Since first crawling out of Hell via Tony Iommi’s hand of doom, metal has largely remained a male-dominated scene. Notable exceptions have made their presence known, but have mostly been that—exceptions. After over five decades of existence, extreme music is starting to see noticeable shifts in its demographic, both off- and on-stage. As Women’s History Month in 2024 comes to a close, Decibel caught up with two exciting voices in the avant-garde black metal space—Andromeda Anarchia of NYC symphonic quintet Folterkammer and Jacqui Powell of Philly’s blackened firebrands Witching—while out on tour. The pair discuss their left-hand paths towards black metal, the singers that influenced them and more in this brief one-on-one chat.
