JDubb
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Who Really Started Female Clean/Harsh Vocals in Metal?

Let me know your thoughts on this - and if I am missing anyone in particular. I’m leaning towards Kittie.
1Arch Enemy
Wages of Sin

Obvious choice is Angela Gossow - at least for the harsh vocals. She often receives the credit. But she didn’t join Arch Enemy until November 2000. And her first album with Arch Enemy (Wages of Sin) wasn't released until 2001. And she didn’t really sing cleans. So…
2Tura Satana
All Is Not Well

A defensible choice is Tarrie B of Manhole/Tura Satana. Saw her live under Manhole in 1996 with Type O Negative…and she was a beast. At that time, her vocals were more rapped or screamed, and she was more in the gothic scene. By 1999, with My Ruin, she wrote the blueprint for Otep - mixing spoken, clean and harsh vocals.
3Otep
Jihad

Otep Shamaya is a third choice - she definitely brought in death metal-esque vocals, in addition to rapped and spoken word vocals. But her band didn’t come onto the scene until 2000. And this album wasn’t released until 2001.
4Kittie
Spit

Formed in 1996, demos in 1998, Spit released in 1999. Two female vocalists doing clean and harsh vocals (Morgan Lander, Fallon Bowman). Touring on Ozzfest and Slipknot in 2000. If this isn't the commercial start of mixed, female clean/harsh vocals In metal, then they at least popularized them.
5Teenage Jesus and the Jerks
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks

Lydia Lunch - From Johnnyofthewell. Noise rock band - not hearing where Lydia is fronting harsh (death metal esque) vocals.
6Diamanda Galas
At Saint Thomas the Apostle Harlem

Diamanda Galas - From Relinquished. OK - I'll yield that she does a plethora of Mike Patton type vocals, including shrieks and some harsh vocals. But not sure she made a huge impact.
7Nina Simone
Nina Simone at Newport

Nina Simone - From MoM. “ If you can tell meeee that “black bodies swaying in the summer breeze” isn’t the harshest vocal ever laid to tape, I’d like to hear it!i!i” Not taking the bait.
8Thorr's Hammer
Dommedagsnatt

Runhild Gammelsaeter - From porcupinetheater - mostly harsh vocals, but some cleans sprinkled through.
9Fear of God
Within the Veil

On Drift (1991) - from Willie. Yes indeed - good call here -had never heard of this band. Seems to be a one off, but there is a lot going on vocally here.
10Nuclear Death
Wake Me When I'm Dead

Lori Bravo - Since 1986 - From Hyperion1001. Similar to Runhild above, will concur with the harsh vocals - but not hearing much cleans.
11Holy Moses
Satan's Angel (Demo)

Sabina Classen - From Grimlin. Will concur with the harsh vocals (more screams and shrieks) - but not hearing much cleans.
12Paradise Lost
Gothic

Nick Holmes - From Egarran. Love some Paradise Lost - but this band is fronted by a dude, man. Are you talking about the guest vocals from Sarah Marrion?
13Yoko Ono
Yes, I'm A Witch

From artiswar. Sorry, no.
14Evanescence
Fallen

Amy Lee - from Emim. Definitely not for harsh vocals; but she did a hella lot for cleans and shepherding gothic rock/metal.
15Sinister
Creative Killings

Rachel Heyzer - from Dreamflight - one of the first females to do harsh vocals, but unsure on cleans.
16Hole
Pretty On The Inside

From theSonomaDude…but what about Hole? Courtney Love certainly has moments when her voice dips down to growl like registers. But it is not consistently done enough to qualify. Same with L7 and Hammerbox.
17Eths
Autopsie

Candice Clot. Eths we’re on a similar route - they released their first demo in 1999 and Autopsie in 2000. But earlier formulations (What's the fuck; Melting Point) were put together as early as 1996. Don’t think that they made as big a ripple as Kittie though.
18Walls of Jericho
A Day and a Thousand Years

Candace Kucsulain- From Uzomaki. Started off in 1998/1988. Predominantly harsh hardcore esque vocals - but hearing a lot of influence on more recent Metalcore bands (e.g. Straight Line Stitch). Good catch.
19Megace
Inner war

Melanie Bock - from Space Jester. Timeframe of album fits (1999) - will check out.
20Fear Factory
Soul of a New Machine

From deez - “Theyre just a style of vocals that have been around forever. She was probably one of the first extreme female vocalists. If she influenced turd like Angela G I doubt. Im sure all these type of vocals for women where just influenced by male counterparts, youre more in the realm of who did it first.” This is possible; if so, Fear Factory would be my vote to have first shepherded and popularized the use of mixed clean /harsh vocals.
21Plasmatics
Metal Priestess

Wendy o williams - from BAT. Have heard her referenced by many (e.g. Butcher Babies). Will check out.
22Violeta Parra
Las ultimas composiciones de Violeta Parra

From asdfp277. Yeah, I doubt it.
23Warlock
Burning the Witches

Doro Pesch - from Bookofthefallen. She is considered a metal goddess…
24Nana Mouskouri
Comme Un Soleil

From Potsy Tater. Yeah….no.
25Tina Turner
Simply the Best

From deez. Also no.
26Human Waste Project
E-lux

Aimee Echo. Read that this was an influence on Morgan Lander of Kittie. Mostly has Hole-type vocals on a gothic nu-metal chassy, but starting to hear some deeper growled vocals here…
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