Heavy Music Heroines Part One: As Voted By YOU!

Welcome to the first ever edition for 2025 of The Soundcheck's Women In Heavy Music series; an ongoing feature that we launched in 2024 designed to shine a light on some of the incredible women in the heavy scene.

Very recently in 2025, it's been incredible to see so many media outlets getting behind and repping femme and GNC industry workers and artists, including TheMusic.com.au recently sharing a shout out to women making waves in the Aussie music industry, and Wall Of Sound featuring Scowl's own Kat Moss shouting out seven fierce females shaping the future of hardcore and punk (both highly recommended reads FYI). And as for The Soundcheck in 2025, back in February we did a call out to the heavy community with a key aim: shout out your Heavy Music Heroine, aka give some love to a female-indentifying, non-binary or gender diverse artist or industry worker in the heavy genres that inspires YOU.

The responses across the board were incredible, but one key factor organically stood out to me while I was reading each and every nomination: the majority of nominations this time around was for an emerging Australian artist. Initially, I didn't want to limit this series to purely local and/or emerging artists, but it was a beautiful thing to see the passion and adoration for local femme artists largely happen on its own, and I thank every single person who chucked in a nomination for this first round.

For the first official Heavy Music Heroines feature today, it was a difficult task but we've narrowed down the nominations to five artists as voted by you. Please welcome our freshly crowned heavy heroines: Gwyneth Jansen, Cassie Monkerud, Rose Baylis, Mary Shannon and Bek Binnie!

ABOUT GWYNETH JANSEN: Gwyneth Jansen is a Gadigal-based guitarist, instrumentalist, performer and death metal shredder. Previously establishing herself in the Sydney metal scene shredding with Decharot, Gwyneth recently joined melodic death metal act Destruction of the Healer, making her debut performing at the launch of the band's EP Dreaming Deep in Breathless Sleep, and also finished her Major in Contemporary Music Practice at the Sydney Conservatorium, becoming the first female metal guitarist to enter the Contemporary degree. Gwyneth has also worked as a band leader, guitar and bass teacher, actively performs with her band around the Wollongong, Canberra and Sydney areas, was the Sydney Guitar Deputy for the 2024 Sydney season of SIX the musical, and most recently hosted a free all ages event in Berowra, with the Berowra Riffpocalypse aimed at showcasing the best local talents in the metal scene.

GWYNETH'S HEAVY MUSIC HEROINE NOMINATION:

"Gwyneth is a powerhouse in the metal scene, blending technical mastery with a commanding stage presence that defines the energy of every performance. With a Bachelor of Contemporary Music Practice from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, she not only shreds with precision but also navigates the business side like a pro. Her work in the metal world with bands like Decharot and Destruction of the Healer showcases her raw talent, relentless drive, and a dedication to keeping metal alive night after night. Beyond performing, she has also spent five years teaching the next generation of guitarists- with a particular focus on fostering a confidence and love for metal amongst local young women - proving she’s not just an artist but a leader in the scene."

- Nominated by Taresk

Follow Gwyneth here.

ABOUT CASSIE MONKERUD: Lead singer for Antonamasia and co-lead singer for War Rages Within, Cassie Monkerud is a Sydney-based powerhouse who lives and breathes heavy music. Whether ticking off headline performances as well as appearances at the likes of Rockdale Metalfest and Sharkfest Music Festival, Cassie is also a juggernaut supporter in the heavy community, publicly supporting fellow local heavy bands, conjuring event artwork and promo videos, and working behind the scenes on multiple events, including the recent all ages metal event Ram It Down. Via Antonamasia, Cassie's most recent single Kinesis showcased her hard-hitting vocals and potent lyricism, with the band will also set to tick off their first ever QLD performing this June for Nowhere Festival. And in the land of War Rages Within, Cassie will next take the stage at Crowbar Sydney supporting Dark Order.

CASSIE'S HEAVY MUSIC HEROINE NOMINATION: "Cassie is one of the most approachable, friendly frontwomen I have ever met. Always puts on an amazing performance, but you will also find her front of stage supporting the other bands at any show she is at. The work she does in the background supporting events and festivals such as 'Ram It Down' and ' Metal To The Max' deserves credit as well".

- Nominated by Taresk

Follow Cassie here and here.

ABOUT ROSE BAYLIS: A metal and classical violinist, violist and cellist, Melbourne-based creative cauldron Rose Baylis is a talented session musician and teacher who is also performs under the moniker Adularia. Releasing her debut album in 2016, and a follow up EP in 2019, Rose's captivating performance and electrifying compositions are truly something to behold; a fact witnessed most vividly on Adularia's most recent EP Haunted Finale, aka a three-track immersive wonderland that dabbles in darker themes and inspirations from nature, and included live drums and guitars alongside Rose's sublime strings. Finishing off 2024 performing at The Workers Club in Fitzroy, Rose has also performed with multiple orchestras, works as a strings teacher sharing her knowledge and passion; and, as you'll see below, she also overcame some significant hurdles to continue creating her beautiful metal alchemy.

ROSE'S HEAVY MUSIC HEROINE NOMINATION: "Rose Baylis is the metal violinist, violist and cellist who created Adularia. Also a session and classical muso you've probably heard them in the heavy scene but don't know the face. She never seeks to do music for the notoriety only for the love of it and I think they're the most underrated metal musician out there. But what's not known as publicly is that in 2011, they survived a car accident after being hit and run over as a pedestrian and were told they'd never walk unaided or play music again. Rose had to start from scratch to do everything from holding a knife and fork to relearning her instruments. I know it wasn't easy for them and today you can't even tell by her playing or walking that she was in something so devastating. She's always so kind and positive and never seen herself as a victim. Rose proves you can do anything and I think having survived that, her passion is so much stronger. You can really feel what she plays."

- Nominated by Miles

Follow Rose here.

ABOUT MARY SHANNON: Our first of two Tassie representatives in today's feature, Mary Shannon currently fronts the "weirdo-scary-pop-rock" project Meres, and is also part of the shoegaze/psych rock/doom pop Lutruwita/Tasmania act Dvrkworld. Through Meres, Mary's textural concoctions perfectly balances 90s malaise with inspirations from the likes of Speedy Oritz, Bad History Month and Adalita, while Dvrkworld amps up the crunch with fuzzy riffs, lashings of reverb and and dreamy undertones; all of which saw Dvrkworld open for Unknown Mortal Orchestra in Hobart. Armed with captivating throaty vocals and vibrant delivery, Mary has been recently teasing new things on the horizon for Meres, while Dvrkworld have just unleashed their debut self-titled EP, with an EP launch show locked in on Friday 11 April, and a performance lined up as part of Dark Mofo at The Playhouse Theatre this June.

MARY'S HEAVY MUSIC HEROINE NOMINATION: "I love the music that Mary makes, and I love how hard she works to give other people chances to make music. She has an incredible knack for writing really catchy melodies and superbly well structured songs, and we're finally seeing her efforts culminate all at once in debut bodies of work from both of her current bands - the shoegaze/psych-rock/doom-pop band Dvrkworld's debut EP, and the post-grunge weirdo-pop-rock of Meres' debut album.

Over the last decade, Mary has not only worked diligently on her own musical output, and collaborated thoughtfully with a range of other Tasmanian musicians, she has created some wonderful opportunities for other musicians throughout the state. She's worked as the Executive Producer at Junction Arts Festival, programming high-quality musical entertainment that has always been received enthusiastically by locals and visitors alike, and has helped to deliver other events including Party In The Paddock and Festivale. Throughout all of her work, Mary has an admirable focus on creating safe, nurturing spaces, that elevate and support members of less-listened to populations including women and non-binary people, and is a passionate advocate for community connection and the transformative nature of arts and culture."

- Nominated by Fezmay

Follow Mary here and here.

ABOUT BEK BINNIE: Hailing from Nipaluna/Hobart, Bek Binnie fronts the energetic maelstrom of fun that is Threats; a Tassie whirlwind of high octane riffs and beats, fuzz and ferocity forged with introspective lyrics that will rattle your brain and soothe your soul (in the best ways possible). Pumping up the riotous goodness in 2024 with their album Backward Alchemy, Threats swung into PBS FM's Top 10 armed with their latest release, and also performed last year alongside the likes of Lagwagon. 2023 saw the band nominated for Best Live Act in Tasmania at the National Live Music Awards, and ticked off a Rolling Stone Aus feature proudly flying the flag for Tassie music and Frying Pan Studios...oh, and did we also mention that they opened for a lil band called SPEED back in February this year? Always one to threaten you with a good time, Bek is =a performer you want to tick off your live bucket list.

BEK'S HEAVY MUSIC HEROINE NOMINATION: "Bek is an absolute fireball on stage, and her band Threats have created moments both during shows and on record that resonate deeply with the Tasmanian music community. Bek is a gifted lyricist, and Threats craft songs that are invigoratingly cathartic, inspiring intense appreciation and loyalty from the local scene. Late last year, Threats released their second album 'Backward Alchemy', a stark, confronting journey through intense grief, that was emotionally blindsiding and sonically nuanced. They launched it at an incredibly wholesome show - complete with an album cover themed "birth day" cake - featuring a stylistically diverse lineup including their own hardcore set, R&B/hip-hop, creeptronica, alt-metal and experimental noise. The band builds community around them wherever they go - something incredibly important in a regional centre - and they've been rewarded handsomely recently with support slots for Terminal Sleep and Speed. Like a lot of heavy musicians, Bek is full of contrast. Like a bull at the gates on stage, prowling through the audience while she screams, off-stage she's exceptionally kind and generous, growing veggies, setting up science experiments for school-students, and generally being one of the most loved figures in the Tas scene."

- Nominated by Fezmay

Follow Bek here.

Thank you to everyone who submitted their Heavy Music Heroine

BY TIANA SPETER