Abstract
The article confronts the construction of gender within metal, particularly the violent misogyny that can be found in some types of death metal and grindcore. Drawing on a case study of grindcore music in Melbourne, Australia, the author explores the nature of ‘brutality’ that is identified by scene members as the essence of its affect. Grindcore offers an affective ‘intensity’ that partially transcends representations of gender, opening up possibilities for female scene members. While misogynistic rhetoric and representation may suffuse metal scenes, it is undermined and ironized in various ways.