Star Attraction in Contemporary Metal Music

This chapter considers the work of Alissa White-Gluz, a metalcore and melodic death metal vocalist who formed The Agonist in 2004 and subsequently accepted the lead vocal role of Arch Enemy in 2014 upon the departure of her pathbreaking predecessor, Angela Gossow. In addition to her leadership in Arch Enemy, White-Gluz is frequently featured as a guest artist with metal bands from a range of subgenres. A significant aspect of White-Gluz's work is her embodied representation of femininity in both live performance and music video settings. Several all-male bands have capitalised on her vocal and physical performance style, featuring her as a ‘star attraction’. The analysis begins with her work as lead vocalist in The Agonist, in order to establish foundational aspects of her vocal expression and then turns to two collaborations selected for their contrasting styles and genres. In order to illuminate how she portrays alternative femininities in metal, I apply two perspectives: the featured artist as star attraction; and a pragmatics of voice and body.