Vigilante feminism as a form of musical protest in extreme metal music

Abstract

Drawing on my 2016 ethnographic research on women in New York’s extreme metal music scene, this short article discusses the emerging concept of vigilante feminism; a term first coined by American Studies professor Laura D’Amore in her 2017 study, Vigilante Feminism: Revising Trauma, Abduction, and Assault in American Fairy Tale Revisions. Through interviews with the death metal band Castrator, the role of the female musician and fan in the extreme metal music (EMM) scene is explored. Using the lens of vigilante feminism as a form of musical protest, I analyse lyrical content, performativity and the ways in which female musicians navigate the traditionally masculine-coded subculture. I argue that for some female death metal musicians, vigilante feminism acts as a form of empowerment which enables them to coexist in a liminal space so often dominated by their male counterparts.