Gender in metal

1)Male
2)Augury(interesting lyrical themes) and Stargazer(fantastic DM with avant garde and BM influence)
3)I don't go to any shows, I just listen at home.
4)I don't look anything like a metalhead. My hair is medium length(kind of looks like the guy in my sig), I wear button shirts, wool coats, khakis, jeans, shoes, etc.
5)No clue, perhaps they were raised listening to it, or they just found this type of music is appealing to them.
 
There are more but I don't feel like namedropping so much. The big deal with Gojira being less than good is that their concept is bigger than their music itself...the music definitely sounds like a combination of a few different bands..."unique" and "modern" in a shallow sense. Nothing truly new. And I find them pretty boring.

FYI I have no problem with bands who don't do anything new, but all the hype Gojira got hurt my appreciation of their stuff. You may want to check out Symbyosis - Crisis which is also a French prog death album, but leagues better imo.
 
1) Gender: female

2) What are your favourite metal bands and why?

I enjoy almost all genres of metal except brutal death and grindcore. My last.fm gives a better idea, but here are a few select ones.

Candlemass - While Messiah Marcolin is not the end all, be all of this band. His operatic voice was the hook which drew me in. I find the mix of operatic vocals (not just his but Robert and Johan as well) and heavy doom to be spectacular.

Enslaved - Even early on, they stood apart from others in the Norwegian scene. Vikingligr Veldi was incredibly raw and epic, capturing that elusive viking feel and yet still keeping the music tastefully black metal. Newer material shows that they are not afraid to experiment while still maintaining musical interest.

Opeth - I come from a prog rock background, worshipping Pink Floyd before finding metal, so it was almost a given I would like them. While some may find the meandering song structures hard to follow, I enjoy the metamorphoses within each song.

Burzum - While musically simple, the minimalistic black metal riffs creates a captivating, melancholic atmosphere. A perfect example of that can be found in En Ring Til Å Herske.

Negura Bunget - I am blown away by their breathtakingly epic black metal with folk instruments thrown in. Spirituality and nature are perfectly conveyed through Negura Bunget's music.

3) How do you feel you fit into the metal subculture? For example, do you go to gigs? Play in a band? Participate in the metal community/fanzines? Or just listen to it at home?


In addition to listening at home and going to gigs, I've hosted a metal radio show at my college for 3 years. I collaborated with Bruce of Whiplashtv.com doing a bit of reviewing and concert photography, before he sadly ended the show.​

4) How would you describe the way you dress? Is it similar to what people tend to perceive as a typical metal fan?

Casual dress will be jeans and a long sleeve (not band) shirt of solid and neutral color. Occasionally, I wear a nice skirt and sweater or blouse. I do not look like a metal fan. Most people are unaware of my music tastes and I do not bother to inform them.​

5) Why do you think there is a female fanbase for the metal genre, taking into consideration its masculine attributes and relative scale of male musicianship (next to many other popular genres)?

Females are not aggressive creatures and generally do not go looking for aggressive music to listen to (I assume this has something to do with testosterone levels). I find that many female fans tend to gravitate toward artists such as Katatonia, Children of Bodom, HIM, and Nightwish (ugh). However, my assumption is that they are attracted the softer melodies of these bands (or "hot" Ville/Alexi) more so than identifying with female role models. Perhaps that is not entirely true, but I listen to bands for the music; and a set of breasts won't change my opinion one way or the other. That said, I've had the pleasure of meeting several women who are wonderfully educated in artists such as Immolation, Bathory, even Demilich, who don't meet that stereotype of the female metalhead.​

my $.02
 
bands from France better than Gojira

Massacra
Celestia
Alecst
Amesoeurs
Peste Noire
Mortifera
Belenos
Deathspell Omega
Aes Dana
Despond
Ataraxie
Nydvind
Monolithe
Ningizzia
Mystic Forest
Epheles
Mourning Dawn
I've never heard Gojira, but here are the French bands on my playlist.

Adagio
Amethyste
Carcariass
Luen-Ta
Lutece
The Old Dead Tree
Psychopathology Orchestra
 
There are more but I don't feel like namedropping so much. The big deal with Gojira being less than good is that their concept is bigger than their music itself...the music definitely sounds like a combination of a few different bands..."unique" and "modern" in a shallow sense. Nothing truly new. And I find them pretty boring.

FYI I have no problem with bands who don't do anything new, but all the hype Gojira got hurt my appreciation of their stuff. You may want to check out Symbyosis - Crisis which is also a French prog death album, but leagues better imo.
Leagues better is a stretch...but you always come through with some good rec's. I'm listening to some Symbyosis on myspace right now.