Popular in Arts and Humanities

Arts and Humanities

Titus Quinctius Flamininus’ “Italian triumph”

McGill University Michael Fronda

Arts and Humanities

Lincoln and the Jews

Brandeis University Jonathan Sarna

Arts and Humanities

Amputations and Convalescence

University of Western Australia Emily Brink

Art

Drawing on the past: Palladio, his precursors and knowledge of ancient architecture

University of Birmingham David Hemsoll

Art

Language, Sound, and Image in Wallace Berman’s Aleph, 1956–1966

University of San Diego Chelsea Behle Fralick

Arts and Humanities

Early Modern Natural Law Theories

University of Copenhagen Knud Haakonssen

Female Subjectivities: the Words, Music, and Images of Progressive Metal

View more insights in Arts and Humanities - Art - Music

View more figures from University of Ottawa

View the page of Lori Burns

Read the Study

Next in Art

Redface: Race, Performance, and Indigeneity

Bethany Hughes | University of Michigan

Amputations and Convalescence

Emily Brink | University of Western Australia

Lori Burns examines how a specific metal vocalist—Tatiana Shmayluk (of the Ukrainian band Jinjer)—navigates the discourse of progressive metal to challenge hegemonic norms and create space for alternative female subjectivities.

Image courtesy of interviewee. March 26, 2024

Log-in or Sign-up to Faculti
Currently viewing this subject insight as a guest. You have insight(s) remaining for this month. Login to view 8000+ figures on the platform.

Generating Workspace...

Export as PDF

This video discusses Tatiana, the lead vocalist of the progressive metal band Ginger, which was formed in Ukraine in 2009. The band has stabilized its four-piece lineup since 2017 and has been successful in the metal scene. Tatiana is recognized for her exceptional vocal abilities, showcasing a range of harsh growls, screams, and clean singing, often interplaying these styles effectively. Her lyricism addresses significant social and cultural themes, particularly regarding gender paradigms within metal music.

This video explores how genre conventions in metal typically emphasize male perspectives and often marginalize female representation. It highlights the small percentage of female musicians in metal and critiques the industry's lack of inclusivity and diversity. The author, who is conducting research on female vocalists in metal, aims to analyze how these artists navigate and transform imposed gender norms.

The discussion includes an analysis of gender representation in music videos and lyrics, revealing that female artists often counter traditional portrayals of femininity in metal. This video mentions specific songs by Ginger that challenge gendered themes, using examples to illustrate how Tatiana’s performance and musical style embody alternative representations of femininity.

The overall research aims to deconstruct the masculine ideologies prevalent in metal while showcasing the diverse voices of female artists. It asserts that women in metal can express a full range of emotions—strength, vulnerability, and aggression—thereby complicating societal assumptions surrounding male and female expressions in the genre. The study ultimately seeks to broaden understanding of the implications of female artists' participation in metal music and highlight their significant contributions to its evolution.

Language:

Export as PDF

X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000,MPEGTS:90000

1
00:00:00.325 --> 00:00:02.325
Tatiana is the vocalist

2
00:00:02.385 --> 00:00:04.125
of the progressive metal band Ginger.

3
00:00:04.825 --> 00:00:08.085
Uh, they formed in the Ukraine in 2009.

4
00:00:08.545 --> 00:00:09.605
It took them a little while

5
00:00:09.605 --> 00:00:12.205
to settle into their four piece lineup

6
00:00:12.205 --> 00:00:14.765
that has now been consistent since 2017.

7
00:00:15.985 --> 00:00:20.245
Uh, but since then they've produced a lot of albums

8
00:00:20.945 --> 00:00:23.845
and they're doing quite well on the metal scene.

9
00:00:24.585 --> 00:00:27.325
Uh, she is a remarkable lyricist

10
00:00:27.345 --> 00:00:31.045
and vocalist who delivers harsh metal growls

11
00:00:31.045 --> 00:00:34.085
and screams, as well as clean undistorted singing.

12
00:00:35.125 --> 00:00:37.905
She shift back and forth very easily between these styles,

13
00:00:38.885 --> 00:00:42.715
which you can witness in live shows and video captures.

14
00:00:43.215 --> 00:00:44.755
In saying that, it's important to note

15
00:00:44.755 --> 00:00:46.795
that many metal vocalists do both harsh

16
00:00:46.935 --> 00:00:48.875
and clean singing with very good technique.

17
00:00:49.535 --> 00:00:54.035
Her contributions lie in her virtuo vocals in relation

18
00:00:54.035 --> 00:00:55.555
to complex song structures

19
00:00:56.215 --> 00:00:59.675
and in her critical commentaries on a range of social

20
00:00:59.855 --> 00:01:02.475
and cultural themes and topics that challenge

21
00:01:02.935 --> 00:01:04.955
and transform gender paradigms.

22
00:01:04.955 --> 00:01:08.785
In metal sub genres, she is both diplomatic

23
00:01:09.045 --> 00:01:12.305
and defiant in her confrontation of gender paradigms.

24
00:01:13.075 --> 00:01:16.215
The band works within the progressive metal genre,

25
00:01:16.355 --> 00:01:17.895
but draws from a variety

26
00:01:18.035 --> 00:01:20.255
of metal music styles and sub genres.

27
00:01:20.545 --> 00:01:24.455
Death, metal, metal, core groove metal, new metal gent

28
00:01:24.595 --> 00:01:25.855
and alternative metal.

29
00:01:26.995 --> 00:01:30.535
All genres of popular music arise from music scenes

30
00:01:30.635 --> 00:01:33.375
and cultures and musical artists operate

31
00:01:33.395 --> 00:01:36.655
to some extent within the conventions of that genre.

32
00:01:38.175 --> 00:01:40.235
By genre conventions, I include a number

33
00:01:40.255 --> 00:01:43.835
of expressive parameters in the musical domain, the vocal

34
00:01:44.055 --> 00:01:47.035
and instrumental gestures, the compositional elements such

35
00:01:47.035 --> 00:01:49.875
as form, harmony, rhythm, meter, texture,

36
00:01:50.335 --> 00:01:54.635
and sonic production in the lyrical domain, the themes,

37
00:01:54.685 --> 00:01:56.155
narratives, and messages

38
00:01:56.155 --> 00:01:58.755
that comprise the storytelling components of the song

39
00:01:59.615 --> 00:02:01.475
and in the visual domain, the staging

40
00:02:01.475 --> 00:02:03.275
of the band in dramatized settings,

41
00:02:03.335 --> 00:02:05.795
and more specifically the aesthetic elements

42
00:02:05.795 --> 00:02:08.475
that can contribute to the styling of the body through

43
00:02:09.035 --> 00:02:11.355
clothing, gestures, lighting, et cetera.

44
00:02:12.815 --> 00:02:14.195
At the same time, musicians push

45
00:02:14.195 --> 00:02:16.075
and extend genre context not only

46
00:02:16.075 --> 00:02:18.595
to establish their own identity within a given genre,

47
00:02:19.175 --> 00:02:23.115
but also to innovate and create new pathways for that genre.

48
00:02:23.785 --> 00:02:26.995
I'll put it this way, what happens if the musical lyrical

49
00:02:27.015 --> 00:02:29.235
and visual attributes of a given genre

50
00:02:29.985 --> 00:02:32.835
exclude certain identities from participating

51
00:02:32.855 --> 00:02:36.075
or promote misogynist or racist messages?

52
00:02:36.615 --> 00:02:38.195
If artists are not innovating

53
00:02:38.195 --> 00:02:40.915
and transforming cultural conventions, then how can we

54
00:02:40.915 --> 00:02:42.915
as a society widen the scope

55
00:02:42.975 --> 00:02:44.795
of inclusion in musical practice?

56
00:02:46.405 --> 00:02:48.305
For my research, I rely upon an understanding

57
00:02:48.305 --> 00:02:51.065
of the different metal sub genres in order to discover

58
00:02:51.525 --> 00:02:53.385
how the conventions are disrupted

59
00:02:53.445 --> 00:02:56.945
and transformed through gendered musical subjectivities.

60
00:02:57.655 --> 00:02:59.845
This is especially important for the presentation

61
00:02:59.845 --> 00:03:02.485
of female artists in metal, a meta genre

62
00:03:02.485 --> 00:03:05.205
that has been critiqued for its lack of inclusion,

63
00:03:05.505 --> 00:03:06.685
equity, and diversity.

64
00:03:07.405 --> 00:03:11.405
A 2018 study discovered that women comprise less than 3%

65
00:03:11.505 --> 00:03:14.565
of the total number of musicians vocalists would be

66
00:03:14.625 --> 00:03:16.645
around 1.5%.

67
00:03:17.995 --> 00:03:19.615
So to explain my larger project

68
00:03:19.755 --> 00:03:21.895
of which the Ginger article is just one piece,

69
00:03:22.515 --> 00:03:24.415
I'm examining the expressive work

70
00:03:24.435 --> 00:03:28.095
of female vocalists in metal music across the full range

71
00:03:28.115 --> 00:03:29.655
of sub genres and styles,

72
00:03:30.155 --> 00:03:32.095
and over the historical period from

73
00:03:32.195 --> 00:03:33.535
the 1980s to the present.

74
00:03:34.385 --> 00:03:36.855
While it's true that a very small percentage

75
00:03:36.855 --> 00:03:39.375
of metal musicians are women, it's also true

76
00:03:39.765 --> 00:03:42.215
that there are a lot of female artists operating a metal.

77
00:03:42.515 --> 00:03:45.495
So it's not difficult for me to identify a very long list

78
00:03:45.595 --> 00:03:47.175
of diverse works to study.

79
00:03:48.105 --> 00:03:51.165
The field of metal music studies has been emerging since the

80
00:03:51.365 --> 00:03:55.365
1990s with early scholarship on the cultural aspects of

81
00:03:55.955 --> 00:03:57.685
this extreme expression.

82
00:03:57.745 --> 00:04:00.925
In rock music, leading scholars have written about the

83
00:04:00.925 --> 00:04:03.885
predominance of hegemonic masculinity in metal music

84
00:04:03.985 --> 00:04:05.805
of the 1970s and eighties.

85
00:04:06.505 --> 00:04:10.205
Gender issues thus rose up in the discourse immediately

86
00:04:10.745 --> 00:04:12.925
as the genre was examined for the heavy

87
00:04:13.225 --> 00:04:16.605
and extreme musical expression, performance staging,

88
00:04:17.365 --> 00:04:19.205
audience participation in the scenes

89
00:04:19.865 --> 00:04:23.525
and misogynist ideologies that are evident in the lyrics.

90
00:04:24.145 --> 00:04:26.965
The discourse has primarily focused on masculinity

91
00:04:27.345 --> 00:04:28.805
and the music of male vocalists

92
00:04:28.805 --> 00:04:30.965
and musicians, despite the fact

93
00:04:30.965 --> 00:04:33.325
that female artists have been making their own statements.

94
00:04:34.335 --> 00:04:36.025
Also of concern to me is how music,

95
00:04:36.765 --> 00:04:38.905
how female artists are discussed in the literature

96
00:04:39.245 --> 00:04:40.385
if they are at all.

97
00:04:41.595 --> 00:04:44.695
In mentioning eighties band such as Girl School Warlock

98
00:04:44.755 --> 00:04:46.695
or Lita Ford scholars

99
00:04:46.695 --> 00:04:49.175
or writers about music often reveal a tendency

100
00:04:49.175 --> 00:04:51.735
to receive these artists as sex objects.

101
00:04:52.245 --> 00:04:55.215
This occurs because the structures both musical

102
00:04:55.515 --> 00:04:58.535
and sociocultural of metal music have been received

103
00:04:58.555 --> 00:05:00.535
as inherently masculine, such

104
00:05:00.535 --> 00:05:01.895
that women are always working within

105
00:05:02.395 --> 00:05:04.175
and against that dominant frame.

106
00:05:04.835 --> 00:05:06.255
As metal scholars question,

107
00:05:07.515 --> 00:05:10.255
if these expressive tools are only available to men,

108
00:05:10.525 --> 00:05:13.575
then women's identities and subjectivities are marginalized.

109
00:05:14.035 --> 00:05:15.935
If women do adopt these strategies,

110
00:05:16.115 --> 00:05:19.215
the performance is likely to be interpreted as masculine.

111
00:05:19.975 --> 00:05:22.315
In the last 10 to 15 years, scholars have begun

112
00:05:22.315 --> 00:05:24.595
to challenge the notion that metal only holds space

113
00:05:24.595 --> 00:05:26.835
for hyper-masculine ideologies.

114
00:05:27.215 --> 00:05:31.875
In contrast to earlier views on metal, we now see writings

115
00:05:31.875 --> 00:05:34.315
that deconstruct masculinity in metal

116
00:05:34.545 --> 00:05:37.435
that open the discussion to queer identities in the genre,

117
00:05:38.055 --> 00:05:40.915
and that illuminate aspects of gender play

118
00:05:41.825 --> 00:05:44.155
were aided in the field of musicology by the work

119
00:05:44.155 --> 00:05:47.395
of gender theorists who propose alternative models

120
00:05:47.535 --> 00:05:48.755
for gender performativity

121
00:05:49.295 --> 00:05:52.195
and thus make room for women to engage in practices

122
00:05:52.425 --> 00:05:54.435
that are typically received as masculine.

123
00:05:54.945 --> 00:05:56.435
This allows for a more fluid

124
00:05:56.655 --> 00:05:59.765
and in fact, complicated understanding of femininity.

125
00:06:00.165 --> 00:06:01.285
I appreciate the notion

126
00:06:01.315 --> 00:06:03.645
that gender conventions are negotiated

127
00:06:03.745 --> 00:06:05.125
and must be transformed.

128
00:06:06.065 --> 00:06:09.485
The discursive negotiations often concern power relations

129
00:06:09.745 --> 00:06:12.405
and the attribution of agency in relation

130
00:06:12.405 --> 00:06:13.525
to available resources.

131
00:06:13.825 --> 00:06:17.645
If metal music is an expression of power, who holds

132
00:06:17.645 --> 00:06:20.565
that power and who is subjugated to that power?

133
00:06:21.595 --> 00:06:23.335
One of my primary concerns is

134
00:06:23.335 --> 00:06:24.855
that the scholarship on women in metal

135
00:06:25.615 --> 00:06:28.815
seldom discusses the musical content and expression,

136
00:06:28.995 --> 00:06:32.375
but rather focuses on the gendered aspects of the industry

137
00:06:32.475 --> 00:06:36.815
and subculture scenes, as well as on representations

138
00:06:36.815 --> 00:06:39.135
of gender and sexuality In the images

139
00:06:39.235 --> 00:06:42.895
and lyrics of metal music, I argue that in order

140
00:06:42.895 --> 00:06:44.775
to understand the musical expression

141
00:06:44.795 --> 00:06:47.735
of female metal artists, we must examine how they

142
00:06:48.315 --> 00:06:50.775
occupy space in the metal sub genres,

143
00:06:50.775 --> 00:06:53.895
and specifically in the musical song structures

144
00:06:54.795 --> 00:06:56.015
to address these issues.

145
00:06:56.325 --> 00:06:57.495
Here are the questions I pose.

146
00:06:58.655 --> 00:07:02.075
How does a female artist occupy performative space in the

147
00:07:02.075 --> 00:07:04.755
expressive channels of words, music and images?

148
00:07:05.665 --> 00:07:06.875
What cultural themes

149
00:07:07.015 --> 00:07:09.035
and gendered practices are being conveyed

150
00:07:09.035 --> 00:07:10.795
through these expressive channels?

151
00:07:11.735 --> 00:07:14.795
How might a female artist complicate these themes

152
00:07:15.135 --> 00:07:16.715
and practices in order

153
00:07:16.715 --> 00:07:19.475
to transform the conventional representations of gender

154
00:07:19.575 --> 00:07:22.475
and sexuality within metal sub genres?

155
00:07:24.235 --> 00:07:26.505
These are interpretive questions that need to be grounded

156
00:07:27.045 --> 00:07:28.465
in an analytic method.

157
00:07:30.275 --> 00:07:32.465
First, I situate the music video in

158
00:07:32.525 --> 00:07:33.705
its Intertextual context.

159
00:07:34.215 --> 00:07:36.465
What this means is to identify the materials

160
00:07:36.465 --> 00:07:40.585
and ideas in the words music and images that refer to

161
00:07:40.685 --> 00:07:42.665
or connect to other works.

162
00:07:43.005 --> 00:07:45.825
Intertextuality is like a conversation that is taking place

163
00:07:45.825 --> 00:07:48.065
between and among the cultural forms

164
00:07:48.565 --> 00:07:50.385
to create a network of ideas.

165
00:07:51.385 --> 00:07:54.265
I then examine how these intertext shape

166
00:07:55.065 --> 00:07:56.785
cultural expressions of power, authority,

167
00:07:56.885 --> 00:07:59.825
and aggression specifically in relation to gender.

168
00:08:00.325 --> 00:08:02.225
In other words, I reflect on the materials

169
00:08:02.225 --> 00:08:05.305
and ideas that are being developed in the Intertextual

170
00:08:05.305 --> 00:08:09.265
network to understand what themes and tropes emerge.

171
00:08:10.515 --> 00:08:14.665
Since my field is music, I conduct extensive music analysis

172
00:08:14.725 --> 00:08:18.105
and then place that analytic data into dialogue

173
00:08:18.105 --> 00:08:20.345
with the words and images to discover the intersection

174
00:08:20.525 --> 00:08:22.065
of expression,

175
00:08:22.205 --> 00:08:26.225
and the the intersection of of words, music and lyrics.

176
00:08:27.135 --> 00:08:30.345
This involves a close reading of the song with the aim

177
00:08:30.345 --> 00:08:32.785
of illuminating nuances of meaning.

178
00:08:33.785 --> 00:08:36.905
I gather this set of data from the inter textual references,

179
00:08:37.485 --> 00:08:39.305
the stories that are told about gender

180
00:08:39.335 --> 00:08:40.625
through these references

181
00:08:41.365 --> 00:08:45.585
and the close reading of the song in order to interpret

182
00:08:46.245 --> 00:08:47.945
the emergent cultural messages

183
00:08:48.765 --> 00:08:50.785
to reflect further on that for a moment.

184
00:08:51.045 --> 00:08:52.705
The reason that I examine this song

185
00:08:52.705 --> 00:08:55.025
and video from so many perspectives is

186
00:08:55.165 --> 00:08:57.165
that meanings come forward at different levels

187
00:08:57.425 --> 00:08:58.805
and on different registers.

188
00:08:59.375 --> 00:09:01.405
We're more likely to be able to respond

189
00:09:01.405 --> 00:09:03.725
to the developing discourse around meaning.

190
00:09:04.545 --> 00:09:07.245
If we have considered a number of analytic pathways,

191
00:09:07.785 --> 00:09:11.845
if we rush to interpret without having analytic evidence

192
00:09:11.845 --> 00:09:14.885
to ground our interpretations, it's very easy

193
00:09:14.985 --> 00:09:17.205
to miss potentially important layers

194
00:09:17.385 --> 00:09:18.885
of meaning and critique.

195
00:09:20.095 --> 00:09:22.315
So at this point, I would like to share my screen

196
00:09:23.535 --> 00:09:27.035
and show a few images and play some clips.

197
00:09:28.845 --> 00:09:30.065
So we arrive at the question of

198
00:09:30.065 --> 00:09:33.905
how Tatiana Muk complicates the gender discourse of metal

199
00:09:34.005 --> 00:09:36.265
to transform conventional representations

200
00:09:36.365 --> 00:09:37.625
of gender and sexuality.

201
00:09:38.365 --> 00:09:41.545
For this study, I chose three songs, three music videos

202
00:09:42.135 --> 00:09:43.225
that grapple with themes

203
00:09:43.225 --> 00:09:44.745
that are common to progressive metal.

204
00:09:46.695 --> 00:09:49.535
I referred to the first theme as cosmic bodies

205
00:09:49.915 --> 00:09:51.135
to reflect the emphasis

206
00:09:51.135 --> 00:09:53.415
that is placed on human subjects in relation

207
00:09:53.415 --> 00:09:56.775
to the universe, this theme owes a debt to space rock

208
00:09:56.835 --> 00:09:59.735
and art rock of the 1960s and seventies.

209
00:10:00.035 --> 00:10:02.015
For instance, we can think of work by Pink Floyd,

210
00:10:02.145 --> 00:10:03.815
David Bowie, T-Rex

211
00:10:03.815 --> 00:10:07.255
and Hawk Wind that explored extraterrestrial topics.

212
00:10:08.235 --> 00:10:11.015
The theme of space rock that developed in the art rock

213
00:10:11.135 --> 00:10:14.255
of the sixties and seventies gets taken up

214
00:10:14.435 --> 00:10:16.015
by contemporary metal bands.

215
00:10:16.075 --> 00:10:19.655
For instance, between the Ome Me born of Osirus

216
00:10:20.195 --> 00:10:24.535
Gojira scar symmetry, Tesseract music videos

217
00:10:24.715 --> 00:10:28.015
by these bands featured Godlike figures, bodies

218
00:10:28.075 --> 00:10:32.215
of epic proportions in cosmic settings exceeding natural

219
00:10:32.465 --> 00:10:35.895
human limitations with lyrics that question the meaning

220
00:10:35.895 --> 00:10:37.615
of the universe and our potential

221
00:10:37.615 --> 00:10:39.375
to achieve a higher consciousness.

222
00:10:39.875 --> 00:10:43.135
And of course, these videos include highly complex

223
00:10:43.275 --> 00:10:45.135
and virtuo progressive metal music.

224
00:10:46.095 --> 00:10:49.105
There's an apparent universality to the images,

225
00:10:49.665 --> 00:10:51.585
a presumption that these are explorations

226
00:10:51.585 --> 00:10:53.385
of human power in the universe.

227
00:10:53.615 --> 00:10:56.105
However, women do not emerge in the visual

228
00:10:56.105 --> 00:10:57.545
economy of these works.

229
00:10:58.045 --> 00:11:01.425
The omniscient perspective is always already male.

230
00:11:04.615 --> 00:11:08.245
Enter ginger in their music video I speak astronomy.

231
00:11:09.005 --> 00:11:11.925
Tatiana inserts herself into the role

232
00:11:12.185 --> 00:11:15.045
of the other worldly figure, unconstrained

233
00:11:15.065 --> 00:11:16.645
by gravity larger than life,

234
00:11:16.665 --> 00:11:17.765
and yet at the same time

235
00:11:17.795 --> 00:11:20.165
with an undeniably feminine aesthetic.

236
00:11:21.045 --> 00:11:23.545
By embodying this role of universal authority that is

237
00:11:23.545 --> 00:11:26.545
otherwise primarily adopted by male metal bands,

238
00:11:27.485 --> 00:11:28.905
lik claims an image of power

239
00:11:29.925 --> 00:11:31.745
for female artists in progressive metal

240
00:11:32.165 --> 00:11:34.625
and asserts that this status is available to him.

241
00:11:34.965 --> 00:11:36.665
The song culminates with an image

242
00:11:36.665 --> 00:11:39.185
of shma standing on the ground of a new world,

243
00:11:39.455 --> 00:11:41.665
raising her arm to an upward beam

244
00:11:41.665 --> 00:11:44.545
of light while she delivers an epic melodic line

245
00:11:44.545 --> 00:11:47.825
and proclaims, we won't be held by no bars.

246
00:11:49.305 --> 00:11:51.605
To give you a quick sense of my music analytic method,

247
00:11:51.845 --> 00:11:55.245
I will briefly illustrate her vocal production in relation

248
00:11:55.245 --> 00:11:56.965
to the musical setting and the text.

249
00:11:57.555 --> 00:11:59.725
This is a sonic visualization tool

250
00:11:59.725 --> 00:12:03.085
that provides the sonic data in real time and space.

251
00:12:03.975 --> 00:12:08.225
This opening of I speak astronomy features her clean sliding

252
00:12:08.225 --> 00:12:12.145
vocal call in juxtaposition with a filtered response,

253
00:12:13.145 --> 00:12:15.385
followed by a breathy sultry passage.

254
00:12:16.015 --> 00:12:18.185
Then shifting quickly to growled vocals

255
00:12:18.185 --> 00:12:21.385
and screams that deliver pitch energy across a

256
00:12:21.415 --> 00:12:22.745
wide frequency spectrum.

257
00:12:23.455 --> 00:12:26.305
Without entering all of the details of my analytic argument,

258
00:12:26.395 --> 00:12:29.745
let's just say that I consider these sonic strategies in

259
00:12:30.025 --> 00:12:31.305
relation to the words and the images.

260
00:12:32.955 --> 00:12:35.455
We won't enter a video example here, but I will get to one.

261
00:12:35.475 --> 00:12:36.695
So let's listen to this passage

262
00:12:42.415 --> 00:12:43.415
A.

263
00:13:37.255 --> 00:13:39.475
The second song that I analyze addresses the themes

264
00:13:39.495 --> 00:13:43.275
of lament death and precarious femininity.

265
00:13:44.965 --> 00:13:48.225
The song perennial is connected inter textually to the work

266
00:13:48.225 --> 00:13:50.505
of death, doom and gothic metal bands.

267
00:13:50.845 --> 00:13:54.025
For instance, catatonia, opec, lamb of God,

268
00:13:54.775 --> 00:13:56.785
swallow the Sun, daylight dies.

269
00:13:57.475 --> 00:14:00.145
These works often explore a male subjects spiritual

270
00:14:00.215 --> 00:14:03.625
catharsis, while the video images feature female subjects in

271
00:14:03.625 --> 00:14:06.145
situations of peril and vulnerability.

272
00:14:06.885 --> 00:14:09.945
We often see in these videos a soul female character

273
00:14:10.625 --> 00:14:14.185
stylized as a feminine figure from the past exposed

274
00:14:14.245 --> 00:14:16.345
to harsh natural surroundings

275
00:14:16.605 --> 00:14:18.585
and running from a dangerous force.

276
00:14:21.855 --> 00:14:24.765
Again, enter ginger in their video

277
00:14:24.825 --> 00:14:27.045
for perennial Schick plays the role

278
00:14:27.065 --> 00:14:28.725
of the vulnerable female figure,

279
00:14:28.825 --> 00:14:31.165
but does not limit her visual representation

280
00:14:31.385 --> 00:14:32.445
to that one image.

281
00:14:32.985 --> 00:14:34.565
She adopts the role of narrator

282
00:14:34.905 --> 00:14:38.285
or comment commentator in juxtaposition with a figure

283
00:14:38.345 --> 00:14:40.685
who is compelled to dig her own grave.

284
00:14:42.345 --> 00:14:44.725
As with the other song, my analysis

285
00:14:44.785 --> 00:14:47.685
of perennial delves into detailed musical elements

286
00:14:47.705 --> 00:14:50.885
and specifically how her vocal strategies contribute

287
00:14:50.885 --> 00:14:52.605
to the complex song structure.

288
00:14:53.635 --> 00:14:55.605
This song closes with a climatic

289
00:14:55.745 --> 00:14:58.685
and cathartic section that declares a new subject

290
00:14:58.745 --> 00:15:01.205
to be arising out of the ashes of despair.

291
00:15:01.775 --> 00:15:03.485
Let's listen and watch the video

292
00:15:03.585 --> 00:15:05.165
that's now placed into the frame

293
00:15:05.955 --> 00:15:08.565
with the realtime sonic visualization data.

294
00:15:54.755 --> 00:15:58.075
I refer to my final theme for analysis as fragile subjects,

295
00:15:59.055 --> 00:16:01.745
several alternative and progressive metal bands.

296
00:16:01.745 --> 00:16:04.945
For instance, Shuga Corn, Gojira of Mice

297
00:16:04.945 --> 00:16:08.825
and Men D develop songs that question A subject's mental

298
00:16:09.465 --> 00:16:11.625
struggles and the potential loss of self.

299
00:16:12.365 --> 00:16:15.305
In the music videos of such songs, it is not unusual

300
00:16:15.365 --> 00:16:19.025
to see a female actress playing the role of a disjointed

301
00:16:19.085 --> 00:16:20.625
and besieged subject.

302
00:16:21.825 --> 00:16:25.025
Ginger's pit of consciousness draws upon this intellectual

303
00:16:25.185 --> 00:16:26.945
network and addresses the topic

304
00:16:27.045 --> 00:16:30.865
of mental anguish once again, lik takes on the role

305
00:16:31.005 --> 00:16:32.185
of the struggling figure.

306
00:16:33.745 --> 00:16:36.525
Her words and images convey the sensibilities

307
00:16:36.785 --> 00:16:40.245
of a fragmented figure while her musical strategies evoke

308
00:16:40.245 --> 00:16:42.845
alternative and extreme progressive metal stylings.

309
00:16:43.265 --> 00:16:45.525
The final sequence of the video shows her

310
00:16:45.525 --> 00:16:49.205
to be submerged in water as she waits for her mind

311
00:16:49.345 --> 00:16:50.365
to be pacified.

312
00:16:51.175 --> 00:16:51.765
Let's watch.

313
00:17:37.605 --> 00:17:40.585
For each analysis, I offer interpretive conclusions

314
00:17:40.585 --> 00:17:43.385
that result from the intertextual analysis

315
00:17:43.445 --> 00:17:44.905
and the close reading of the song.

316
00:17:45.605 --> 00:17:49.365
In the cosmic theme, I speak astronomy grants a female body

317
00:17:49.545 --> 00:17:50.925
and other worldly authority,

318
00:17:50.935 --> 00:17:54.885
while at the same time sustaining s human femininity.

319
00:17:55.385 --> 00:17:57.365
She uses a vast range of vocal effects.

320
00:17:57.505 --> 00:18:00.365
Her voice is always reverberate within space

321
00:18:00.945 --> 00:18:04.245
of the heavy metal, and you know this strong guitar

322
00:18:04.305 --> 00:18:05.605
and kit texture.

323
00:18:07.425 --> 00:18:10.245
By presenting her in a range of positions in relation

324
00:18:10.245 --> 00:18:13.565
to cosmic space, she's shown to be at once seductive

325
00:18:13.565 --> 00:18:15.285
and aggressive, deified

326
00:18:15.505 --> 00:18:18.805
and grounded in the gothic theme perennial.

327
00:18:20.375 --> 00:18:21.625
This song exposes

328
00:18:21.885 --> 00:18:24.505
and confronts the vulnerability of female experience.

329
00:18:24.845 --> 00:18:26.785
The song tells a story of loss

330
00:18:26.885 --> 00:18:28.865
and restoration through reference

331
00:18:28.865 --> 00:18:30.545
to the natural cycle of seasons.

332
00:18:31.525 --> 00:18:34.665
Lik offers a compelling critique of gothic femininity

333
00:18:35.045 --> 00:18:37.585
by connecting to the iconic imagery of death

334
00:18:38.135 --> 00:18:39.225
doom and gothic metal.

335
00:18:39.645 --> 00:18:41.585
She is both the exposed subject

336
00:18:42.085 --> 00:18:44.025
and the defiant metal vocalist.

337
00:18:45.105 --> 00:18:48.705
Ultimately, oppressive femininity is not restored or upheld,

338
00:18:48.925 --> 00:18:51.625
but rather this kind of femininity is seen

339
00:18:51.625 --> 00:18:53.345
to be digging its own grave.

340
00:18:54.475 --> 00:18:58.375
The theme of fragile subjects allows sch to the opportunity

341
00:18:58.395 --> 00:19:00.055
to embody and critique the role

342
00:19:00.055 --> 00:19:02.335
of a fragmented female subject

343
00:19:03.115 --> 00:19:05.255
in a highly complex song structure.

344
00:19:05.675 --> 00:19:08.695
She conveys a multidimensional representation of femininity

345
00:19:09.075 --> 00:19:11.975
and a willingness to represent human struggle while not

346
00:19:11.975 --> 00:19:14.815
capitulating to the archetype of a weak female.

347
00:19:15.655 --> 00:19:17.255
I would suggest this to be a distinction

348
00:19:17.255 --> 00:19:20.055
of female metal singer subjectivity more generally

349
00:19:20.475 --> 00:19:22.215
and sch intervention.

350
00:19:22.405 --> 00:19:27.085
More specifically, she is not merely a visual asset in the

351
00:19:27.085 --> 00:19:30.765
music video, but rather a performer who embodies critiques

352
00:19:30.765 --> 00:19:33.645
and transforms the roles that are being represented

353
00:19:34.655 --> 00:19:35.715
at the level of genre.

354
00:19:36.395 --> 00:19:38.395
Tatiana and the band members of Ginger

355
00:19:38.925 --> 00:19:43.035
offer a unique intersection of genre elements in dialogue

356
00:19:43.035 --> 00:19:44.235
with their lyrics and images.

357
00:19:44.505 --> 00:19:48.555
This unique genre bland creates space for the negotiation

358
00:19:48.575 --> 00:19:52.705
of alternative femininities, establishing herself

359
00:19:52.705 --> 00:19:53.825
as a crucial actor.

360
00:19:54.165 --> 00:19:57.465
In progressive metal, Mila claims performative space in

361
00:19:57.465 --> 00:20:01.065
words, music and images to deliver compelling narratives

362
00:20:01.065 --> 00:20:04.785
that feature and problematize powerful v vulnerable

363
00:20:05.205 --> 00:20:07.705
and destabilized female subjectivities.

364
00:20:08.265 --> 00:20:12.165
Consistently. She embodies in these expressive channels

365
00:20:13.125 --> 00:20:14.125
representations of femininity

366
00:20:14.125 --> 00:20:16.725
that are salient within metal music cultures,

367
00:20:17.345 --> 00:20:19.525
but that she demonstrates to be deserving

368
00:20:19.525 --> 00:20:21.285
of critique and transformation.

369
00:20:22.115 --> 00:20:23.805
It's important for female performers

370
00:20:23.825 --> 00:20:27.485
to have the full toolkit of emotional expression available

371
00:20:27.545 --> 00:20:31.325
to them, including expressions of strength, aggression,

372
00:20:31.515 --> 00:20:33.125
vulnerability, and pain.

373
00:20:33.755 --> 00:20:36.945
These expressions are not the sole domain of masculinity,

374
00:20:37.825 --> 00:20:39.465
although typically attributed as such,

375
00:20:39.685 --> 00:20:41.505
but female metal artists can

376
00:20:41.605 --> 00:20:45.985
and do accomplish the necessary genre negotiations in order

377
00:20:45.985 --> 00:20:49.325
to confuse notions about male and female vo voices.

378
00:20:51.025 --> 00:20:53.875
With this study, I've situated this artist

379
00:20:54.935 --> 00:20:58.435
and her multimodal expression in relation to the work

380
00:20:58.455 --> 00:21:01.515
of comparable metal bands in order to illuminate

381
00:21:02.215 --> 00:21:03.275
how she complicates

382
00:21:03.335 --> 00:21:05.355
and transforms the conventional understanding

383
00:21:05.415 --> 00:21:09.755
of gendered subjectivities in metal music with hundreds

384
00:21:10.015 --> 00:21:11.995
of active female metal vocalists.

385
00:21:12.395 --> 00:21:14.795
A great deal of work remains to be done to know

386
00:21:14.795 --> 00:21:16.835
and understand what these artists can

387
00:21:16.895 --> 00:21:19.815
and do bring to the genre of metal music.

Exploring Gender Dynamics in Progressive Metal

00:00:00 - Tatiana is the vocalist of the progressive metal band Ginger. they formed in the Ukraine in 2009. It took them a little while to settle into their four piece lineup that has now been consistent since 2017. but since then they've produced a lot of albums and they're doing quite well on the metal scene. she is a remarkable lyricist and vocalist who delivers harsh metal growls
00:00:35 - She shift back and forth very easily between these styles, which you can witness in live shows and video captures. In saying that, it's important to note that many metal vocalists do both harsh and clean singing with very good technique. Her contributions lie in her virtuo vocals in relation to complex song structures and in her critical commentaries on a range of social and cultural themes and topics that challenge
00:01:04 - In metal sub genres, she is both diplomatic and defiant in her confrontation of gender paradigms. The band works within the progressive metal genre, but draws from a variety of metal music styles and sub genres. Death, metal, metal, core groove metal, new metal gent and alternative metal. All genres of popular music arise from music scenes and cultures and musical artists operate
00:01:38 - By genre conventions, I include a number of expressive parameters in the musical domain, the vocal and instrumental gestures, the compositional elements such as form, harmony, rhythm, meter, texture, and sonic production in the lyrical domain, the themes, narratives, and messages that comprise the storytelling components of the song and in the visual domain, the staging of the band in dramatized settings, and more specifically the aesthetic elements
00:02:09 - clothing, gestures, lighting, et cetera. At the same time, musicians push and extend genre context not only to establish their own identity within a given genre, but also to innovate and create new pathways for that genre. I'll put it this way, what happens if the musical lyrical and visual attributes of a given genre exclude certain identities from participating or promote misogynist or racist messages?
00:02:38 - and transforming cultural conventions, then how can we as a society widen the scope of inclusion in musical practice? For my research, I rely upon an understanding of the different metal sub genres in order to discover how the conventions are disrupted and transformed through gendered musical subjectivities. This is especially important for the presentation of female artists in metal, a meta genre that has been critiqued for its lack of inclusion, equity, and diversity.

Examining Female Vocalists in Metal Music

00:03:11 - of the total number of musicians vocalists would be around 1.5%. So to explain my larger project of which the Ginger article is just one piece, I'm examining the expressive work of female vocalists in metal music across the full range of sub genres and styles, and over the historical period from the 1980s to the present. While it's true that a very small percentage of metal musicians are women, it's also true
00:03:42 - So it's not difficult for me to identify a very long list of diverse works to study. The field of metal music studies has been emerging since the 1990s with early scholarship on the cultural aspects of this extreme expression. In rock music, leading scholars have written about the predominance of hegemonic masculinity in metal music of the 1970s and eighties. Gender issues thus rose up in the discourse immediately
00:04:13 - and extreme musical expression, performance staging, audience participation in the scenes and misogynist ideologies that are evident in the lyrics. The discourse has primarily focused on masculinity and the music of male vocalists and musicians, despite the fact that female artists have been making their own statements. Also of concern to me is how music, how female artists are discussed in the literature if they are at all.
00:04:44 - or Lita Ford scholars or writers about music often reveal a tendency to receive these artists as sex objects. This occurs because the structures both musical and sociocultural of metal music have been received as inherently masculine, such that women are always working within and against that dominant frame. As metal scholars question, if these expressive tools are only available to men, then women's identities and subjectivities are marginalized.
00:05:16 - the performance is likely to be interpreted as masculine. In the last 10 to 15 years, scholars have begun to challenge the notion that metal only holds space for hyper-masculine ideologies. In contrast to earlier views on metal, we now see writings that deconstruct masculinity in metal that open the discussion to queer identities in the genre, and that illuminate aspects of gender play were aided in the field of musicology by the work
00:05:47 - for gender performativity and thus make room for women to engage in practices that are typically received as masculine. This allows for a more fluid and in fact, complicated understanding of femininity. I appreciate the notion that gender conventions are negotiated and must be transformed. The discursive negotiations often concern power relations and the attribution of agency in relation to available resources. If metal music is an expression of power, who holds

Examining Female Expression in Metal Music

00:06:21 - One of my primary concerns is that the scholarship on women in metal seldom discusses the musical content and expression, but rather focuses on the gendered aspects of the industry and subculture scenes, as well as on representations of gender and sexuality In the images and lyrics of metal music, I argue that in order to understand the musical expression of female metal artists, we must examine how they
00:06:50 - and specifically in the musical song structures to address these issues. Here are the questions I pose. How does a female artist occupy performative space in the expressive channels of words, music and images? What cultural themes and gendered practices are being conveyed through these expressive channels? How might a female artist complicate these themes and practices in order to transform the conventional representations of gender
00:07:24 - These are interpretive questions that need to be grounded in an analytic method. First, I situate the music video in its Intertextual context. What this means is to identify the materials and ideas in the words music and images that refer to or connect to other works. Intertextuality is like a conversation that is taking place between and among the cultural forms to create a network of ideas.
00:07:55 - cultural expressions of power, authority, and aggression specifically in relation to gender. In other words, I reflect on the materials and ideas that are being developed in the Intertextual network to understand what themes and tropes emerge. Since my field is music, I conduct extensive music analysis and then place that analytic data into dialogue with the words and images to discover the intersection of expression,
00:08:27 - This involves a close reading of the song with the aim of illuminating nuances of meaning. I gather this set of data from the inter textual references, the stories that are told about gender through these references and the close reading of the song in order to interpret the emergent cultural messages to reflect further on that for a moment. The reason that I examine this song
00:08:55 - that meanings come forward at different levels and on different registers. We're more likely to be able to respond to the developing discourse around meaning. If we have considered a number of analytic pathways, if we rush to interpret without having analytic evidence to ground our interpretations, it's very easy to miss potentially important layers of meaning and critique. So at this point, I would like to share my screen

Reimagining Gender in Progressive Metal

00:09:28 - So we arrive at the question of how Tatiana Muk complicates the gender discourse of metal to transform conventional representations of gender and sexuality. For this study, I chose three songs, three music videos that grapple with themes that are common to progressive metal. I referred to the first theme as cosmic bodies to reflect the emphasis that is placed on human subjects in relation to the universe, this theme owes a debt to space rock
00:10:00 - For instance, we can think of work by Pink Floyd, David Bowie, T-Rex and Hawk Wind that explored extraterrestrial topics. The theme of space rock that developed in the art rock of the sixties and seventies gets taken up by contemporary metal bands. For instance, between the Ome Me born of Osirus Gojira scar symmetry, Tesseract music videos by these bands featured Godlike figures, bodies
00:10:32 - human limitations with lyrics that question the meaning of the universe and our potential to achieve a higher consciousness. And of course, these videos include highly complex and virtuo progressive metal music. There's an apparent universality to the images, a presumption that these are explorations of human power in the universe. However, women do not emerge in the visual economy of these works. The omniscient perspective is always already male.
00:11:09 - Tatiana inserts herself into the role of the other worldly figure, unconstrained by gravity larger than life, and yet at the same time with an undeniably feminine aesthetic. By embodying this role of universal authority that is otherwise primarily adopted by male metal bands, lik claims an image of power for female artists in progressive metal and asserts that this status is available to him.
00:11:36 - of shma standing on the ground of a new world, raising her arm to an upward beam of light while she delivers an epic melodic line and proclaims, we won't be held by no bars. To give you a quick sense of my music analytic method, I will briefly illustrate her vocal production in relation to the musical setting and the text. This is a sonic visualization tool that provides the sonic data in real time and space. This opening of I speak astronomy features her clean sliding
00:12:13 - followed by a breathy sultry passage. Then shifting quickly to growled vocals and screams that deliver pitch energy across a wide frequency spectrum. Without entering all of the details of my analytic argument, let's just say that I consider these sonic strategies in relation to the words and the images. We won't enter a video example here, but I will get to one. So let's listen to this passage

Exploring Femininity in Metal Music Videos

00:13:37 -
00:13:39 - of lament death and precarious femininity. The song perennial is connected inter textually to the work of death, doom and gothic metal bands. For instance, catatonia, opec, lamb of God, swallow the Sun, daylight dies. These works often explore a male subjects spiritual catharsis, while the video images feature female subjects in situations of peril and vulnerability. We often see in these videos a soul female character
00:14:14 - to harsh natural surroundings and running from a dangerous force. Again, enter ginger in their video for perennial Schick plays the role of the vulnerable female figure, but does not limit her visual representation to that one image. She adopts the role of narrator or comment commentator in juxtaposition with a figure who is compelled to dig her own grave.
00:14:44 - of perennial delves into detailed musical elements and specifically how her vocal strategies contribute to the complex song structure. This song closes with a climatic and cathartic section that declares a new subject to be arising out of the ashes of despair. Let's listen and watch the video that's now placed into the frame with the realtime sonic visualization data.
00:15:59 - several alternative and progressive metal bands. For instance, Shuga Corn, Gojira of Mice and Men D develop songs that question A subject's mental struggles and the potential loss of self. In the music videos of such songs, it is not unusual to see a female actress playing the role of a disjointed and besieged subject. Ginger's pit of consciousness draws upon this intellectual
00:16:27 - of mental anguish once again, lik takes on the role of the struggling figure. Her words and images convey the sensibilities of a fragmented figure while her musical strategies evoke alternative and extreme progressive metal stylings. The final sequence of the video shows her to be submerged in water as she waits for her mind to be pacified. Let's watch.

Female Empowerment in Progressive Metal Music

00:17:40 - that result from the intertextual analysis and the close reading of the song. In the cosmic theme, I speak astronomy grants a female body and other worldly authority, while at the same time sustaining s human femininity. She uses a vast range of vocal effects. Her voice is always reverberate within space of the heavy metal, and you know this strong guitar and kit texture. By presenting her in a range of positions in relation
00:18:13 - and aggressive, deified and grounded in the gothic theme perennial. This song exposes and confronts the vulnerability of female experience. The song tells a story of loss and restoration through reference to the natural cycle of seasons. Lik offers a compelling critique of gothic femininity by connecting to the iconic imagery of death doom and gothic metal. She is both the exposed subject
00:18:45 - Ultimately, oppressive femininity is not restored or upheld, but rather this kind of femininity is seen to be digging its own grave. The theme of fragile subjects allows sch to the opportunity to embody and critique the role of a fragmented female subject in a highly complex song structure. She conveys a multidimensional representation of femininity and a willingness to represent human struggle while not capitulating to the archetype of a weak female.
00:19:17 - of female metal singer subjectivity more generally and sch intervention. More specifically, she is not merely a visual asset in the music video, but rather a performer who embodies critiques and transforms the roles that are being represented at the level of genre. Tatiana and the band members of Ginger offer a unique intersection of genre elements in dialogue with their lyrics and images. This unique genre bland creates space for the negotiation
00:19:52 - as a crucial actor. In progressive metal, Mila claims performative space in words, music and images to deliver compelling narratives that feature and problematize powerful v vulnerable and destabilized female subjectivities. Consistently. She embodies in these expressive channels representations of femininity that are salient within metal music cultures, but that she demonstrates to be deserving
00:20:22 - It's important for female performers to have the full toolkit of emotional expression available to them, including expressions of strength, aggression, vulnerability, and pain. These expressions are not the sole domain of masculinity, although typically attributed as such, but female metal artists can and do accomplish the necessary genre negotiations in order to confuse notions about male and female vo voices.

Exploring Gender in Metal Music's Expression

00:21:16 - and her multimodal expression in relation to the work of comparable metal bands in order to illuminate how she complicates and transforms the conventional understanding of gendered subjectivities in metal music with hundreds of active female metal vocalists. A great deal of work remains to be done to know and understand what these artists can and do bring to the genre of metal music.

Faculti AI can make mistakes

Faculti

Popular in Arts and Humanities

Titus Quinctius Flamininus’ “Italian triumph”

Lincoln and the Jews

Post-Kantian perfectionism

Amputations and Convalescence

Drawing on the past: Palladio, his precursors and knowledge of ancient architecture

Language, Sound, and Image in Wallace Berman’s Aleph, 1956–1966

Early Modern Natural Law Theories

Female Subjectivities: the Words, Music, and Images of Progressive Metal

Next in Art

Guide

Platform and Category Pages

Contact Us

FAQs

What is Faculti?

How do you select interviews?

Interview Process

Page Structure

Popular in Arts and Humanities

Guide

Platform and Category Pages

Contact Us

FAQs

What is Faculti?

How do you select interviews?

Interview Process

Accessibility Options

Contrast Adjustment

Text Size Adjustment

Text Spacing Adjustment

Line Height Adjustment

Cursor Size Adjustment

Page Structure Options

Page Structure