Girls shouldn't shout?: Women break the mould at French metal festival
On Friday, nine bands featuring at least one woman took to one of Hellfest's main stages, a notable step toward recognizing women in the genre. Hellfest showcases around 180 bands spanning metal subgenres from thrash and black metal to hardcore punk, with major acts like Korn, Muse and Scorpions performing. Among the newer voices carving space in the scene is Camille Contreras, a chemical engineer by training and self-taught metalcore vocalist, who faced a backlash in 2023 after joining French band Novelists as their lead singer.
'There were a few remarks, but I didn't really take them personally because they said 'a girl shouldn't shout',' Contreras told AFP. 'I told myself 'this guy, he's just stupid'.' Contreras proved her vocal strength during live shows, helping Novelists gain international traction with tours in the United States and China. Her four bandmates said the decision to bring her in went beyond voice, praising her performance style, stage presence, good mood, ability to convey atmosphere and diversity. Praised by her bandmates as 'transgressive' for challenging 'norms and many stereotypes', Contreras — nicknamed the 'devil's diva' — fired up the Hellfest crowd during their Sunday set. She wasn't the only woman making waves at the festival.
US rock giant Linkin Park, best known for hits like 'In the End' and 'Numb', returned to the Hellfest stage on Sunday with new vocalist Emily Armstrong, who joined in 2024 following the 2017 death of frontman Chester Bennington. 'They were in the right state of mind by choosing to make a 180 degree U-turn, rather than creating a copy of Chester, and it's working really well,' said Christie Medina-Gonzalez, programmer and artistic coordinator for Hellfest.
Heavy metal fans enjoy the music during the 18th edition of the "Hellfest Summer Open Air" rock and heavy metal festival in Clisson, western France.
Skindred British singer Benji Webbe performs on stage.
Heavy metal fans enjoys music during the 18th edition of the Hellfest Summer Open Air rock and heavy metal festival.
Staff spray water on heavy metal fans during the 18th edition of the Hellfest Summer Open Air rock and heavy metal festival.
Heavy metal fans attend the 18th edition of the Hellfest Summer Open Air rock and heavy metal festival in Clisson, western France as a heatwave hits France. --AFP photos
'Very good start'
Women are still underrepresented at the festival but they are becoming 'much more widespread now', according to Contreras. 'All of the attitudes are evolving a little,' she said. 'Women are maybe less scared of showing who they are,' she added, noting that 'there are more and more female bands in all kinds of subgenres' of heavy metal, which nevertheless remains 'very standardized' and 'very masculine'.
Friday's stage dedicated to woman-fronted acts featured performances by the neo-Viking metal collective Heilung, from Scandinavia and Germany, alongside Dutch symphonic metal bands Epica and Within Temptation. The initiative is 'a very good start to make women more visible', said Sharon den Adel, cofounder of Within Temptation with her husband and guitarist Robert Westerholt. 'I know a lot of my colleagues had a lot of problems being accepted as a woman,' Den Adel said. When the lead vocalist was growing up, people often asked who her idols were.
Now, with more women playing guitar and playing drums, female performances are more visible, she said. As metal artists, women 'will plant seeds in young girls' minds of, 'I can be this, this is also an option for me, maybe I can do this passion as well''. — AFP
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