Feminine Masculine: All-Female Groups in Japanese Rock and Metal

It is well noted that the visual kei industry is predominantly male.  In Japanese metal, it is the same as well.  Or maybe metal all around the world.  Occasionally I see a female bassist or vocals, but that's about it.  Where did they go?  I cannot answer the question without being too biased so I'll refrain from giving my opinion.  For the women that have decided to emerge in the music industry, I'll congratulate you all.  It wasn't easy and I'm sure there was a lot of prejudice at first.  Rock and metal being a masculine type of music doesn't have to be limited to just males.  A lot of young girls and women love extreme music just as much as the next guy.  I think it's important to start accepting that girls want to be part of the band culture as musicians and not as a sex symbol.  One of my pet peeves is that women are just there for looks whether they choose to be or not. 

Right now there is a social conflict happening all over the world, the definition of masculinity and femininity.  We are constantly trying to define what makes someone or something masculine or feminine.  To be more accurate, this problem has occurred before in the past.  Roles of women throughout history have constantly changed.  Roles of men have remained relatively static, but different ideologies what defines a man have changed immensely in the 21st century.  Issues about sex and gender are becoming more significant as we are being told that the world is not just composed of men and women.  Some people accept the third gender and some are strongly against it.  Never mind the third gender, dealing with the existing two sexes is a pain in the neck.

One of the things that people like to associate Japan with is their overly cutesy girl pop groups.  There are loads of them and there doesn't see to be an end to them.  It doesn't seem like rebel girls are part of the mainstream and it's generally not too well accepted over there.  I'm not too sure about how, but I have been noticing lately that at least through Internet and social media, girls are picking up the guitar and drumsticks and doing cover videos.  And these are electric guitars, headbanging included.  They can dress like lolis, but they're headbaging lolis and are springing up in Japan.  Let's take a look at the all-female bands of Japan and see what we can learn.
*I will not be including bands that have a female frontman.  All members will be girls.*

Show-ya

What!  It looks like I was mistaken.  All girl metal bands already existed nearly 2 decades ago and I'm late to the show.  Except I think they were the only ones out there.  Show-ya is pretty much the ancestor to all-girl metal.  They were founded in 1982.  According to Wikipedia their musical style is influenced by classic rock like the Beatles, Led Zepellin, and AC/DC.  Their look reminds me of American biker gangs (probably directly influenced if not inspired).

Danger Gang

It was very hard to find HQ pictures and this is their most recent look.

These girls formed in 2002 and entered the visual kei scene.  They're signed to an indies label and I believe they're still with it.  They're probably the most well known all female visual kei next to exist trace.  They're kind of alternative rock, punk rock, and pop rock.  Some of it could be considered alternative metal.  I'm not a fan of their music because I feel they put more emphasis on the appearance rather than the music.

Chatmonchy

This is their old look.  Their current look is more feminine and chic.

Chatmonchy formed in 2000 and went indies for a long time.  I only knew them through the song Daidai, an ending theme for the Bleach anime.  (And I didn't really like the song too much.)  They are mostly pop rock and their old look is more androgynous and casual.  Their recent pictures feature them as chic and feminine.

OreSkaBand

I knew them because of Bleach again.  Their song, Tsumasaki, was really upbeat and easy to listen to.  They are unique in that they combine rock and ska together.  I really like the additions of trombone and trumpet because it played with their concept of a high school band.  Even the band attire fit with the theme.  It's a really positive image for their fans as well.

Scandal

Scandal is now a very popular girl rock group formed in 2006.  They are the school girl rock genre hence the school uniform look with guitars.  They play pop rock but they are characterized as "girlie pop rock".  If you listen to their songs like "Harukaze", you get the idea.  They weren't my type of band except for the song "Shunkan Sentimental".

Exist Trace

This band was amazing, but at the same time disappointed me.  They formed in 2003 and made a major debut in 2011.  Exist Trace had gothic roots and played mostly gothic metal, death metal, and alternative metal.  They donned a very gothic and hard look before.  Once they went major, Exist Trace toned it down a bit and their music shifted towards pop rock with experimentation with jazz and electronic elements.  Jyou, the vocalist, stopped using her growls and songs gradually became more upbeat.  To me, it was a very dramatic shift and I didn't enjoy it.  I liked their nitty gritty style like their song Judea or Ambivalence.

Aldious

It was the first time I saw a band that could headbang and wear long elegant dresses at the same time.  Aldious is sexy and hardcore.  They defied the usual sentiment for metal.  You usually don't associate lounge dresses with metal.  To me, they're making a statement that you can in fact define elegance as strong willed and independent.  Their latest looks are a bit more gothic inspired, but they still haven't lost the metal touch.  They formed in 2008 and their lineup has changed due to various reasons.  I think their new vocalist, Re:no, fits the band because her voice is similar to Rami's, the former vocalist.  I do hope their popularity can continue to rise and won't give in to pressure from their label/producer.

Babymetal

I genuinely thought Japan went crazy.  Babymetal is a combination of metal and Japanese idol culture formed in 2010.  They are now responsible for a new genre, kawaii metal.  Babymetal brings to the audience high pitched voices, cute skirts, idol pop dancing and metal.  Kinda weird and I was like "Huh?" when I first heard it.  In their latest single, Megitsune, oldest member Sumetal sports some pretty impressive vocals.  The younger members are Yuimetal and Moametal who I believe are 12.  These are probably the youngest metal members in the history of metal.  I still hold some reservation on this group.  I don't consider them to be a band because so far they have only been responsible for singing and dancing.  The instrumentals are performed by musicians whose names have not been associated with Babymetal.  If they were to officially list those musicians as part of Babymetal, I would then consider them a band.

So in conclusion, I felt that this sudden growth of all female rock groups is reflecting a social change in Japanese society.  There is some sort of demand for girls and women to present themselves as more independent rather than as a princess.  I am told there are more groups than the few I have mentioned here.  If you know any, let me know in the comments.