Nearly three years ago, we brought you five female metal artists changing the music game and closing the gender gap in the male-dominated genre of metal. In the time since, there has been even more progress made. Over the last couple of years, there have been even more groundbreaking artists whose art is making the “female-fronted” descriptor a thing of the past. From guitar virtuosos and genre-blending rockers to those eschewing cultural and religious norms, here are five more hard rock and metal artists leading the way.

Crypta: As part of Nervosa, bassist/vocalist Fernanda Lira and drummer Luana Dametto, were already at the forefront of metal. In their new band Crypta, they continue to change the death metal game. Lira’s unclean vocals are deep, guttural and raw, dominating a sound that has traditionally been associated with male vocalists. The group released their sophomore album, Shades of Sorrow, earlier this year, which landed at number four on Metal Insider contributor DJ Alex Kayne’s Top 10 albums of 2023.