women in rock, and in particular in heavy metal bands, was usually considered by press and fans more for glamour and sexual exploitation that for the musicianship showed. Doro was one of the few exceptions; her qualities as vocalist and songwriter in Warlock, her commitment in promoting their music, and her avoidance of posturing as a sex symbol won the respect of a solid fan base.”

Wrap Up

That wraps up this list. Let us know who your favorite female metal singers are in the comments below.